One of her first memories is of being set down in the garden, by her mother, between flowers and plants. ‘There between the leaves, by myself, I learnt to observe nature. And it continues to amaze me.’

After studying at the Rietveld Acedemy and following career in fashion Herma shifted her interest to visual arts. She has worked as an artist and sculptor since 1999 and her fascination for nature has taken a prominent role. It can be seen in the fragile sketches of flowers, in dynamic animal ceramics and the robust sculptures of giant flowers. Notable in de Wit’s work is the combination of a tender, sensitive eye and a powerful technique. “Technique is important to me, it’s pretty easy for me to think three dimensionally. I look at a flower, sketch it and then I can work it out in 3D.’

Her work has become more monumental in the course of time. ‘Maybe it’s allowing my masculine side to come out, I don’t shrink away from steel and larger works. But however robust the sculptures may appear, I hope the vulnerability of nature is also recognizable. It’s the tension between strength and fragility that continues to fascinate me.’