Born in East Africa in 1957, Caroline Said Lawrence spent an idyllic childhood in Nairobi and Mombasa before moving with her family to the Middle East in 1969. Educated in Surrey, England, she later attended St. Martin’s School of Art in London, intending to pursue a career in art. Personal circumstances led her to return to Bahrain, where she resumed her artistic career in 1994 after raising four children. Exhibiting under the name Hidaya Said Lawrence, her early “Rooms With A View” watercolours evoked serene, imagined interiors influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites. After relocating to Malta in 2002, she revisited her African roots with Faces of Africa (2004), a series that became central to her practice. Later works include vibrant depictions of Brighton and London (2008) and The Passion (2017), a contemporary exploration of faith. Her latest pieces, inspired by Arthur Rackham, focus on the British countryside, particularly Hay-on-Wye.