Rosemary Lapping-Sellars

From matric at 16 to a PhD at 80!

One of our residents, Rosemary Lapping-Sellars, has proven that it is never too late to follow your dreams or set a new challenge for yourself. Rosemary graduated from Stellenbosch University in December 2021 with her masters in visual arts. Those who have had the privilege of meeting Rosemary, knows she is an exceptionally talented and vibrant woman and we are extremely proud of this accomplishment.

When asked what inspired her to take on this new goal, she stated that “My four children all live overseas and I was, quite simply, compelled to realign the algorithm in my head. Later that year, a friend came to visit and said quite bluntly, ‘You have no choice but to rethink your life, go back to study. Do your Master’s. It will be marvellous for you.’”

Lapping-Sellars, as stated on Sunday Times (2021) committed her lifetime to art and ceramics, Lapping-Sellars obtained a Bachelor’s degree in fine arts and psychology from the then Natal University, after which she took up a teaching post as head of the ceramic department at the Port Elizabeth Technikon. A year later, she returned to her hometown of Pretoria to open a child art studio.

She also taught art at the Nato base in Fontainebleau in France and exhibited in London. On her return to Cape Town in 2006, she opened a multimedia teaching studio for adults, which she ran until 2016.

We cannot wait to see what is yet to come for Rosemary Lapping-Sellars.