A really great article in the latest online House and Leisure Magazine
karoo plates
Handmade ceramic plates that are individual works of art…
Text Lisa Wallace
Inspired by the Klein Karoo, Clementina van der Walt
has made a beautiful range of ceramic plates with hand-painted designs,
depicting the animals, colours and shapes of the region.
Clementina has a gallery and studio on a farm outside Calitzdorp in
the Klein Karoo and that environment has been her inspiration for these
designs. ‘I started looking at images of San art from the region and was
inspired by the mystical qualities. The plates are hand made – press
moulded by hand – using earthenware clay and clay slips. They are then
fired to 1120°C to make them permanent,’ says Clementina when HL asked about the process.
Clementina is a ceramic master (having worked in ceramics for 40
years). ‘I love the combination of basic elements – earth, water, air,
fire – and the excitement of getting the surprises (and shocks) out of
the kiln. It’s an ancient method and I love this connection with the
past,’ she says.
She is based mainly in Woodstock where she has a studio and shop at
the Old Biscuit Mill. The rest of her time is spent in Calitzdorp or
working on intermittent exhibitions. ‘The next exhibition is themed
around the concept of ‘Still Life’ and includes several other artists.
This will be on during the annual Port Festival in Calitzdorp from 14-16
June.’
The Karoo plates are once-off plates, each one an artwork, so you would have to contact her directly to order.
Visit her store at the Old Biscuit Mill to browse her other available ceramics. Contact Clementina on clementina@mweb.co.za or call 082-925-0871. You can also visit her website to view pieces from her latest collection at clementina.co.za.
A great article in the latest online edition of House and Leisure...
clementina ceramics
Bring art to your dining table…
Clementina Ceramics may
have started in 2001, but the brand’s proprietor and visionary has been
working in the field for over 20 years. Trained at Wits Technikon, now
the University of Johannesburg, Clementina van der Walt obtained her
National Higher Diploma in Ceramics in 1984 and continued to lecture in
their Ceramic Department until 1988. 12 years after starting a
production studio in Paarl in 1989, Van der Walt moved to Cape Town and
started creating unique dinnerware in addition to other bespoke
ceramics.
Van der Walt says she’s always had an interest in tableware. ‘I love
the fact that someone drinks out of my mug on a daily basis and that it
enriches their life with pleasure, enhancing a positive sense of being
alive,’ she says. But this artist makes a whole lot more than mugs.
Cups, plates, bowls, decorative plates and composite tile panels are
handcrafted in her Woodstock studio with the help of two
assistants, Adonis N’sele Mumpango and Sandile Cele.
Unlike other utilitarian ceramics, Van der Walt’s work isn’t out to
mimic everyday crockery. Instead her approach to bespoke dinner sets is
an intentional backlash against the sterility of mass production. ‘I
deliberately emphasise the handmade and irregular quality of each
piece,’ she says. ‘The commercial dinnerware which one finds in home
ware stores is often well designed and well made. However, in a way, it
can be quite sterile and exude a sense of ”the same”, impersonal, too
slick and with no sense of a person behind the items.’
Priced between R6 000-R40 000 – depending on quantity and additional
items – each service is a tactile piece of art which enhances the daily
rituals of eating and drinking. While more expensive than your standard
dinner service, Van der Walt uses the simple analogy of home-baked bread
versus government loaf: ‘Both fulfill the same practical purpose, but
are worlds apart in terms of aesthetic and meaningful human experience.’
In addition to creating bespoke ceramics, Van der Walt takes on
custom projects based on her existing range. ’Although it is not branded
like Louis Vuitton, the custom design gives the items added financial
value,’ says Van der Walt. ‘The client gets a dinner set which has been
made specifically and only for them – making each piece feel special and
meaningful.’
Clementina Ceramics are made from charcoal earthenware clay with a
variety of underglaze colours and monochrome glazes. Pieces are made by
slip-casting in moulds, slabbed clay pressed into moulds or are
hand-constructed or wheel thrown. You can purchase the bespoke ceramics
from Clementina’s shop at the Old Biscuit Mill. For more information
visit www.clementina.co.za
