The Poetry of African Clay - SOLO

One of my finer collections of ceramics, has to be this collection of 80 pieces at my recent exhibition, The Poetry of African Clay at Ebony/Curated in Franschhoek. 

Inspired by Africa, the colours, the textures, the landscapes and the polarities in every day life. I spent a year literally building up this collection. 

The collection depicts a sense of sophisticated style yet maintaining a freedom in colour and design that are often so integral in my work. 

A Little Bit of Play with a Little Bit of Clay - Let's call it MEMPHIS!

I've always done things a bit differently, pushing design limits in shape, colour and texture. I've never been able to conform to conservative design trends. Instead I express my creativity through experimentation. At times, my work may have "toned down" a bit but at other times it depicted my wild side, the playful element where design rules get thrown out the window and I just create what feels right. My latest range, Memphis is just that. It's a platform to break all rules, play a bit and explore my creative freedom. This is my take on a kind of "Modern Memphis", throwing in random shapes of colour yet still preserving my basic fundamental forms that have modestly evolved into the latest Clementina ranges; Afro Deco, Afro Retro and now Memphis. 

Afro Retro in My Studio

Having developed several ranges throughout my ceramics career, I'm always driven by the desire to change, develop and create something new in my work. My latest range, the Afro Retro Range, aims to reawaken a nostalgic artistic era, of modern funk and 70's decor, spiced up with a contemporary African edge. 

Pastels overlap a thick black glaze forming an unusual contrast of light and dark, with an exciting middle ground where the colours blend unpredictably. The forms have taken on a new look - simple shapes with Retro inspired spouts and angular handles.

Capturing the Moments in My Studio

I’m often delighted when visitors capture scenes from my studio, depicting my all too familiar space, through their eyes... literally seeing the studio through different lenses. It reminds me how much I treasure this sacred space…my studio! Recently Miss Moss and Monya Eastman visited my studio in Woodstock. Snapping away and chatting over coffee, they captured the essence of my studio, the visual charm and the inspiration that makes up this creative space. Together the two compiled a beautiful article for Miss Moss’sblog, describing the mood, my work and the general atmosphere also portraying magnificent images that would inspire any artist. Photos by Miss Moss

Autumn Feasts & Easter Treats

Once again Easter is round the corner and the Karoo has many beautiful autumn treasures scattered along its landscape. New buds are popping up everywhere and the valley is green once more! The Groenfontein valley is my sanctuary, my go to place, for peace, for quiet, for  inspiration. At this time of year, the light glows golden as the sun moves gently through the shady Gum trees that canopy over our old rickety rooftops and illuminates the land as it descends over the mountains and filters through the sky over the dusty farm roads. The golden autumn sun…Could one find anything more beautiful than this in the Klein Karoo? I find such joy in the pleasures that simple farm life offers and I am always delighted to share it with anyone who comes to visit or who pops in to say hi. 

Please do pop in at the gallery/studio to see my latest work, or for a little chat or even a cup of tea! We are here for a few days and would love you to visit. It's best to email or whatsapp  me beforehand if you are coming out specially, just in case we are out and about. Our gallery is approximately 11km out of Calitzdorp.

Kraaldoring Gallery open daily (except Good Friday) from today until Saturday 11th April from 11am - 4pm

clementina@mweb.co.za 0829250871

Make it a date - Thursday Late!

We are inviting our friends and followers to Thursday Late, 19 March 2015, where we will be opening our shop for extended hours, from 6:30pm - 9:00pm. This is an excellent opportunity for browsing the many interesting shops that the Old Biscuit Mill has to offer like Clementina Ceramics, Heartworks, Quirky Me and many more... We will also be serving a complimentary glass of wine in our store. Please pop in and say hi. We would love to see you!

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African Design in all it's Glory

Southern Guild are renowned  internationally for their world class shows of South African art. Guild Design Fair is a show that opens this Wednesday, at the Lookout at The V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, and will run till 1 March 2015.

For this show, I played around with some quirky characters, but also tried to keep the ceramics as "raw" as possible.

I also have work on show at Artisan, Passion & The Still Life. This is another one of Southern Guild's shows, at their new Cape Town gallery. It opens on 27 Feb and runs until April 2015.