ceramics southern africa

Artist Statement: Pauline van Tonder
Clay is the silent language of my heart, therefore I trust my work more than my words to reveal my emotions, passions and faith.On my creative pathway with porcelain I am awed by the mystery of creating a unique piece of art. I see my personal growth revealed in my work while I discover and grow towards unlocking the wonderworld of porcelain. When people look at my work, I’d like them to be captivated by the translucent qualities of porcelain.
In the words of Leo Tolstoy: “Art is a microscope which the artist fixes on the secrets of his soul, and shows people these secrets which are common to all”.

One of South Africa’s most respected potters, Graham Bolland merges function and art, and has been throwing and decorating reduction fired pottery since the 1970's.

He draws inspiration from the flora and fauna of the Little Karoo where he lives and works with his wife Kim. His simple and functional forms can be classed as a contemporary Anglo-Oriental style of design.

Loved by people from all over the world, each piece is hand-thrown, hand-decorated, and fired to cone 10 reduction.

I am a Potter and Teacher working in Rondebosch, Cape Town.
Trained with Gavin Kew and Anthony Shapiro.
For details please look at my website http://www.oldfarmpottery.wordpress.com.

Often I find myself retracing my steps... thinking, "I should look at that". How many times have I passed a small wonder with rushing? Or a big wonder?
Seeing is not only noticing that something IS, but attending to IT, and looking past the obvious to find IT's significance and subtleties.
By making what I see, I hope others will be inspired to make time to see.

My fascination with clay began in 1976 when I attended classes and very soon set up my own studio in Shakaskraal, KZN. I worked in stoneware, according to the Leach tradition, and made functional pieces which were fired in a reduction atmosphere in a gas kiln.
I am now working in porcelain. Everything is hand thrown on the potter’s wheel. Forms are classic and simple and glazing is a continuous exciting experiment. I love the way the glazes combine and flow and react with one another and with the clay.
Pottery has become a way of life and, apart from my own research, I attend many courses, classes and workshops and take part in exhibitions in order to gain a deeper understanding. I have received awards at the regional and national level. My work is included in the Corobrik Collection as well as in various private collections in South Africa and internationally.
Teaching is both rewarding and inspiring. I open my studio to small classes where each student is encouraged to develop their own individual style.
I am inspired by the Beauty in all of creation. My wish is for my work to be a reminder, in some small way, of the natural beauty which surrounds us and is part of us.

Full time architect specialising in the design of wayfinding systems, and serious part-time potter currently working and teaching in her own studio in oxidised stoneware and raku, using an electric and a gas kiln. Has participated in South African regional and national ceramic exhibitions since 1976, and has been part of several group exhibitions since 1993. Winner of Ceramics South Africa Regional awards in 1993 and 2016.

My eclectic obsessions have lead to very different bodies of work.
My sculptural vessels explore balance, flow in asymmetrical combinations of facets and curves.
My homes celebrate the shapes that we respond to. The essential lines and single details that capture our cosy and safe spaces.
And my mice offer a moment of respite from reality.

Eunice is a teacher by trait, her love for ceramics started at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg (USA) where her husband furthered his studies. Eunice completed her B-Tech (Cum Laude) in ceramics in 1998 at the Vaal Triangle Technikon where she received numerous awards. After lecturing for two years at the institution, they moved to Gaborone Botswana where she pursued a career as an art teacher at a Cambridge Secondary School for seven years. Back in South Africa, she is currently a full-time Ceramic Artist, participating in numerous National and International Exhibitions.

Her work is all about integrating her love of form and drawing. She illustrates her work using "Clay Etchings" and sprigs on the form. Depicting a world where small acts of everyday life is revealed in it's fine detail. When Eunice experiences life she is fully aware of her mortality and the preciousness of the present moment and she always strives to depict that in her work. The imagery on her work leads the viewer around the form and investigates with both the hand and eye. Eunice's passion extends to her love of the outdoors, the South African bush veld as well as flowers, where she finds much of her inspiration.

Each design is carefully drawn into the porcelain work when it is leather hard. The raised moulded designs (sprigs) are applied and then the work is slowly dried. Black slip is painted into incised lines followed by 2 or 3 firings.

Anton has been a ceramist all his life. He has mastered complex techniques and established himself
as a potter in whose work the painterly aspect plays a significant role. Anton developed a clay fusion
technique uniquely his own which he applies on his wall plaques to create subtle line, depth in color
and three-dimensional shapes. `I regard working with clay as an experience which brings me into
intimate contact with the natural world`
His work features in various national and international collections.

Richard Pullen is a ceramic artist born and raised in the Eastern Cape
of South Africa. He established his successful ceramic Studio &
Gallery in the historic Settler village of Bathurst in 1998. Over the last
20 years his pieces have found happy homes all over the world.

A real eureka moment in Richard's life was discovering clay at the
age of 15 during Art class at school. Richard went on to study Art & Design at the then Port Elizabeth Technicon receiving a National Diploma in Ceramic Design
in 1997.
Richard won the Best Student Award at the Ceramics SA Regional
Exhibition in 1997.

He has participated in many group exhibitions and has exhibited solo
at the South African National Arts Festival virtually every year since
1998. In 2015 he won the Award for Excellence at Ceramics SA Regional
Exhibition while in 2016 he won a Highly Commended Award at the
Ceramics SA Nationals.
In 2019 he received a Merit Award at the Ceramics SA Regional Exhibition.

Richard is also represented in the prestigious
Corobrik Collection held in the Pretoria Museum in South Africa.

Pottery is my escape.

I am an Architect and mother of two, by day and a potter by night. I entered the ceramics world in 2011, mostly as a hobby to try and relax after a hard day’s work at the office. Since that day my world has become bolder and richer. Pottery is about pouring every last bit of built up energy, emotion and ideas into a ball of clay and watching as something extraordinary emerges out of nothing. Ultimately it is about the absolute satisfaction every time you see and feel a new pot fresh out of the kiln.

My pots are an amalgamation of my thoughts and ideas, everything I see and touch inspires my work, I hope that each viewer can appreciate the amount of emotion, love and effort that goes into each vessel.

Apart from sensitively and colorfully decorated plates and tiles, Hanlie`s ceramics comprise mostly hand-built pieces and sculptures. She is well-known for her expressive clay figurines and contemplative, compelling clay heads with other-worldly expressions .Hanlie`s ability to reveal through faces and figures a depth of meaning finds expression in ceramic wall-hung, pipe-figurines. These highly tactile and decorative pipe `couples` and pipe `families` are at the same time humorous and haunting.

Ian Calder is a national award-winning ceramist and visual artist best known for his colourful hand-painted maiolica and watercolour series. He exhibits his work nationally and internationally and is widely represented in major collections of South African art museums, and the MTN Corporate Collection.
He recently retired as Professor of Fine Art and Art History at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Ian is continuing his research about ceramics in cultural heritage museums, histories of local pottery studios and the contemporary indigenous ceramics of KwaZulu-Natal and South Africa. He works at his Ridge Art Studio in Howick, KwaZulu-Natal.
Ian’s ceramics intentionally evoke the earthenware traditions and imagery of ancient tin-glazed pottery. But his maiolica is thoroughly contemporary, featuring contemporary forms and painted imagery about his South African cultural environment, especially iconic local sites of historical legacies.
He works in series, and creates new themes during his cycles of ideas. Ian is currently working on a new series of painted earthenware vessels. His ceramics and pictorial juxtapositions use overlays of imagery that recollect the past in the present era of digital saturation.
Ian throws his vessels using a terracotta clay sourced nearby his Studio in Howick. Wares are bisqued to cone 06 (980 C). Ian paints oxide colours onto the raw tin glaze, then fires his maiolica to cone 03 (earthenware).

My first experience with ceramic painting was in 1997 and instantaneously I fell in love with this medium. Over the years I have explored different ways of decorating on different bodies of clay. This knowledge and techniques I shared with students for 15 years. After taking a break for a while, I have returned to painting with under glazes on both earthen and stone ware, creating items that are functional and decorative.

My background is in interior design, I avoid emulation of other artists. I started working with clay during 2018.
2014 Finalist, Vuleka Art Comp; SA Asset magazine http://www.assetmag.co.za/issue29/files/2.html
Article May 2015 Cape Times; Beeld June 2015
http://www.all4women.co.za/366285/lifestyle/lifestyle-lifestyle/south-african-beginner-artist-invited-to-exhibit-at-the-louvre
Article in Elle Magazine 7 May 2015 http://www.elle.co.za/sa-artist-headed-to-louvre/ Article Habitat Mag issue 253 May/June 2016 2015 International Artists of the World exhibition, The Louvre, Paris; Tulbagh Arts Fest “Fins & Flying Things”
Art for Cancer auction, Stellenbosch; DWT Auction, House of Lords, UK
2016 Summertide Exhib, The Gallery, Riebeek Kasteel; Art in Mind Exhib, The Brick Lane London; International Art Fair, Rotterdam; Art for Cancer auction
Group exhib, Bright Street Gallery, CT; Group exhibit, ODA Gallery, Franschoek
SASA Exhibition, Kirstenbosch Gardens 2017 Oxford International Art Fair, UK ; Group exhib, The Brick Lane, London Woordfees, Stellenbosch; Exhibition Ghetto Gallery, Stellenbosch Group exhib The Strand Gallery, London Art for Cancer auction; Schalkenbosch Art Ex; Rotterdam Intl Art Fair DWT Trust Auction, Lords Cricket Ground, UK 2018 SASA Exhib, Kirstenbosch Solo Exhib“Endangered Me” – Muller’s Gallery, CT 3 City group exhib Germany; Tulbagh Arts Festival – Christo Coetzee Gallery 2019 Spectrum Miami, USA; Christo Coetzee Gallery, SA

Ursula Browne
Ursula Browne is a South African artist based in the picturesque hamlet of Seaview in the Eastern Cape.
She is a qualified goldsmith and worked as such for 20 years. She has also studied graphic design, fine art and ceramics and attended numerous workshops with some of the country’s most renowned artists. She has been mentored by Professor Greg Kerr for the past few years.
Ursula has a very positive attitude to life and she says that she sees the beauty in everything around her. Her works are consequently pleasing on the eye with bright colours, cheerful topics and curious details.
She works in a diverse range of mediums including metal work, ceramics and oils.
“I draw my inspiration from the people I meet, the places I visit and the experiences that life brings to my door,” says Ursula.
She currently works as a ceramic teacher at Lake Farm Centre and in her studio at home. Ursula has taken part in various group and solo exhibitions in the Eastern and Western Cape.

I am passionate about clay pots and ceramics generally. With many visits to Rorke's Drift potters, my focus was initially traditional wares and firing methods. I love hand-building, using coils to build forms ranging from small pots to large vases, and even bonsai pots. My journey into the world of clay eventually led me to use the potters wheel, creating planters and functional ware. Although pieces are glazed using an electric kiln, I have started a new adventure into Raku. And I might stay a while

Lesley-Ann Hoets is perhaps South Africa's best known Handwork Potter, popular for her organic shapes and Slip Trail designs.

She makes use of the Japanese technique of Raku to fire her pots as she is a lover of reduction, the obvious transformation by fire, and a touch of the unexpected. The blue bricking of the carbonized clay body and the silvery sheens from the iron’s heavy reduction contrasts with crackle and colour and achieves textures reminiscent of metal and leather.

Lesley-Ann also runs a business making unique ceramic fireplaces. More info on this can be found at www.hotart.co.za

Ansie was raised on a farm near Hartswater, Northern Cape, where her first creative endeavours with clay were on the banks of the farm’s dam.
After many years of technical drawings for architects and engineers and doing art as a hobby, Ansie acquired the Creative Arts shop in Durbanville in July 2008. Learning from and interacting with artists daily was a dream come true. She enrolled at Unisa to do a Fine Art degree but had to deregister because running the shop left her with insufficient time to devote to her studies. In 2009 Ansie joined the Gallery Committee at Rust-en-Vrede Art Gallery and Clay Museum in central Durbanville, where she still volunteers.
After selling the shop she rented a studio at Wow in Durbanville where she met ceramicist Alessandro Pappada and is still taking classes with him, exploring multiple techniques. Ansie enjoys combining her twin interests of pottery and painting as she creates her pieces. She finds using her own imagination and experimenting with clay very satisfying.
Her studio/gallery is adjacent to her home.

Lauren Jarvis - A ceramic artist who specializes in one of a kind, hand painted pieces, with meticulous attention to detail.

Wilma Cruise is a South African sculptor and visual artist. She works mainly with fired clay in her renderings of life-sized human and animal figures. Her sculpture installations and exhibitions are often accompanied by works on paper. She has also completed several series of print editions. A number of her ceramic sculptures have been successfully translated into bronze editions. She has also completed several series of print editions most recently with Warren Editions.

Themes explored in Cruise’s work include the interface between humans and animals with particular emphasis on communication. In her doctoral thesis, “Thinking with Animals: An exploration of the animal turn through art making and metaphor”, she explores conditions of muteness – silent, internal battles in the search for meaning that crosses the species divide.

Cruise’s recent shows include,“The Alice Sequence” a suite of seven exhibitions that challenged human exceptionalism by drawing analogies between our world and the rabbit hole world of “Alice in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking Glass”. The current suite of exhibitions, “1984: Fight or Flight? Recycle, Re-use, Re con(figure)”, return to a metaphor supplied by a literary text, in this case the dystopian novels of George Orwell.

Cruise has completed a number of public works, including the “National Monument to the Women of South Africa” at the Union Buildings, Pretoria (in collaboration with Marcus Holmes); The Memorial to the Slaves (in collaboration with Gavin Younge), in Cape Town and “The Right to Life” at the Constitutional Court, in Johannesburg.

Her work is represented in public, corporate and private collections. She has participated in the Havana Biennale, the Florence Biennale and the prestigious 7th Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale in Seoul, Korea. Cruise is a fellow of Ceramics South Africa and writes extensively in the field of ceramics.

My passion is clay, my lifestyle is clay. I create and I teach.I usually work in earthenware clay,colour ing with oxides,slip and underglaze. All work is handbuilt...pinched,coiled and slabbed in my garden studio.
The natural world of birds and plants and trees is huge inspiration to draw into the clay and add on relief bits.Always texturing and layering.
Since the 80 's i have had exibits and awards at Regional and National level.

Nada Spencer is a ceramic artist from Cape Town. She initially studied architecture but fell in love with ceramics when she visited a gallery in Paternoster. She is inspired by botanical forms, textures as well as life drawing. A big passion of hers is surface decoration. Many of her pieces incorporate a variety of techniques, including mono-printing, slip trailing and using her own handmade texture stamps. She also has a teaching studio, loves connecting with other creatives and is the Chair of CSA Western Cape since 2019.

Garth Meyer has been a potter for 30 years. In that time he has worked in many areas of the ceramic spectrum - from raku to oxidation to reduction firings, with terracotta to stoneware to porcelain clays, and produced work both decorative and functional.

A specialist thrower, he has experimented with what can be done with the potters wheel - throwing and deforming some jars, while also producing precise jars with close-fitting lids, and myriad large and small innovative forms. He also specialises in throwing large pieces.

His pottery journey began in Hout Bay in Cape Town, when during a break from being a schoolteacher, he worked with Steve Shapiro at his studio. There he learnt much of the process of running and managing a pottery studio. After several years in business, and having bought a farm near Hermanus, he again started assembling pottery equipment and building a kiln.

Since that time he has had studios in Observatory, Hout Bay, Claremont, and, currently, in Riebeek Kasteel in the Swartland.

A huge range of works are available online, at the studio, at select galleries, or, very occassionally, commissions may be undertaken.

His work has been bought by the South African Museum of Art, and has featured in many collections, galleries and exhibitions. It can most readily be seen in the flesh by appointment at his Riebeek Kasteel studio, at the bi-annual potters markets, or at his annual November exhibition held at historic Langverwacht farm in Kuilsriver.

My dream to do pottery started at a friend’s classes in 1991, the feel of the clay and the ability to create something out of it made me feel really good. Graham and Kim Bolland and Angelique Kirk, who introduced me to porcelain, added to my learning experience.

In 1998 I enrolled at the Cape College and under the expert tuition of Dr Ralph Johnson, I completed Ceramics N4, Ceramics N5 (with distinction) and at Paarl College Ceramics N6 (with distinction).

I work from my studio, at home in Tokai, Cape Town, using a variety of clays, but mainly porcelain, making hand and wheel thrown pieces.

Over the years I have taken part in various exhibitions, including Regional and National exhibitions of Ceramics South Africa.

Playing with mud, then clay has always been something I have done. I was introduced to clay at school and started formal lesson 40 years ago. Over the years I have had 4 different teachers. I set up my studio in 2005 and have experimented and had so much fun. I love a challenge. Having a large family, my time has not always been my own to fully engage.
Ceramics is a passion that keeps me awake at night. Now I have more time to apply myself and be inspired to hone and discipline my creativity

I formally trained as a teacher at the Johannesburg College of Education, having specialized in art tuition. It was during this time I began to foster a deep appreciation for the ceramics medium through the art-form of teaching and learning. I was fortunate enough to further explore my passions for ceramics and education at the Gifted Child Centre. I later shared the privilege of studying under the tutelage of esteemed ceramicist, Gemma van Schaardenburgh, who soon after asked me to teach for her. Having done so for thirteen years.

I opened my first studio in the late 1990s, where I taught for fifteen years until relocating to Cape Town. I continued to teach and opened my second studio in 1997 in the southern suburbs; a modest, but inviting and well-equipped space with a generous view of Table Mountain. My passion for the ceramics medium veers heavily towards ‘handwork’ and ‘dabble’ in wheel work, among other techniques.

The National and Regional exhibitions represent a regular opportunity to challenge myself and further hone my craft, having won the Reinders award and the Fellows award in 2015, while encouraging my more experienced students to do the same. I have the current privilege of being mentored by Ralph Johnson. I believe teaching is the best form of learning and the art-form of ceramics represents a fantastic opportunity to engage with friends and community, which is why I regularly host ceramics classes for team builds, and children’s holiday workshops.

Cape Town based ceramicist, Kate Rosenberg created The Kate Rosenberg Collection out of her sheer love for art, craftsmanship, functionality and aesthetics. With a background in graphic design, product sourcing and curation, Kate is no stranger to the creative process and the importance of beautiful things, making a space feel lived in and loved.
 
With creativity at the core of everything she does, Kate draws inspiration from her surroundings, places she’s travelled and from nature. An Italian Cathedral floor becomes the design for a stool top, and the pop of a photographed bright yellow door becomes the glaze on an oversized table bowl. Her love and the inspiration she finds in nature is often reinterpreted in her Collection.
 
The collection consists of a growing range, from functional day to day Dip Bowls and Salad Bowls, to eye-catching oversized Table Bowls, to her meticulously crafted and coiled stools, the real stars of her collection. Each piece goes through a process of rolling, shaping, drying, decorating, firing and glazing. Every piece is moulded and finished to the last detail by hand. This collection is designed to enjoy, made to be used and created in South Africa. 
 
Kate is passionate about slow, steady and sustainable methods and tries to stay away from the mass-produced way of life. She values quality and uniqueness by implementing a present and pensive way of creating her pieces, ensuring their longevity. 
 
Her ceramics can be found in shops and homes, a

Have been involved in ceramics for the over forty years taking part in numerous exhibitions. Received N4, N5 and N6 certificates for ceramics through Boland College in Paarl and have been attending master classes with Dr. Ralph Johnson ever since. Mainly work in porcelain and coloured clays (agateware).

SHANNON PHILLIPS – CERAMIC BIOGRAPHY
I have been an artist for most of my life and have had a long journey with arts and crafts, then studying for a Diploma in ART & DESIGN in 2002. I now spend most of my time either painting or doing ceramics, both of these are my passion.

Adele a friend introduced me to clay, by one day giving me a bag of clay to try. At that time several years ago, my two sons and I started to have fun with clay. Before long I started to create the most beautiful ceramic bowls which I exhibited at Indaba Design through CCDI and from there I got an order from Weylandts Interiors to create 150 bowls in a short space of time! This was awesome and stressful as at the time as I was a novice ceramicist and didn’t even have my own kiln. Anyway I got the order off in time and that set me up as a Ceramist and I was able to purchase my own Kiln.
In 2019 I felt that I needed to reinvent myself as a Ceramic artist, and I had been looking around for a while at many difference ceramics, hoping to find a ‘LightBulb moment’, but nothing much spoke to me until I went to an exhibition later in the year I saw these most unusual Ceramics which looked very botanical, with no glazing. They were the most awesome organic shapes and an idea was born!
I guess that my organic ceramics really speak to me because of my love for nature and spending time at the beach. I put my heart and soul into each piece and I want people to feel drawn to my creations.
Thank you!

We are Hestemarí and Hermiene Ferreira, second-generation potters and co-founders of Three Potters and a Painter. Our studio is based in the heart of the Winelands, Stellenbosch, South Africa. We consider ourselves a dynamic sister-duo who have set out to not only challenge but change the conventional approaches to the ceramic design process. Seeking to go beyond the visual and tactile, our philosophy is one that crosses boundaries. This is a delicate endeavour that flourishes when traditional design, which contains the essence of pottery, and the contemporary, which embodies modern culture, are harmoniously synthesized. All our ceramics are masterfully and attentively crafted by hand, attuned to the details of the world they are about to become a part of.

Corinne de Haas CERAMICS is well known for her differentiated tableware. South Africa's top restaurants and chefs regularly visit the studio to collaborate on new custom designs.

Using a variety of clays, some custom blends, traditional and contemporary processes, we hand make all of the ceramics, infusing each item with our heart and soul.

Experimentation with texture, shape and glazes, have continued to drive Corinne to innovate. Sometimes mishaps can introduce a whole new direction of development, and that is when clay work gets really interesting.

The fluidity that comes from repetition, and the unstrained ease of the hand-making process, working on an instinctual level, is part of what you experience when picking up one of Corinne’s pieces. You can feel the spirit and consciousness of the maker is fused with the clay. This generous beauty and presence makes for a visual and tactile experience, that has ensured the tableware in her gallery stays ahead of the trend, mastering the art of handmade functional ceramics.

I began my clay journey about four decades ago. I am based in the small fishing village of Saldanha Bay on the South African West Coast and my ceramic work encompasses many different mediums and styles.

After initially experimenting with stoneware and porcelain clays and slips, I decided to diversify by sourcing local, raw clay for production purposes. This hand dug clay proved to be feisty and temperamental and tested my patience to the nth degree but I continued in my quest until I reached a point where I fully “understood” the medium.

While continuing general ceramic stoneware and porcelain production, I soon realized that my passion lay firmly in the unique qualities, malleability and organic nature of the rustic local clay and its’ suitability to sculpting. I started sculpting seriously in 2015 and have found it to be my true passion.

I mostly sculpt head and shoulder busts, each of which has its’ own unique expression, attitude and personality. The pieces are then mounted on hardwood plinths for display purposes.

By creating these sculptures, I strive to elicit a subtle interaction between my work and the viewer which echoes a deep resonance of African consciousness.

Joan Adams is a ceramic designer, teacher, jewellery creator, in short – an all-round creative. After studying ceramic design at Durban Technikon, Joan taught design to both students and adults for thirty-five years at various institutions: Strand Tech, False Bay College and Muizenberg High School. She has had two solo exhibitions as well as participating in many group shows including the South African Potters Association’s annual exhibitions. She currently teaches adult ceramic classes in her studio, “Rivers End” in Glencairn.

I work in a studio in Howick, and teach primary school Art part-time. I run workshops, make work for private commissions, and sell individual pieces.
I believe it is important to include moments of contemplation and elements of beauty into every day. Thus, I have chosen to focus on making handmade tableware and other items useful in daily life. Higher end items are made from porcelain; its translucent properties adding a lightness to a mug or bowl. Other items are made using stoneware clay and glazed, ensuring durability and food safety. To further the uniqueness of my work, I formulate and mix up my own glazes.
I have enjoyed hosting workshops at the studio, and find they provide a welcoming platform for sharing inspiration, camaraderie, skills, and knowledge.

Ashton's passion for ceramics and the handmade sparked while studying industrial design at the University of Johannesburg. Upon joining the department as a Lecturer in 2016, her interest in the discipline grew rapidly as her lecturing responsibilities allowed for the incorporation of ceramic projects into the Industrial Design syllabus under the mentorship of John Shirley and Eugene Hön -who undertake student projects and utilize the facilities for their own work creation. Through these projects, Ashton enjoys exploring different ways of incorporating the craft based skills of ceramics within the Industrial design discipline.

With access to the facilities available within the academic setting, Ashton, along with a colleague and friend, began to undertake a series of experimental projects combining traditional ceramic materials rapid prototyping technologies, such as 3D printing and CNC milling, attempting to increase design complexity and detail of ceramic products, while increasing production efficiency.

Her current range includes functional products with minimalist forms, accented with digitally inspired features and details. Albeit contemporary slip-cast pieces, each piece is finished by hand, giving each product its own unique character with the subtle mark of the maker. The colour and material choices maintain a" truth to materials" approach, using sleek black and white glazes to complement and enhance the beauty of the unglazed raw material.

Carol Hayward Fell is a South African artist who makes whimsical sculptures of horses out of stoneware and porcelain clay. Her expressive horses are influenced by the art of ancient civilizations; Ancient Greek, Roman, Etruscan, Viking, Egyptian, Chinese. This can be seen in the shape of her horse sculptures, reflecting the diverse way these ancient civilizations portrayed horses. Hers are characterised by having long exaggerated necks, elegant heads, arched tails and decorative manes; legs simplified to draw attention upwards. Reflecting her sense of humour, many horses have animals; birds, cats, dogs, monkeys etc. on their backs, creating a whimsical relationship. Intricate patterns, utilizing many ceramic techniques, creating line, texture and colour, may cover a horse and some have painted, reclining nudes sprawled across them. Carol loves to create something to make people smile, or to create work that has a timeless dug-of-a-ruin appearance. Every work is entirely handmade and unique.
Renowned for her tall, coiled porcelain and having worked as a potter for 30 years, Carol utilizes many decorative techniques once used to decorate her tall, coiled porcelain vessels many of which are in museums throughout SA.)
Carol was the National Ceramics Exhibition Award winner in SA in 2014. She has a BAFA in Ceramics and lectured ceramics for several years. Now in addition to making her sculptures, she teaches art from her art-filled colourful house and garden in Durban.

Janice Rabie has been making ceramics in Cape Town, South Africa since 1984. She produces functional and decorative ware in porcelain clay. She has always liked to make things that brighten up people’s day. Her work is sold nationally and abroad. The work is slip cast in moulds, and this gives it the smooth surfaces and minimalist lines for the fine hand-painted decoration. Janice is a graduate of the Michaelis School of Fine Art, University of Cape Town, and also holds a degree in music.

Artist statement
I work in stoneware and porcelain combined with colours. My individual style embraces a distinct African theme. I draw my inspiration from the indigenous plants and the textures thereof, manifesting in vibrantly unique ceramic works of art. I have won awards at the Regional and at the National Ceramic exhibition. I have one of my pieces in the Corobrick Art Collection at the Pretoria Art Museum as well as a piece at the University of Pretoria’s Art Collection. I have exhibited on Regional and National ceramic exhibitions as well as various group exhibitions.

Maggie Matthews - Layering the surface

There has always been a fascination of looking through something and discovering things I never knew were there. Water, mist, trees and much more in nature.
Storytelling through the myths and legends of so many different cultures.
Bringing the mystery back through symbols and writing my own story on clay.
Clay is a medium that has chosen me. Over the years I have come to understand that using clay as a medium, has been a teacher of so many ways of learning as well as keeping the balance when life goes wobbly.
Each piece I make is unique, has similar methods, as well as the subject, all come out individual and stand alone or, stand together. There is no deliberate idea of what it is going to be, other than the form it is in, in that moment!
Walking in beauty is where it speaks from. Creating beautiful pieces to find the mystery of life.

Tiffany Wallace graduated in 1990 with a ND diploma in Ceramic Design @ the Witwatersrand Technikon ( now University of Johannesburg). She has been producing her 'figurative utilitarian' ceramic creations for nearly 25 years. Her work has been exhibited both locally and internationally. She has won awards for her work, and was the winner of an international Teapot Competition held in Portugal in 2013. Tiffany's work is mostly slip-cast, using a stoneware slip and decorated with commercial under-glazes, also with copper and cobalt oxide. She designs her own forms and makes her own molds. Her sculptural, decorative vases and tea pots are unique, colourful and have a quirky, whimsical flavour !
" Clay for me is the medium by which I get to express the stories from within, from childhood doodles to more sophisticated narratives, depicting my beliefs about myself, God, and my environment. It is this interaction of relationships that I endeavour to capture in quirky, fun figurative utilitarian forms."
Tiffany is married with 2 children and works from her garage studio in the Cape.

My work is a direct response to my environment - in this case, living In Hermanus between the mountains and the sea. The forms I choose to handbuild are organic and often refer to the rhythms found in nature. I sometimes finish with a matte surface but more recently have employed multiple glazes to create a dynamic and rich surface. Each piece informs the next so the work is constantly evolving. I also continue to make my Dream Boxes from time to time when requested.

Peta was introduced to the world of art at a young age having a mother, two aunts and cousins who are artists or worked in the video and photography fields. She was born and raised in Cape Town and matriculated at Helderberg College, Somerset West. She completed a diploma in Public Relations nand entered the corporate world. After marriage and 2 children she started taking pottery to feed that nagging creative seed starting to germinate and grow. She joined Sue Kent’s pottery class in Edgemead and has never looked back. Sue instilled in her a love for clay and everyday since then has been a journey of discovery in clay, art and self. Peta enjoys making once off, unique bowls and platters inspired by nature, using organic forms as a starting point for her designs. She also dabbles in other artistic forms such as drawing, acrylic pouring, resin art and mixed media. Her first love, however, remains with clay. Combining resin with clay is something she is currently working on. In November 2018, Peta opened her studio in Blouberg Rise. PixiKat Studio is incorporated with Intaba Jewellery Design. Here she teaches beginner classes in pottery and resin workshops, whilst working on improving her own techniques. Peta has sold pieces at markets such as Vergenoegd Wine Farm, Potters Market and the Franschhoek Art Festival. She currently sells from her studio and at the Potters Market held biannually in Rondebosch.

Having taught in the classroom as well as the art room for many years, I discovered clay and embraced it with fervent passion. I have my own home studio and spend many hours thinking and designing as well as in the creative process. I have exhibited both regionally and nationally and have received numerous awards. My ceramics has been shown by the Iziko Museum at the Castle and the Slave Lodge in Cape Town. Galleries in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Gauteng and Kwazulu-Natal have held exhibitions where my work has featured. In 2018 a cement sculpture of mine was shortlisted regionally in the PPC Imaginarium Award. In 2019 my ceramic entry in the State of the Art Gallery Award was in their top 25 list. In 2020 my clay basket was shortlisted in the top 60 of the Innibos Art and Craft Award from over 1300 entries. I continue to push the limits of clay with my lacy and sometimes woven, delicate-looking vessels and sculpture using my own unique technique.

I just love working in clay, I wake up every morning and am happy my work involves getting my hands dirty. My inspiration comes mainly from my surroundings. The things I see often become a reality in the studio in the form of a design or shape. I have always known I would work with clay having grown up in Natures Valley playing with clay in the river as a child was my fondest memory.
My range includes bespoke tableware as well as coiled pots and garden bunnies. I enjoy using many techniques be it building in slabs or coils. I like to keep things fresh, crisp and clean. I run studio based classes for adults and children in my beautiful garden studio in Kenilworth.

My work consists mainly of sculpures. They are colourful, imaginary images of characters in literature such as The White Queen, Doubting Thomas, Antigony and so on. I also make fairy/gnome houses and decorative table ware. I market my work under the name Musje.

Zizamele Ceramics was founded in 2008 in Masiphumulele as the result of a job creation project. Zizamele means "to develop" and was chosen by the group itself as the embodiment of their desire for a different life. The signature product is the iconic Ubuntu Bowl which is thrown on the wheel wherafter modelled clay female figures are added around the rim. These figures are holding hands in a spirit of Ubuntu (togetherness), they wear their traditional headdresses and carry their babies on their backs.
Once fired, these bowls, which come in 7 different sizes, are handpainted in the vibrant colours and patterns of Africa. There is also a range of related products: vases, soap dishes, oil burners and other functional items. Zizamele has a large international following as well as a retail outlet at The Watershed, V&A Waterfront.

I was introduced to clay at secondary school were pottery was an option. When I moved to Cape Town after leaving Johannesburg, I rediscovered clay.
I have a studio at home, Kommetjie Ceramics, and since 2010 I have patiently learnt to hand build and to teach.
I love the versatility of clay. That we can create with our hands bowls, platters, plates, cups, vases and boxes to hold food, liquid, plants and flowers is fantastic and that sometimes the presence of a piece is enough that it needs no obvious function.
I've learnt that from clay we can form infinite kinds of sculpture. That solid colour and washed rawness are both awesome. That clay is a body that can be smooth or textured, a body that can be carved with patterns or random marks, splashed with glaze or painted like Fine Art. I love to build a piece and burnish it with a stone, then after a firing in the kiln cover it with combustibles and place it in a bin or a pit and make fire to create alchemy on the surface.
My work is exhibited at Galleries in Cape Town. I participate in the CSA WC Potters Markets and Regional Exhibitions. I take orders. I have been involved with CSA WC region mostly by running the social media.

A non professional cook and current decorative sandblaster and glass "specialist' by trade I was looking for a hobby and something to do in the evenings other than Netflix and cooking that was still in the creative line and started a few night time classes and never left. I prefer to do one off articles rather than a huge production line of the same thing. Playing with glazes and see what comes out off the kiln is always the most satisfying moment for me. My lack of patience has been tested with the pottery process and each time I create something I am reminded to take things slow . Being in a rush when doing ceramics does not go together. I do not produce huge volumes as kiln size and time restricts me from doing more.

I have drawn and painted my whole life and have never known life without it. Although I did not study art on a tertiary education level l, I undertook an apprenticeship at Birdman Bronze Foundry under the guidance of the late Dave Falconer where I was exposed to sculpture and the intricacies of casting bronzes. It was only much later when I met Tim Van Vuuren who convinced my to try ceramics. The rest as far as ceramics is concerned, had played out in my work which mostly combined pottery and sculpture and my love are line drawing. Ceramics brought me through a particularly stressful and traumatic time and has become not only a chosen carrier but also a lifeline to cope with the stresses of life. I have always been and will always be fascinated with the ancient world - the lines of amphora and carafes, the designs brought back to the Art Deco era. I mean only to bring beauty to my work and to the world and that so desperately needs to see God in it again.

Lee-Ann McCleland Studio Pottery is based in Centurion, Gauteng. It ia a private studio where various items are produced. The main focus is on making beapoke bonsai pots under the brand name, Meili Bonsai Pots, for the South African market as well as pots and mounts, under the brand name TERRA Mount, for the Orchid growing industry. The studio also produces a small range of pet bowls and domestic items. Classes can be arranged for a maximum of 2 people per session.

I am what one may consider a self-taught ceramist and have no formal art training. I attended a pottery class almost ten years ago and became hooked. Pattern is my obsession and I find the possibilities of a straight line endless. I love textiles, patchwork and repetitive design and this is echoed in my work. Clay has been a wonderful medium to express myself. My work has evolved over the years from my favourite blue designs on white porcelain and now the introduction of colour and black line on raku clay.
Most of my work is functional as I want my pieces to be used on a daily basis and create interest amongst your everyday items. Ivin Molefe throws my pieces and once bisque fired the fun begins. I spend many hours designing and painting each piece. No two pieces are identical unless part of a set. I am constantly thinking of new ways to apply or interpret my designs.
I sell my work at markets to enable me to pursue my passion and keep on evolving.

Living and working in Nieu Bethesda, I continue to explore my ongoing fascination for Ancient Cultures, African Artifacts and Medieval Iconic Art which embodies a broad interest in the history of art and craft from ancient to industrial.
The natural Karoo environment plays an integral part in my day to day source of inspiration. It continues to be a place of extremes where the weather has a major influence creating an awareness of both life and death where small things matter.
I’m surrounded by the evidence that the Karoo was once an ancient sea.
- fish and birds have always been part of my iconography. Together with my portraits they've become autobiographical design elements that repeat themselves throughout my work adding both a narrative and mythical presence to the forms.
In 2010 I was made a Fellow of the Ceramics Southern Africa Association in recognition of my contribution to Ceramics in South Africa.
My work has been selected for several Biennales namely, the Internationale Ceramique D'Art Biennale. Vallauris. France. The Johannesburg Biennale ‘’Africa Earth’’ Ceramic exhibition and as a finalist for the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum Biennial Exhibition. Port Elizabeth.
Collections:
Musee De Vallauris. Vallauris. France
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum. Port Elizabeth. South Africa.
National Art Gallery. Durban. South Africa.
Samlingen Art Collection. Denmark.
William Humphries Gallery. Kimberly. South Africa.
The Corobrik National Collection

Antoinette du Plessis lives in Cape Town, though she hails from Pretoria and has an enduring love for the Karoo, the Drakensberg and the Cederberg.

She regards her African environment, both natural and urban, as well as her longtime interest in ancient and classical African art, ceramics and textiles as major sources of inspiration. Her shapes, colours and imagery range from floral patterns, birds and animals to political caricature and anything in between.

Her preferred medium is earthenware, which she fires in an electric kiln to mid-range temperatures. She produces containers, sculptural vessels and decorated plates, each individually built and glazed.

Antoinette makes up her own glaze formulas, which she uses in conjunction with oxides and commercially available slips and glazes to achieve tactile surfaces layered with colour and texture.

I have had a diverse career path, starting in Film and Television industry and then moving to Real Estate.
Coming to ceramics by chance, I was smitten. For about twenty years I was a ceramic hobbyist. In 2018 I took the plunge and got myself a studio at Victoria Yards in Joburg, with a view to following a longtime dream.
Currently I am exploring and experimenting with many forms and styles in order to expand my knowledge and understanding of ceramics.
I am as much inspired by the natural world as I am by architecture and design. I love to create work that explores dichotomies in form, texture and colour.

Kendal Warren has been working with clay for nearly 20 years. Her work is sold in galleries across South Africa and has been used in several design projects, including the One and Only Hotel, Hout Bay Manor and the Tynhuis. Two of her works have been purchased by Iziko Museum as part of their permanent collection. She works and teaches from her studio in Cape Town.

Being in the dance world most of my life, performing, teaching and choreographing, I found the creative aspect of ceramics right up my street, although at times working with a human ‘body’ is easier than working the clay!!
I am a student of Digby Hoets having joined his studio around 1985/86. All my work is on the wheel and in general with porcelain clay – occasionally do use earthenware clay – and depending on the glaze, items are pit-fired, high-fired and/or fired in a reduction kiln.
Results in the latter can be surprising – which I enjoy.
My work has been influenced somewhat by the classical period of Greece and ancient Oriental shapes and is classified as being in the ‘Anglo/Oriental tradition’.
Much of my work is functional ware.
Late in 1998 I entered my “dotty” period! This as a result of a visit to Australia where I was intrigued by the Aboriginal art of dot painting. Dotted slip designs were the result.
One area of particular interest is South African rock art, which I sometimes portray using this ‘dot painting’ technique.
I have participated in several workshops offered by Ceramics S.A and other individual artists, and have exhibited on both Regional and National exhibitions.
In August 2019 I was Potter of the month and a solo exhibition of my work was held and the Arts Association of Pretoria gallery.
I have work in the Corobrick Collection, the William Humphrey Gallery, the Fillingdon Fine Art Gallery in the U.K. and in several private collections

I am a ceramic artist that has been producing ceramics for over 20 years. I specialize in once off thrown vessels in bold colours and refined forms. Occasionally I still produce translucent unique porcelain vessels.
I work from my small studio at Toadbury Hall wedding venue in Randburg Gauteng.
I teach classes several days a week as I love passing on my passion for ceramics to others.

What started as a hobby transformed into a passion for Sandy Godwin. Once her passion was ignited her perfectionistic nature honed her curiosity into a discipline. Passion, discipline and curiosity; the trio that drives Sandy’s work and her ability to refresh her approach.
A member of Ceramics South Africa, Sandy is based in Dowerglen, Johannesburg, where she has a home-based studio. Her work has been exhibited at the Gauteng Regionals since 2009 where she has won the following awards:
• Highly Commended – 2011
• Lionhart Chemicals Award for Expression – 2012
• Ultra Furn Award – 2014
• Highly Commended – 2015
• Premier Award - 2018
Sandy’s bowls have also been exhibited at the South African National Exhibition since 2010 and she has works in the permanent Corobrik Collection.

I am an art teacher at Oakhill Prep School Knysna.I have had my hands in clay since 1992 and I am passionate about the art of ceramics. I taught Pottery classes at The Berario Recreational Centre in Johannesburg , before we moved down to the beautiful town of Knysna. I am now privileged to have the luxury of time and I am able to create my own work. I work in porcelain and love cobalt blue. So my work is mostly blue and white.

I have been a potter all my life. I started working with Tim Morris in 1969 then went to the University of Natal where I graduated in Fine Arts with Ceramics Major under Prof Hilda Ditchburn. I had studios in Kwa Zulu Natal, at The Caversham Mill, where I initiated the Midlands Meander, in Norfolk in England, where I was an active member of the Suffolk Craft Society, and 21 years in Franschhoek in the Cape Winelands. During that time I started the Art in Clay programme, and curated the annual David Walters and Friends exhibitions in Kimberley at the National Museum.
I have now retired but still throw pots! I work in porcelain agateware and make functional items. I now live in Newlands Village in Cape Town near my daughter Sarah, and sell my work in her Ceramics Gallery in Wheelan Street, Newlands.

Shirley Jones studied graphic design, which was never really pursued as a career.
Later in life as her children started getting older, she was able to explore her passion of being creative again.
In 2014 Jones was lucky enough to begin pottery lessons, where she learned the art of throwing pottery on the wheel. She found the whole process of working with clay very therapeutic.
Jones finds great joy from creating functional pieces, knowing that they will be enjoyed every day.
Attention is paid to the design, and the functionality of the item being created.
Her style would be described as being minimalist, simple yet elegant.

My work is inspired by organic forms,nature and lately by Chinese Ceramics. Most of my work is a combination of press-moulded,wheel-thrown or hand-built forms, joined to create a piece of interest.
I enjoy adding texture to my forms, to encourage people to want to touch them.It is after all, the tactile qualities of clay that drew me to working with this medium.
My work is represented in the collections of The Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum and The William Humphrey`s Art Gallery.

My ceramic work is about my line drawings on the multi levelled canvases of my pots. It captures my thoughts with immediate directness and is my way of observing and understanding.

Le Roux got into the clay play space after digging up clay from the Merry Rocks backyard garden in 2016, after which he refined it and brought into the studio to work with. Wanting to put something back into the garden, he started making ollas (special unglazed pots) for water-wise gardening and mushroom sculptures to mimic, invite, and learn more about the diverse and friendly fungi found in our environments. A drive to bring some practical and magical elements into urban gardening is at the heart of his development as a ceramicist and potter.

I have been working with clay for many years and opened my own ceramics studio in 2009. Since then, I have been priviledged to produce tableware for chefs at the The Vineyard Hotel, The Tasting room in Franschoek, The Potluck Club, The Shortmarket Club and also Boschendal wine estate. Tableware to suit your personal needs and taste can be designed and produced.
Each item is 100% handmade and it is in fact the delicate, whimsical style that gives each piece its special character. Irregularities in size, glaze and texture reflect the many human touches received during the making process and these should be embraced.
Prices are affordable and customers are welcome to shop directly from my studio in Rondebosch, Cape Town.

Rowena Quinan is a Cape Town-based artist. She works from her home studio where she started making ceramics in 2014.

Authenticity has become a cornerstone in Gari Louridas’ life. Five years into her addiction recovery journey, Gari discovered clay, and it has become the anchor which reminds her that we don’t have to be perfect to be loved.

In 2017 Gari opened her own home-based studio in Benoni, on Gauteng’s East Rand, where she continues to experiment with ways to best express her artistic vision. In 2018 she enrolled and was accepted for the Gauteng Regional Ceramics Exhibition. In 2019 she won the prestigious Van Tuyl Kiln Award for the Best Organic Form at the Gauteng Regional Ceramics Exhibition. Shortly thereafter she was placed on the shortlist for the Innibos Craft Award.

Fascinated with the fragility of porcelain, Gari knits together her love of clay and natural fibres.

Dianne Heesom-Green born 1959-

Dianne lives in Paternoster on the Cape West Coast. She works and exhibits from her studio Stone Fish Studio and Gallery.

She is best known for her Polyhedrons and Figurative Sculptures. These are created by hand building using various clays and mainly slips and oxides with limited glazing. Inspiration for polyhedrons comes from the ocean, while the human condition motivates the figurative artworks.

Her work has been shown internationally and Dianne has been recognised by the Ceramic Association of South Africa. Her work is part of the Corobrick Collection in The Pretoria Art Museum.

Dianne holds various workshops, including team building and hosting of other artists.
She curates the gallery, offering a fine selection of Western Cape art and ceramics.

Explore the playful illustrations celebrating marine and floral biodiversity by Tracy Lindner. Inspired by nature and a love of flowers, her work is deliberately lighthearted and playful. Enjoy one-off drawings, fine art prints, hand made ceramics and unique home decor items. Handmade in Cape Town, South Africa.

Marietjie is a professionallly trained art teacher who started pottery as a small business 35 years ago.
She prefers the "free form and creative opportunities of working by hand.
Her products display her imagination, inspiration and love of experimenting and renewal. While most of her work is aimed at practical utility items, she also likes making purely artistic pieces.
Marietjie works in Saldanha, on the West Coast of South Africa.

Our studio specializes in hand painted ceramic wash basins ; and hand painted tile panels.
We have been creating beautiful ceramic art since 1999, and are based in the Northern suburbs of Cape Town.
All our pieces are lovingly hand painted, and we accept commissions and bespoke items.

Alila studied Neuropsychology and Drama at UCT but pottery has been a part of her life since before she started school, as a child she took lessons with Lissa Classens in Hout Bay. After graduating Alila moved to McGregor in 2016 at first to do an apprenticeship at Millstone Pottery with Paul de Jongh and Nina Shand. The plan was to learn as much as possible and then take the knowledge back to Cape Town and open a studio there. Over the course of the year long apprenticeship she fell in love with McGregor and decided not to go back to Cape Town. In 2017 she opened her own studio there, although she still works with Paul and Nina from time to time - woodfiring together and helping out at workshops. From her studio Alila teaches workshops and beginner throwing lessons and is finding her visual identity as her own work takes shape.

Kate produces a wide variety of decorative and functional porcelain pieces, specialising in hand drawn cups, bowls and vases, with the emphasis on creating a narrative on each piece.

Ceramic artist, sculptor, writer for ceramic publications, selector and awards judge, workshop presenter, external moderator, occasional teacher, occasional lecturer, occasional poet. Fellow of Ceramics Southern Africa. My work is in museums in SA and abroad and I have taken part in exhibitions locally and occasionally overseas since 1975. Since 2017 I have been creating figurative sculptures of animals other than humans. I use porcelain clay and sometimes stoneware mixed together. My focus is to create an awareness of the importance, sentience and agency of other animals, not just humans. We are all inter-related in some way.

A visit to Hyme Rabinowitz’s studio at Eagles Nest in the 70’s sparked my fascination in the process of turning a lump of clay into a beautiful object. I am intrigued by the various techniques, shapes and styles of the many potters inspired me not only in the creating, but also in collecting ceramics. I acquired a very representative collection of local ceramics but this soon extended to works from both established and new innovative potters in the UK which I acquired over many years visiting my family.
I work mainly in porcelain, producing both decorative and domestic ware and firing in an electric kiln. Large bowls and platters with simple slip trailing designs are typical of my work. I have participated in a number of single and joint exhibitions throughout the country and in most regional and national ceramic exhibitions since 1981. I was Highly Commended in the 1993 regional exhibition and won the prize for the best thrown piece at the 1997 Ceramics Now exhibition in Pretoria.

The current work contains the thought of creating different styles of heads as the artist experiences the world around her. Although the work does not reflect the realistic form of a head she tries to stylise the work in such a way that it still reveals part of the realistic form.
She is a full time sculptor with her own studio. Her work has been accepted in the Ceramics SA exhibitions since 2010. She received a Merit Award at the Ceramics SA National Exhibition in 2010 as well as Ceramics Gauteng Regional Exhibition 2014. She also received the Ultra Furn Award at Ceramics Gauteng Regional Exhibition.

Cara works from her studio in Somerset West, South Africa.
She is an artist and designer with a Masters Degree in Fine Art from the Michaelis School of Fine Art at the University of Cape Town, where she was a part time lecturer for over ten years. Her work finds inspiration in the natural world, art historical ornament and the physical qualities of the medium.

I live in the Overberg. The rocky seascapes, ever changing mountains, the natural habitat of the fynbos and its indigenous little creatures inspire me. Coming from a Textile Design background I see the colours, textures, designs, patterns all around me and it forms part of my clay making process.I mostly coil my ceramics and I hope the uniqueness, reminds the observer that it is from the earth and not part of a mass produced world.

What started out as a means to balance my very disciplined and scientific life as an athlete and rowing coach with something creative has turned into a major passion and a serious form of expression. I continue with my "day job"and create my vessels in my spare time. Most of my work is slab built in earthenware and decorated with underglazes and/or oxides.

I began my clay journey with Garth Hoets in Hilton and continued with Corri Hook after my move to Durban.I now create my work in a pleasant, plant-filled courtyard which provides the inspiration for much of my work.

In 2019 I won the "Mr Price Home Award" at the regional exhibition and a "Highly Commended" award at the same event.

I graduated with a Fine Arts (Graphic Design) degree from Stellenbosch University in 1982 and subsequently worked as an illustrator and book designer before starting my family.
In 2000 I started working in clay and felt an instant connection. I regained a sense of self and my deeper creativity. I mainly throw in porcelain and I am captivated by the various forms of the universal , nurturing bowl shape.
My inspiration is varied, from ancient cultures and artifacts to the modern porcelain masters.
My current exploration revolves around the balance between spontaneity and control, using colour to impart movement and energy to my classic forms.

I am brand new to this adventure in clay. I have been lucky to have been guided by excellent creators the first of which being my Mother. It has been a life changer for me and over the course of 4 years I progressively spent more and more time with clay and less and less with my job. And so here I am doing ceramics full time. YAY! I make hand and wheel thrown stoneware fired ceramics and my inspiration is nature, in particular the ocean, rocks, plants as well as texture, colour and how the glaze reacts to even the smallest of texture. I love tactile things and the earth and I think this is the reason I so love working with clay. Clay connects with something deep within me and I often dream of a creation which then manifests in clay.

I have been making ceramics since 1970. In my own work, I have always been fascinated by translucency and the work I have been busy with for almost 20 years is Bone China a medium that is as challenging as it is exciting. My work is slip cast and the surface is usually a combination of wax resist and painting, often with soluble metallic salts and also other ceramic pigments.
There have been many high points for me in my ceramic career, these include being accepted as a member of the International Academy of Ceramics, presenting workshops at La Meridiana in Tuscany, an absolute privilege and delight, attending workshops with both Sasha Wardell and Angela Mellor in England and having won a diploma of honour in the 5th World Ceramic Biennale in Korea.
One thing I know is that in this I find the journey to be more important than the destination.

Lynette Morris-Hale has been involved in the ceramic art world for over 25 years as an educator and artist. She has had a solo exhibition and numerous group exhibitions. Her art work deals with social and political issues . She makes functional work for game lodges and little galleries across South Africa. Lynette runs two teaching studios- on a private game farm Kube Yeni in northern KZN and in a lovely little village in the western cape called Pringle Bay. She has had articles published about her work and contributes Articles about ceramics occasionally to the National Ceramic Magazine. She was chairperson of the KZN region for over 10 years having recently retired from this role to move towns

Madeleine achieved her Bcom Hons in Information Systems and worked as an IT auditor at PwC in South Africa, Dubai and New York from 2011 - 2015.
She decided to pursue her love for ceramics and teaching on a permanent basis in 2015. She now gives pottery classes, pottery team building events and parties. She took part in the Ceramics SA Regional Exhibition 2019 and exhibited entries at the Pretoria Art Museum for Sasol New Signatures 2019.
Her art is inspired by fantastical and simplistic beauty. She also enjoys identifying more practical ceramic needs for entertaining with food and creating creative solutions to fill it.

I live and work in Johannesburg, South Africa. As the youngest daughter of Sammy and Mary Liebermann, I have been playing with clay for as long as I remember. Being something of a nomad has meant that I have worked in many different Potteries, playing different roles in the Pottery business. Mostly I have worked as a decorator, when I grew up it was somehow default that men were throwers and women were decorators. I find throwing very therapeutic and can’t go for too long without throwing something on the wheel. But it’s not a main focus for me. Making tiles has become a passion . This year (2019) I made the tiles for “The whippet”, a trendy coffee shop in Melville. Working with someone to turn their dream into a reality is boundlessly satisfying.
My ceramic journey has taken me from Johannesburg to Cape-Town, where I branched away from Liebermann Pottery for the first time, trying new...

My mother (Jean Melville) and I (Margaret Melville) opened a craft business specializing in Porcelain Dolls and Hobby Ceramic Supplies in 1988. The company is still JMDolls and Porcelain and is now trading as Ceramix. The business has undergone many changes over the years and one must never forget where one began. I am passionate about what I do and am very excited about making the Ceramix range. I believe that the past 31 years were training for the vision I now have of my ceramic future and Ceramix. I cannot even start to describe in words the great love I feel for each and every item that passes through my hands many times before completion. There is nothing quite like the creative process of working with clay.
Ceramix is a South African company that manufactures limited quantities of ceramics at 118 Allan Road Glen Austin A/H Midrand from locally sourced materials.

Laissez faire, laissez aller - that mainly is the way I work. A ball of porcelain or a ball of grogged earthenware, and off on my way I go. I let the clay speak, I let my fingers speak and, just every now and then, I may change the direction a little. Oh, my imagination and inspiration help along nicely too. I love improvisation and surprises. And boy oh boy, they both happen. Currently I am on a very extended sabbatical. However, I'll be back.

First studied Fine Arts and majored in printmaking 1985 - 1987. Moved to Bloemfontein with my husband who was employed at the Technikon there where I had the opportunity to study ceramics. After leaving Bloemfontein we stayed on a farm in the Vrede district for two years where I worked as a potter and gave pottery classes. Coming to Howick in 1994 I carried on my classes while my children were growing up. I have been attending Garth Hoets classes since 2010 and find the sharing of ideas and time with other like minded people very rewarding.

I have been creative my whole life there has always been a drawing, painting or sculpture close by that I am working on. During my Graphic Design studies, we were introduced to Ceramic Design, this was my first taster to the world of clay. Little did I know that 20 years later pottery had become my passion, creating mostly part time on weekends and evenings, with amazing teachers and studios in Johannesburg.
I was overjoyed with the interest, when I opened my home studio Pottery Lane to friends and family, and shortly thereafter to everyone who wants to learn this amazing craft. Teaching pottery has provided me a way of sharing my passion and the beauty of ceramics.
My work has always been large, bold and full of energy. I love experimenting with shapes, form and colours and pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved with a very humble medium.

Rika started her journey with clay in Port Elizabeth 3 years ago during a creative sabbatical from her career in Banking. Although she has an Interior Design and Visual Merchandising background she fell in love with clay and all its possibilities. She has recently relocated to Gauteng and works from her studio at home in Pretoria.

Her artwork embraces her inner Wabi Sabi as she tries to find the beauty in the imperfect and sometimes unusual. Rika's preferred medium is fine white stoneware. Her pieces are hand-built and individually designed to be multi functional; sometimes whimsical, and mostly contemplative.

Rika was awarded the People's Choice Award at the 2018 CSA EC Plate Exhibition and has since partaken in several more group and CSA Exhibitions.

Annalie Odendaal studied Fine Arts at the University of Stellenbosch majoring in painting. She was introduced to clay by Ansie van Zyl and Sue Orr and regularly exhibits at the Regional- and National Exhibitions of Ceramics SA. She lives and works in White River.

Finding clay relatively late in life I find myself totally captivated by the art of creation.
I indulge myself in the magic of clay. I have a home studio with kilns, fire my own work thereby owning the whole creative process.
Moving on from hand building simple vases to throwing more complex forms, from simple decorating techniques to the more complex. I trend towards functional pieces and wheel thrown rather than hand building. Bold colour is beginning to make an appearance within my palette.
Ceramics is a visit to the alchemist, the transformation of earth through fire into a vessel that will last for centuries.
I live though clay.

Ashleigh works from her teaching studio in Morningside Manor at the Ernest Ullman park Recreation Centre.

Ashleigh works both with handbuilding and throwing

Caroline’s journey with clay began in 1982 and took on professional status in 1997 after a 7-year period at the Kim Sacks School of Ceramics, Johannesburg, which included a 2-year apprenticeship.

Since 1997 she has taught both children and adults, and published a collection of pottery projects for children in collaboration with Vincenzia Diedericks. She has participated in group exhibitions as a member of Ceramics Southern Africa, as well as at various venues in Johannesburg and elsewhere in South Africa. Taking part at the Design Indaba 2014, and being invited to exhibit at 100% Talent (part of 100% Design at Decorex) in Johannesburg in 2016, were highlights. She has also held three solo exhibitions, two at Bamboo Gallery (Johannesburg) and one at Ebony/Curated (Franschhoek). IN 2018 she co-ordinated the ceramic activities at the St Teresa’s Arts Festival (Johannesburg).

"Clay allows me to express my love for storytelling and celebrate a wholesome creative life.." tt

Trayci Tompkins trained in performing arts before a well-loved career in the media. But it was clay that was to become her passion, when she set up her first ceramic studio in KZN South Africa in the mid 90’s. Her ceramics explore a variety of firing techniques with statement hand coiled vessels and award winning quirky sculpture. Her works can be found in both public and private collections and commission inquiries are most welcome.

Trayci is an artist who constantly adds to her working methods, adapting techniques of lino cut, printmaking and painting to enrich her clay voice. Follow her 'behind the scenes creative journey' of Artist, Writer, Curator, Mentor via Instagram or Facebook

Ceramic diploma-1976.
Worked with Gillian Bickell - 1977.
Opened own production and teaching studio - 1977.
Currently working in own studio at Furrow Falls, Pretoria, where orders and commissions are executed.
Classes are given in all techniques.
My speciality is the Potters Wheel.
Working with CLAY in all its forms on a daily basis is my passion.

My surface decorations are created through layering colours at different stages of the drying and firing process. I draw inspiration from nature, my garden and everyday life. I like my pieces to create a narrative that encourages the viewer to take a second look and discover new elements within the form. Artists like Chagall, Van Gogh, Matisse and Monet influence much of my imagery and colours. My aim is to produce an expressive collage of pattern, symbols and imagery reflecting the beauty of creation.

Digby Hoets is a potter’s potter: his practice is one of dedicated iteration, a monthly process that produces a kiln full of pots that are fired. In that monthly rhythm, he consistently works towards subtle development of the pots over time – the lessons of one firing being the prompt for refined adjustments in the pots that follow. This process of working steadily day by day results in an intimate knowledge of how clay responds, and such patient practice gives rise to an authentic simplicity, an honesty that comes from looking and knowing: a subtle but certain adjustment to the volume of a series of pots, a slight nuance in the density of the colour of the glaze, variations that are there but too elusive for words. The pots are rooted in the traditions of the great studio ceramicists but are timeless. (Elizabeth Burroughs)

Mostly self taught in ceramics after night classes with Gavin Bell at Johannrsburg College of Education when I lectured in Chemistry there. Had some classes in Ceramics at Durban Tech. when younger. Completed first year of Fine Art degree at Wits with distinctions but family commitments ended that. Many casual night classes in painting including some attached to Durham University , at Johannesburg Tech. under inspirinng Lionel Abrahms, with George Boys and some etching classes with William Kentridge.

I left the business world and career when my children were born and entered the ceramic industry as an enthusiastic amateur, attended classes at various studios and opened my studio in 2003 where I worked with glass initially before turning my full attention to clay, first as a teacher for adults and children and now full-time from the studio producing unique and bespoke porcelain pieces.

Having work in local, national and international galleries and collections inspires my own journey. In my work it is my intention to create textures that compel touch, provoke memory and the shadows cast by the interplay of light are an integral part of each piece enhancing the quality of the clay. As life evolves, my work too and once created, each piece is a path to an expression which possesses an essence of life, a statement of being.

Mandi Friedman is a ceramic sculptor and painter. She only comes alive with wet clay in her hands. Mandi won the Ceramics SA Regional, Glazecor, New Signature Award for 2019 for her statement piece on consumerism.
Mandi's style varies from piece to piece and is still evolving but the use of bright colours could probably be considered a trademark
Mandi lives in Jo'burg with her 4 dogs

I provide ceramic painting classes in my studio in Parktown North . I have Tuesday from 11am to 4 pm or put a group together and find a date

My introduction to clay started as a young boy making figurines on the floor of my mothers’ Potters Studio. She has been a big inspiration to me in the field of clay as well as life in general.

I renewed my acquaintance with clay in 2016 and fell in love all over again.
This time round I got inspired by the infinite possibilities and complexities that the Japanese art of Nerikomi brings to the potters table.

I started looking into Nerikomi and the art of coloured clay about a few years ago and got instantly hooked and fascinated by the possibilities and complexity that this art form offered. Nerikomi, a ceramic technique for coloured porcelain, is a unique fusion of colour, pattern and form. I work primarily in Porcelain and Stoneware.