THE SHOW IS ON!

A part of my stand promoting my new SJOE! range with a wall of vases and flowers

Exquisite cardboard cutout trophies by Head On Design

Powerful monumental vessels by Louise Gelderblom

Baa Baa Black Sheep , a delightful restaurant from Riebeek Kasteel who are making the tastiest food at the show with everyone queuing to sample it

Wow! what a pile of sausages from The Charcuterie - enough to drive away all vegetarians, but certainly a huge drawcard for all meat lovers.

The Food Wine and Design show is buzzing...very relaxing yet vibey atmosphere, lots of wonderful deli foods, charcuterie, oysters, wines and champagnes. What is usually the roof parking area of the Hyde Park Shopping Centre has been transformed into a beautiful landscaped terrace with loads of pot plants and bark chips covering the tar. There is an excellent selection of design stands with the cream of South African creatives selling their wares. If you are in Johannesburg this weekend, get to Hyde Park..it is a real treat!

FOOD, WINE AND DESIGN

The first Food Wine Design Fair is happening this weekend on the rooftop of the Hyde Park Shopping Centre in Johannesburg.

Friday 26, Saturday 27 November 12 noon - 9 pm
Sunday 28 November 10 am - 4 pm

Entry fee R70

This promises to be an incredibly exciting event with top creatives from all over South Africa selling their wares.
If you are in Johannesburg, please visit my stand B16 where I will be showcasing my new range -

'SJOE! Maar dis mooi...'

(WOW! But that's beautiful...)

STILL LIFE, MOVING TULIPS

This morning I read a most inspiring article in The Cape Times by Glenn Ashton on what he calls Economic Degrowth - It is a very comprehensive article and well worth reading.
An excerpt ...
'Degrowth examines the flipside of an economy founded on growth. It emphasises putting a human face in how we transact and perhaps more importantly, interact. After its initial conceptualisation by Romanian economist, Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen, it has been elegantly expounded upon by many other articulate thinkers like Serge Latouche. Its roots lie in the Club of Rome report “The Limits of Growth” and can be traced back to other philosophers like Thoureau and Ghandi, who emphasised concepts like simplicity, justice and equality.'

And then I came into my studio this morning and to my delight noticed how yesterday's tulips in my tulipiere have moved gracefully into another uplifting position. It seemed appropriate to link this image and phenomenon to the above article, an affirmation of the wonder of ' a simple life'.

TULIPS FOR JOHANNESBURG

For ages I have been wanting to make a tulip vase, inspired by those wonderful 17th Century Delft tulipieres. So now I have finally got it together, working in collaboration with my assistant Sandile Cele. I am going to be participating in the Food Wine Design Fair in Johannesburg next week, so this will be travelling along with me for the event. More on this next week...

If you happen to be in London, Shanghai or Cape Town...

My peer, Hennie Meyer, will whom I will be exhibiting at The UCT Irma Stern Museum in December is showing at Cecilia Colman Gallery in London opening tomorrow, Degas Art Space in Shanghai from 11th December, Irma Stern Museum on 14th Dec and again, together with me at Ceramic Art London 2011 at the end of February 2011. Whew! Hectic schedule...

'DO NOT DISTURB...'

' DO NOT DISTURB ME, PLEASE' is the sign which hung at the entrance to the studio of Irma Stern, the famous South African painter. In December I will be exhibiting at the museum which bears her name and which was her home. For the occasion I am making a series of plates where I have used images of her works which hang in the house. The plan is to make a whole dinner table setting in the dining room to be titled something like 'Dinner with Irma Stern and friends'.

CASA LABIA IN BLOOM

What promises to be a wonderful exhibition opens next week(16 nov 2010 - 29 Jan 2011) at Casa Labia in Muizenberg. 'Casa Labia in Bloom', curated by Margie Murgatroyd of Africa Nova, will show all floral related themes in paintings, ceramics and the real thing - plants and flowers.. These are some of the plates I have made for the show, and the vases which will be used for the floral installations.

DEADLINE FRENZY

As the end of the year looms, there is suddenly a deadline frenzy in the studio, all round..but currently most felt in the Heartworks section where they are all frantically stitching up monkeys and pumpkin shaped ottomans that are soon to be dispatched to Hong Kong and Paris (I think!) Ceramics section is pretty hectic too..more in the next post on that.

SOUTH AFRICA MEETS CHINA THROUGH CERAMICS

One of the challenging factors of making ceramics in the west today is that there is so much competition in the form of cheap well-designed, high quality ceramics imported from China. So what a rare and wonderful pleasure to see a reversal of roles - Hennie Meyer, top South African ceramist will be having a solo show of his work at the Degas Gallery in Shanghai in December. Congratulations, Hennie!

MORE KAROO CERAMICS

The other day I posted some images of the ceramics of Nico Masemula from Calitzdorp in the Karoo. His mentor Hylton Nel is one of South Africa's most famous ceramists. Here is a recent plate of his and a tombstone he designed in memory of a neighbour.

KAROO GARDENS IN OCTOBER

At the side of the Withoek Road in Calitzdorp

On the Groenfontein Road in Calitzdorp

In Hylton Nel's garden, Calitzdorp

In Roger Young's garden, Kruisrivier, near Calitzdorp

In Roger Young's gallery, Kruisrivier, outside Calitzdorp

Oktober Maand die mooiste mooiste Maand

(for translation)

Woorde: C. LOUIS LEIPOLDT

Dit is die maand Oktober! Die mooiste, mooiste maand! Dan is die dag so helder, so groen is elke aand, so blou en sonder wolke die hemel heerlik bo, so blomtuin vol van kleure die asvaal ou Karoo, so blomtuin vol van kleure die asvaal ou Karoo.

Dit is die maand Oktober! Die varkblom is in bloei; oor al die seekoeigate is kafferskuil gegroei; die koppies, kort gelede nog as 'n klip so kaal, het nou vir welkomsgroetnis hul mooiste voor gehaal; het nou vir welkomsgroetnis hul mooiste voor gehaal.

Dit is die maand Oktober! Die akkerboom is groen; die bloekoms langs die paaie is almal nuut geboen; en orals in die tuin rond ruik jy sering en roos, jasmyn en katjiepiering, lemoen en appelkoos, jasmyn en katjiepiering, lemoen en appelkoos.

Dit is die maand Oktober! Ek dink die mense vier vir ewig in die hemel Oktobermaand soos hier! Wat wens jy meer as blomme, as helder dag en nag? Wat kan jy beter, mooier of heerliker verwag? Wat kan jy beter, mooier of heerliker verwag?

Wat gee ek om die winter? Wat praat jy nou van Mei? Wat skeel dit as ons later weer donker dae kry? Ek is nou in Oktober, die mooiste, mooiste maand, met elke dag so helder, so pragtig elke aand! Met elke dag so helder, so pragtig elke aand!

NEW WORK FROM THE KAROO

A trip to Calitzdorp this past weekend resulted in purchasing some delightful figurines from Nico Masemula who works in the studio of Hylton Nel. Such charming work! They are now on show at our store at The Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock.