Lise Wessels

Illustrator • Filmmaker • Boeing 737 Pilot • Climber

From the cockpit to the canvas, Cape‑Town‑based artist Lise Wessels tells stories that soar. A former Boeing 737 pilot for a regional South African airline, Lise now channels the same calm focus she once brought to the flight deck into ink, oil and pixels, creating vivid illustrations that celebrate wild places and the people who push their limits there.

Lise began sketching as a child, encouraged by her mother, but her creative renaissance arrived unexpectedly after a shoulder injury introduced her to rock climbing. The sport ignited a passion for movement, light and landscape that soon spilled over into art and filmmaking. Her drone‑shot mini‑documentary Sibamba Mama and a growing library of high‑energy “beta” videos have screened at the Vertical South Film Festival and inspired climbers throughout South Africa.

On the page she works across traditional water‑colour, digital illustration and motion‑graphics, often layering reference photographs captured on her drone to create dynamic, character‑driven scenes. Whether she’s painting sandstone towers or sketching whimsical children’s characters, Lise’s work is defined by clean lines, cinematic perspectives and a quiet sense of wonder.

When she isn’t in her studio you’ll find Lise bolting up Table Mountain’s quartzite, coaching community film‑makers, or cruising at 30 000 ft on the jump seat—an artist who quite literally lives between earth and sky.