Zizi studied Law, Engineering and graphic design after which she followed an early career in Engineering drawing. Her natural creativity eventually led her to take up a new career in garden design which gave her much more opportunity to explore her artistic bent. Nevertheless, she was still constrained by the practicalities of the physical and it was not until she had a spell living in Southern France that she was able to produce unconstrained art with no boundaries.  She was inspired by the quality of the light in France as well as the landscape and vibrant flora. This was a period of great growth for her as an artist.

The legacy of her engineering drawing background still remains strong in her work; the ability to capture form in as few lines as necessary keeps her images simple, strong and evocative.