The year 1961 saw Elbé van Rooyen’s birth in Greytown, South Africa. At the juvenile age of fourteen, she held her first art exhibition; even then, her special gift was immediately apparent. Her creative range and abilities continued to grow in the years that followed. She followed a career as an executive in the corporate world after graduating from the University of Pretoria and Rand Afrikaans University. Despite her busy life, she was unable to let go of her love of painting. In 1999, as her artistic profile rose and she received several commissions, she made the decision to focus all of her time and energy on her work.