ceramics* the millions of designs they create. I love the fact that I have never repeated a pattern and each piece is a unique part of me that will be cherished and used by whoever owns it,” she says. Although Jo-Anne started out with slab work which is largely hand formed, she soon realised that this did not gel with her more geometric style and turned to creating wheel thrown items which were more symmetrical. These are thrown for her by the talented Ivin Molefe. When Jo-Anne couldn’t source white clay in South Africa in 2018, she began working with raku clay sourced from potter Lindsay Scott in Lidgetton. “I started to play with it and quickly realised that my black lines did this incredible thing, creating beautiful back shadows in the clay.” She added bright colours and her second signature collection was born. A lot of that work goes to the KZNSA Gallery. “I call it my African work with a modern twist. I bring in the geometrical
shapes and colours which are more African and then add flowers which are more European. So, it is a combination of two influences,” she explains. Jo-Anne continues with her blue and white creations and has since added a white-on-white collection. Some items are exactly that while others may have brightly coloured inners. Overall, she describes her style as fairly eclectic. “My work is quite busy. Initially, I was afraid that some people would not like this. Then it dawned on me there are busy people and there are calm people. Some people like everything white, grey and beige while others like colour. There has to be something for everyone and I’ve just learnt to embrace that,” she says.
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ABOVE: Ivin Molefe on the wheel. Shirley le Guern
