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Volume 16 • Issue: MAR 2016
Inside this issue
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Letter from the Editor • John’s column • Introducing... • Gauteng AGM • Potter of the month • 2015 Calendar • New members • Gauteng Committee •
Gauteng Region
Affiliate South African National Association for the Visual Arts (SANAVA)
Editorial
N
ow would be a good time to start planning your work for the Corobrik Ceramics Biennale which will be held in November this year at the University of Johannesburg gallery. The submission date for entries is September and you will be given a few weeks prior to the deadline in which to do this. All entries will be selected 0n line from photographic images. Detailed instructions will be sent out. Pace yourselves now and make sure that your work is on this prestigious exhibition. Ceramics SA can only present exhibitions such as this, of international standard, and invite an international award judge to visit and give workshops, if all the members give us their full support throughout the year. This means attending workshops, taking part in events such as the Potters Market, encouraging students and other ceramists to join the Association, paying your yearly subscription fees on time.Paging through this newsletter you will see the information about all the activities planned for 2016. We invite you all to take part in as many as possible, Not only do they give you an opportunity to meet other members, talk about clay and be inspired by their creativity, but it also helps to keep CSA vibrant and moving forward. We would like to have any ideas you, the members, might have as we plan for the future.We have a dedicated team of members, who give willingly of their time and experience, to make sure that you get the best on offer, the administration runs smoothly and the magazine (Post Office willing) is delivered to each one. All we ask is that you get fully involved and be proud to be members of Ceramics Southern Africa.
Jerice.
Opinions expressed are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Ceramics SA.
John’s Column
A
s you surely all know by now this year we have the Corobrik National Ceramics Biennale in Gauteng and it will be held at the UJ Gallery which is truly one of the most wonderful exhibition spaces in Johannesburg. This exhibition is probably the most important on the SA ceramics calendar. The entries for the exhibition will again be by online submission and there will be plenty of time to get your entries in. This will be done via the CSA website and entries can be submitted from 15th August until the 16th September. More details on the submission procedure at a later stage. Firstly, I hope all eligible members (you have to have had work selected for a regional exhibition in the past to qualify), are planning on entering, and if you haven’t started at least you have started thinking about what you plan to make. Secondly I suggest you do some practice shots at photographing your work. A few pointers in this regard. Use a plain white card A0 or A1, depending on the size of your work, as an infinity curve. For my work I have an old wooden chair which I tape one end of the card to the top of the back of the chair and the other end to the front of the seat. My work is generally small so I use an A1 card and that works perfectly. Good results can be obtained in natural daylight, But make sure you are out of direct sunlight. If you start playing around with taking some images now, by the time you need to submit them they should be quite good. ‘You tube’ is also an excellent resource if you are stuck with anything, as is Google. The images you submit of your work is all the selectors will have when looking at your entries so it really will be worthwhile having good quality images. If you feel your images are not good enough perhaps you have a friend who is good with a camera who you could ask to assist you. But one thing is certain, it is time to start on the work if you haven’t already done so and have some fun with your camera.
INTRODUCING . . .
Kathy Bigham The Unlikely Art of Production
L
ife has its own ebb and flow… voyages we go on, currents that carry us, people we meet, all play a part in shaping us and in turn, shaping the art we create… it is ironic that in searching for the perfect shape, I find that I am the one who is being shaped. The wind and sea reflect the freedom and reckless abandon that I yearn for in life… Clay is an escape – an escape from the mundane, from the routine of the predictable structure of ordered life. It is an art form that supports creativity, expression and imagination, an ancient, timeless and refreshingly rare combination these days. Having left the safe waters of pre-primary teaching in 2005, I embarked on a journey into ceramics, very much learning as I went, and I’m still learning… I began with classes and groups, before expanding into bisque production… and so life is now full of unpacking and repacking kilns at crazy hours of night or day… dipping and glazing when I should be sleeping… dreaming of factory schedules… worrying about making the perfect pot (for obsessive compulsive artists)… re-doing it again as the natural glaze didn’t behave as it should’ve in a perfect-kiln-temperatureworld (does that even exist!)… keeping deadlines only attainable by super humans… and surprisingly, I am now finding my art within this world of production. I love the paradox of pottery and one of my favourite quotes is by Lao Tzu “the purpose of a pot is to hold the nothingness that’s inside.” The factory and studio are home and yes some days are more of a juggle than others, balancing being a mom, sports and work. Projects vary from making kitchen floor tiles, to carving in greenware, or removing a visiting snake from the garden. But I love the variety– the flexible routine that each week brings… my life is planned around kilns and kids! I have a wonderful team who show dedication and versatility… casting to fettling… earthenware… stoneware… terracotta… finishing… shaping… mould making… packaging and delivering. But I have found the most important activity is listening to our clients and understanding their needs. We will soon be launching a new range of basin designs amongst other (top secret) things… so watch this space! A highlight of the business is meeting creative people, and there are many amazing and gifted artists that we have the privilege to meet. We all really enjoyed having Madoda work in the studio for a few weeks last year, his influence has definitely instilled a long term goal to help unearth more of the untapped hidden talent in South Africa. And it has also been exciting to see how students have taken the skills learnt, into their own
Kathy’s gang at the studio
classes to make their own business from home. I find it amazing, how encouraging others and their creativity, in turn fuels our growth. CSA has encouraged our growth and if it wasn’t for folk like Coleen, Michelle and Cynthia and many others we would be paddling against the current. This business keeps teaching me to simplify what we do and to make more time to be creative. I still feel huge excitement and satisfaction every time I open the kiln. I love experimenting with
colours and glazes but in the event of unusable results, the piece of equipment I cannot do without is my trailer… where I can smash bisque - highly recommended (this could be a whole new line of business – a new stress therapy). From the outside: my world may look chaotic and at times it is, but there is peace and a flow to my creative chaos and unchartered waters make the future exciting…it may seem sometimes that we are bound by the economic or practical limits we see, but because they are formed in imagination there are no limits.
And we all know Kathy from the Clay Festival
Toni Pretorius will be presenting a participating porcelain sculpture workshop on Saturday 28th May 2016 Venue: The Pottery Studio, 24 Old Kilcullen Road, Bryanston (Colleen Lehmkuhl’s studio) Time: 13:30pm to 17:00pm (3.5 hours) Cost: R 350 for members, R450 for non members A list of suggested tools will be sent to participants who book for the workshop. Porcelain will be provided and a firing service is available should you want your items to be fired after the workshop. Tea/coffee will be provided Participants will learn how to model a small (pendant size) piece of porcelain from a twodimensional image. The focus will be on observing natural textures and shapes and how to then recreate these textures in clay. Each participant will ideally produce a finished product which they can then keep for themselves.
Artist’s Biography Toni Pretorius was born and raised in Kimberley where from a young age she was exposed to the art world and encouraged to develop her creative abilities. After matriculating in 2002 she enrolled at the University of the Free State where she completed her diploma in Fine Art in 2006. In 2011 she completed her B-Tech degree in Fine Art at the Central University of Technology, majoring in sculpture. Currently she is employed as an educator and working towards expanding her artistic career and fulfilling the requirements for a Masters Degree
Space is limited so please book early if you are interested by contacting Cynthia on email ceramicssa@icon.co.za and depositing your fee to the CSA Gauteng account with your name and Toni workshop as your reference.
Artist’s Statement Through sculpture and ceramics I attempt to create contemporary Vanitas works that thematically centre on the transience of earthly life. Hand modelled porcelain still lives and intricate bone and object constructions incorporate models that symbolically refer to the vanities and rituals of secular being, the passage of time, and earthly attainment and conduct. This has grown from a pre-occupation with, and a longing for, an era that recognized the brevity of life and focused on human achievement through labour-intensiveness, technical skill and meticulous artistry. My current works show the initial steps in working towards such richness, excess and exquisite craftsmanship. The choice of materials and techniques are meant to instil a feeling of precious materiality, physical fragility and artistic rapport and accomplishment that can be linked to the human body and its earthly endeavours. Whilst my works, when presently viewed in light of the Vanitas genre or transience theme, accentuate a seemingly morbid connection to the discountenanced theme of death and dying, they furthermore stand to provoke aesthetic associations with the fleeting quality of a mortal existence.
AGM
Gauteng Region
E
xposing your work to a wider audience
This was the theme of the presentations which followed the annual general meeting in February.Three Gauteng members accepted the challenge of explaining three very different experiences when putting themselves and their work out into the big, wide world. Robert Wagener described how he started entering for international competitions. Although, at first he was not successful, his work was eventually accepted for a competition in Zanesville, U.S.A., one of the most sought after exhibitions in America. Although his piece was sold, he said the cost to have it crated and shipped was very high. He showed several images of the work on the show, including the winning pieces which mostly seemed to be made by exalted ceramic artists. His message was that, if you persevere in entering international competitions, your name gets onto various lists and invitations start coming to you. Robert travelled to America for the exhibition and you can read his story in the latest National Ceramics magazine. John Shirley conducted a question and answer session with Sandy Godwin, where they talked about preparing and taking work to international trade shows, specifically the most recent one in Paris.Sandy is well known for her delicate, patterned porcelain bowls and, to see them set out en masse on the screen, made us all realise what a prolific maker she can be. For a trade show you need the numbers – so different from an exhibition where you submit a few pieces. The final presenter was Ashleigh Christelis, who spoke about her residency in the French town of Vallauris. What a year! Staying in an old house, with other artists from various countries, working in a studio with strange clay, walking through the cobbled streets and meeting the locals. The list goes on and was graphically illustrated by Ashleigh in her slide presentation. We will all become familiar with the French cat who now appears on many of her pots.This and other residencies abroad are an amazing experience for artists to learn about other cultures and develop their work. As a departure from the normal agm workshop this was an interesting glimpse into the lives of three creative people. Jerice Doeg
Chair report for period Feb 2015 to Feb 2016 Colleen Lehmkuhl (AGM held on 20 February 2016) 2015 AGM
W
e kicked off 2015 with a workshop by Hennie Meyer at the AGM. Hennie had just completed an incredible project called Ukusela eKapa. The project included 11Â 000 squeezes into pre made mugs that Hennie and his team had made at his studio in Cape Town. Hennie is so inspirational and his workshops are always very popular. The dvd and some of the mugs can be viewed at the Corobrik Collection exhibition which will be held in October this year at the Pretoria Art Museum. The entire Corobrik Collection will be on display for about 2 months, an opportunity not to be missed! Clay Festival held in March 2015 was very successful with many letters of appreciation from CSA members for the high quality of workshops they attended. We need to find a new venue for Clay Festival 2017.
CLAY FESTIVAL
Trayci and Stuart Tompkins, founders of ZuluLulu Art House in the Midlands, gave a very interesting workshop in Centurion in August 2015. Sharing insight into the running of their business, the talented couple inspired and encouraged participants to follow their passion despite any setbacks. Cornelia Wessels was the lucky recipient of a luck draw at the workshop and she and her hubby spent a wonderful weekend at Caladdi B&B in the Midlands. The Regional exhibition was held at the FADA Gallery at UJ. 72 Gauteng members participated, including 10 Fellows and 2 country members, both from Bloemfontein. The exhibition was sponsored by G&W Mineral Resources. Honourary Life membership was awarded to Jerice Doeg and Simon Masilo.
Regional exhibition
White Christmas
The Potters Market was once again held at the Association of Arts in Pretoria. Due to heavy rains the market was held indoors and under the circumstances was successful in terms of visitors and sales. Thanks to all who donated to the raffle. White Christmas – with a touch of colour. Exhibition held at Association of Arts in Pretoria. Pieter did a fantastic job with the layout and the exhibition was well received. Unfortunately many members did not adhere to the rules of the exhibition and all future exhibitions will be curated by Pieter van Heerden. Membership in Gauteng stands at 190 at the time of the AGM. This is very low and members are encouraged to renew membership on time and encourage interested clay lovers to join CSA. Fees have been increased as of 1 March 2016.
Single
R700
Pensioner
R525
Family
R775
Country
R525
Members are urged to visit the CSA Facebook page and click on LIKE – also please invite your friends to do the same.
Potters Market
Special Thank you to Kaye Ardendorff, Cynthia McAlpine, Jerice Doeg and John Shirley for their contribution to the continued success of CSA.
Interested members who were unable to attend the AGM and wish to see the Financial Statements can contact the Secretary, who will email a copy to them.
How our exhibitions are structured 1. CSA Exhibitions • Themed – self selection. Eg Ass of Arts exhibition. • No awards 2. Regional exhibition • Annually unless hosting National • Selections at venue • Awards - sponsored 3. National exhibition • Must have work on a previous Regional exhibition • Awards - sponsored • Every 2 years • Alternate between Cape Town and Gauteng • Alternate between Joburg and Pretoria • Selections by image in 2014 and now in 2016 • Courier of work to venue for artist account • Insurance for artist’s account • Courier back of unsold work for CSA account • All local exhibitors should do exhibition duty • Walkabouts by informed ceramists
Potters Market
Rem e
mber
!!
To market, to market, to sell a fat ... WHAT It may be a jug or it may be a pot A sculpture, a vessel - a platter or two But join in the market whatever you do! This is an invitation to all the members of CSA Gauteng to book their tables for this year’s Potters Market. Sincere thanks to those who have already booked their tables and a reminder to those who have not to do so as soon as possible to facilitate forward planning arrangements. This promises to be a lovely experience for all participants.
. ablee t r e dabl 00 p
R2 t efun Cost e is non r ay upfron p fe The have to arket is e m w e h as if t . even ancelled c
• A tea garden with delicious coffee and light lunches will be in operation. We will also be selling tickets for a raffle of gorgeous pieces by stall holders. Draw will take place after lunch. • Bring your own cloths, umbrellas, chairs, cash box etc. as usual. A credit card facility will be available at one of the stalls.
WEATHER FORECAST PLANNING In view of the fact that we will not be able to move the market into the Gallery as the Assoc. of Arts will be hosting a current exhibition, artists who have booked tables are requested to contact Jerice between 05:00 & 06:00 on 012 460 6516 or 082 683 5680 should it look as if it will be raining in Pretoria in the morning or to determine whether it is already doing so, to establish whether it will be necessary to cancel the event. This pertains especially to stand holders who need to travel long distances.
*B ook now by sending your name and table fee to Cynthia tel.: 074 703 4399 email: ceramicssa@icon.co.za. *A reminder to those who have booked but not yet paid to please now do so. Thank you.
Association of Arts Pretoria Saturday April 9 • 9 am – 3 pm
diary 2016 Saturday 9th
Apr
Potters Market Association of Arts, Pretoria
‘Potter of the Month’ Nici Brockwell Sunday 3 April Assoc. of Arts, PTA
Saturday 28th Porcelain Sculpture Workshop Toni Pretorius
MAY
The Pottery Studio, 24 Old Kilcullen Road, Bryanston (Colleen Lehmkuhl’s studio)
AUG
Propopsed Winter Multi-Workshop
sep
16th Submission of Entry forms and Images for Corobrik National Ceramics Biennale; 23rd & 24th – National Biennale Selections; 30th Notification of all submitted entries
COROBRIK COLLECTION EXHIBITION 23rd October – December 25th 2016
oct
Opening: Sunday 23rd October, 11:00 Henry Preiss Hall - Pretoria Art Museum
Madoda Fani
Nov
COROBRIK NATIONAL CERAMICS BIENNALE UJ Art Gallery Kingsway campus Opening Sunday 9th - Closes 25 th • Saturday 12th – workshop by Sasha Wardell (uk) – International Award Judge •S unday 6th SCULPTURE EXHIBITION – Sculpture workshop with talk by Greek Ceramist Valentinos Charalambous Ass of Arts. Opening by Gordon Froud. Assoc. of Arts Pretoria (tbc)
• Christmas exhibition at the AssOC. of Arts, Pretoria. Curated
POTTER OF TH
EM
O
N TH
Sunday, April 3rd, 10.30 for 11 a.m.
Nici Brockwell,
F
or six months this year the Association of Arts gallery in Pretoria will feature a “Potter of the Month” to showcase the talents of the Gauteng members of Ceramics SA.On the first Sunday of each month, when galleries and studios in Pretoria are open on an Art Ramble, the potter will be introduced and the work will be on show until the end of that month.The introduction of this initiative will be on Sunday, April 3, 10.30 for 11 a.m. Nici Brockwell, with her fine, decorated porcelain will be the featured artist. It is hoped that, during the year, a wide range of ceramics, covering all aspects of clay, glazes, firings etc will interest and inspire the visitors who come to the Gallery.
with her fine,
decorated porcelain
will be the featured artist.
Since graduating from art school, she has featured Gauteng Region prominently at exhibitions, both P O Box 2900 North Riding 2162 Gauteng R.S.A. as exhibitor and curator. She Tel.: 074 703 4399 / Fax to email: 086 0958 has 664 already featured ceramicssa@icon.co.za • www.ceramicssa.org prominently as finalist and prize-winner at Sasol's new signatures art competition, the Thami Mnyele fine art Martie Beyers, Andrea Brown, Saartjie Gerber and competition and ceramics SA's Tricia Visser van Staden regional exhibition in 2012. Her first solo exhibition, titled DTP: Claire Waters Samsara... the journey of the soul is scheduled for the first quarter of 2013 as part of her M Tech degree in fine art.
WELCOME to our NEW MEMBERS:
Gauteng Management Team Name Duties Colleen Lehmkuhl Regional Chair/ Meeting Notes John Shirley Vice Chair/ Exhibitions Nici Brockwell General Assist Gillian Clark Workshops Dineke den Bakker Vaal Triangle Liaison Michelle Legg Clay Festival/ Exhibitions Jerice Doeg Exhibitions/ Meeting Notes Darien Harrison Catering Rose Hobson Clay Festival/ Exhibitions Karen van der Riet Potters’ Market Minette Zaaiman General Assist
Tel. No. Mobile e-mail 011 463 7262 073 481 0889 colleen@potterystudio.co.za 011 640 4982 083 407 5968 johnshir@gmail.com 011 702 4600 083 257 7330 nicibceramic@gmail.com 011 706 7289 074 782 2640 gillian@lamariceramics. co.za 016 932 2173 082 715 1639 dineke.denbakker@lantic. net 083 730 0250 michellejanelegg@gmail. com 012 460 6516 082 683 5680 jerice@informsa.co.za 012 667 1207 082 463 8653 dunkelly@mweb.co.za 084 436 4312 rosehobson@ gmail.com 012 660 2341 082 655 2121 karenvanderriet@gmail.com 012 460 5823 073 255 2482
All Management Team members, apart from their specific portfolios, can be co opted to special large projects on the current calendar
Manufacturers and suppliers of a wide range of stoneware and earthenware clays for throwing, slab building and casting in buff, terracotta and white.
Telephone 082 808-9166 / 082 885-1103 Email: ndebelemining@gmail.com work and images supplied by Digby Hoets
+27 11 482-2215 1 Annet Road Cottesloe Johannesburg email: liebpott@iafrica.com www.liebermannpottery.com
An exciting array of Southern African potters and ceramic artists, both rural and urban, including˚Lisa Liebermann, are showcased at Liebermann Gallery. The Gallery is located in the historic Gas Works, close to the trendy Melville shopping area. Liebermann Pottery in Johannesburg has an extensive range of traditional handmade cottage tableware, dinnerware and ceramic picture tiles, brilliantlycoloured˚contemporary garden˚planters˚and vases, with their distinctive Liebermann ambience. For the Bonsai enthusiast, the Liebermann Gallery has the largest selection of planters on the continent. Our Cape Town gallery is situated on an old Cape farm, on Kommetjie Main Road, near Kommetjie on the Cape Peninsula.˚
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