newsletter of ceramics sa - eastern cape

summer 2013

letter from the chair

thoughts from my studio

2014 programme

starways - a weekend of fire & smoke,15 questions for Anton van der Merwe

regional review - Jean Wright

gallery on leviseur

notes on a legacy

ergonomics and ceramics

the Lesley-Ann Hoets workshopexperience

five of the best from Brenda

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We have had a roller coaster year! I feel that I have been on the hop all year long and now, as I am trying to finish this lastedition of our Argilos Magazine before everyone gets caught up in the holiday spirit, I can look back at what we haveachieved.

When I took over the chairmanship from Margie, I felt that I had large shoes to fill, as she has truly steered us through somedifficult times in setting up a new branch of Ceramics SA and getting everyone organised to participate in activities. At theAGM at the beginning of this year, you were vocal in what you wanted from our organisation, and I hope that the committeehas delivered. We seem to have gained some vitality and vibrancy and the exhibitions and activities during the last yearhave proved that we can all work together and participate and make our branch a strong dynamic entity.

When we have had visitors from other areas here, they remark on how we have bonded as a group and how friendly, helpfuland sharing we are. Those are compliments none of us should take lightly.

You will find our programme for 2014 on page 3………and there is more to come! Our magazine is packed with past andfuture plans, so get your 2014 diary out and mark the dates.

Our AGM will be early in February and we welcome feedback both in the form of brickbats, accolades and suggestions.Please join us for a festive start to our year on the sixth of February at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.

We are sadly losing Delphine and Brenda as members and committee members next year. Delphine, you have been an effi-cient secretary to our organisation and a creative thinker who will be missed. Brenda, your input and enthusiasm to get anannual market going is appreciated. We wish you both well in your new endeavours.

I wish you all a happy holiday and hope that you will start the new year early in your studios and make 2014 a year of excel-lence.

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Well, here we are at the end of another year ! I am sure that, like me, you feel the year has simply flown past, but as I lookback on it I feel happy with what I have achieved. Some pots were not so good, but some were not too bad either; otherswere just plain awful ! During the year I have experimented with new ways of firing, tried new clays, and, unusually for me,just played in the studio. The latter is very important, as I need to play with clay to get my thoughts moving in new direc-tions.

This year has also been interesting from the exhibition side. Sales have been fairly slow for a few years, but this year I feelthat people are starting to buy and collect ceramics again. Exhibiting can be hard, expensive work, and yet sometimes finan-cially rewarding. But perhaps just as important, and one of the joys of exhibiting, is meeting and building relationships withpeople who love pots.

Exhibiting at the Grahamstown Festival is a wonderful opportunity for me to talk about my pots, and explain why I makethem. It is also a chance for me to stimulate in others an interest in crafts and things hand-made. A few of our major chainstores have started ‘Artisan’ projects to help promote crafts, from textiles to ceramics, and the people who make them. I amsure this must be quite daunting and very testing for the potters involved, but it must also be very rewarding. Nothing beatsseeing your work displayed after months of hard work.

Finally, a last reminder to myself as I put my studio to bed for the summer holidays, to keep looking at other peoples’ workand reading as much on ceramics as I can. Hopefully this will inspire more play and excitement in my pots in the New Yearahead.

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Programme for 2014Annual General Meeting

6 February 2014, NMMU Ceramic Design Department, Second Ave Cam-pus, Summerstrand. 2pm.

Information workshop by Bianca Whitehead on commercial glazes - tricksand treats

22February 2014 - Starways @ Hogsback

Woodfiring weekend

March

Legacy Exhibition at the NMMAM and workshops by David & Sarah Walters

CSA Eastern Cape Regional Exhibition

June 2014 - National Arts Festival in Grahamstown

Antoinette Badenhorst porcelain Workshop

August 2014 - Selections for the National Ceramic Biennial

November 2014 - Magdalene Odundo Workshop

November 2014 Corobrick National Ceramic Exhibition

November - Month in Clay - Cape Town

Magdalene Odundo

2014

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Anton van der Merwe has set aside the weekend of 22 February for CSA-EC members to attend a workshop onwood firing at his studio in Hogsback. Book soonest - only 6 spaces available. You will be able to fire 2 - 3 ves-sels 150 x150 x150 depending on how much Anton needs to fire of his own work. The weekend will start withglazing your bisque fired ware, some social activities, packing the kiln, starting the fire, stoking and getting up totemperature (high stoneware). Whatever clay is being used, whitish stoneware preferably, (Lize Fine is OK)wedge in 10% coarse grog 0-1mm and 3% Potassium Feldspar. Cost for CSA members will be about R750 andthat could include two meals at Starways. Cheap accommodation available on the property or hotels inHogsback. So start working and get all the details early in the new year!

please contact us at ceramics.easterncape@gmail.com to book

1 Where were you born and where did you grow up?

I was born in the town of Louis Trichardt in the Northern Province. My father worked in a bank and made all our furniture inhis spare time. We often used to visit Tzaneen for our holidays and played in the mud down at the river.

2 How did your life in clay begin?The river provided us with as much mud as we needed to make all our toys, cattle,dwellings, churches in fact we built whole towns. These were built to the scale of our small collection of “Dinky Toy” cars, weusually became so absorbed that we always were in trouble with the elders for having stayed out too late. I think there wasalso the occasional crocodile in that river.

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3 Why Clay?

Clay did what we wanted it to, it was a printing press, a fantasy vehicle, and it was so smooth and slippery particularly suitablefor whole body slippery slide kids play. We did get into a lot of trouble.

4 How long have you been making pots for?

First pot was made in the small studio of a pottery teacher in Cape Town in 1974. I went professional in 1976. In 2014 I wouldhave been making pots for forty years.

5 Where were you before Hogsback?

I had a fabulously large pottery studio in an old milking shed in Midrand for five years gas firing and before that in Rondeboschfor fourteen years in a back yard converted double garage pottery studio. I built a fifty cubic foot gas kiln in a covered area nearthe pottery. Which potter parks cars in an urban garage anyway? The neighbours would lean over the back fence to find twelvegas cylinders in a row feeding the kiln. They always received pots for Christmas so that they wouldn’t complain about the“bombs” in the back yard!

6 Why did you move to Hogsback?

I was tired of the constraints of city potting and needed a change from the rather insular life of a city potter. I fired three to fourhundred gas firings in urban areas and longed to try wood firing as being the ultimate firing experience. Hogsback is in the mid-dle of commercial forests and fuel would be no problem. It was also on a tourist route and I now sell most of the pots I makeright here in Hogsback.

7 What clay do you use ?

It took me some years to find the right clay for high temperature work and suitable for wood firing. I finally settled down to ablend of Grahamstown clays with a high percentage of coarse and fine grog added as well as three percent potassium feldspar.

8 Can you tell us how a normal day in your pottery studio proceeds.

As busy as I am with building our property ,Starways infrastructure, seeing to animals, fixing things etc. etc. etc, I try andthrow between twenty and fifty kilos of clay every day except when glazing decorating and stacking the wood burning kiln. This

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usually happens in prime time between ten and one o’ clock. The afternoon, after a brisk nap, is usually taken up with turn-ing, handling, stacking bisque firing. In hot weather I throw in the cool of the evening so that pots are ready for further treat-ment in the morning.

9 Can you remember the most beautiful pot you have seen was?

What a difficult question! I still have vision of a very large and rare large pot of Esias Bosch who I briefly spent time with in1979. The owners had placed this pot in the middle of a room all on its own. It was a large porcelain pot, waist high, and adelicious, delicate glaze. The shoulders had some sculptural tactile features as well as very free brush decoration.. The col-ours were delicate and muted.

10 What is the best pot you have ever made, do you still have it or at least a photograph of it?

The best pot I have ever made, must always be the current favourite recently sold to a mad pottery enthusiast who is cur-rently setting up a pottery in the Karoo somewhere to retire to. It has all the features I currently enjoy and its decorative ele-ments have come together well in the firing. It also shows ample evidence of the fire.

11 What is the best advice you have been given as a potter?

I was handed the plans of my wood firing kiln at Grahamstown Festival 1998 during the run ofan exhibition of pots and paintings I had mounted. Jen Rabinowitz handed me the plans andsaid “Hyme says you must build this kiln.” I had already started to build a version of the FredOhlson fast fire kiln. I tore that one down and set about building the kiln Hyme had recom-mended. It was the Ohlson kiln modified and built by Joe Finch at a potters conference in Ab-erystwyth Wales 1987. This kiln is forty cubic foot (1.5 cubic meters) has had ninety twofirings here at Starways. Literally tons of finished pots all sold, from the studio here inHogsback.

12 Who or what inspires you to go into the studio every day?

The next firing. The sense of anticipation is unlike any other art form or medium. It gives awonderful impetus that launches each day. I have a pile of warped and cracked, over fired and

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exploded pots littering the path to the studio all withluscious glazes, admonishments and promises ofthings to come from the next firing.

13 What advice would you give a 20 year oldstarting out?

At my recent exhibition in East London many ceramicstudents came to the week long daily demos I held. Irealize that it is quite intimidating but also inspiring,for a young person to see an experienced person atwork. How do you become “well known”? I wasasked… My response: You keep working for longenough so that the work becomes “red hot” in its flu-ency and flow, long enough to develop a following andlong enough to be completely addicted to doing it.

14 Would you do anything differently in yourpottery life?

I would change very little. But there are plans afoot! Asalt or soda kiln to build, more sculpture, the long fire,white heat sustained for days instead of hours, largerpots…an overhead rail to deliver the pots to the kilns.To find the pot every South African has an emotionalresponse to.

15 Anything you would like to add?

The timeless quality of ceramics is so attractive to themakers and collectors of pots and ceramic objects. Myparting comment to a happy buyer goes as follows:“All pots come with a thousand year guarantee -unless you drop them of course”

Don’t forget to

book soonest for

our weekend at

Starways!

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This is a curated exhibition of 65 works selected by Emma Taggart, Delphine Niez andveteran Sedgefield potter Lesley-Anne Hoets, who also had her own blue-brick Raku firedwork on display. Ranging from free-form ceramic sculpture to traditional decoratedearthenware, the one thing which struck me about this year’s annual exhibition of ceram-ics by Eastern Cape ceramists was the dichotomy between those who control every facetof their medium and those who experiment and allow “creative accident” to inform theirvessels’ shapes and textures. In the hands of experienced potters like Delphine Niez andDonvé Branch, the ‘accident’ factor becomes a tool for experimentation and the expansionof their oeuvre. Both artists relish and capitalize on the alchemy of what happens whensurface accidents occur during the firing process. Modern ceramics have moved a long way from their originally utilitarian function and theBauhaus dictum that “form follows function”. Most of the pieces on show are designed notto be used, and therefore exist in the realm of studio art. This means that the aestheticsof good design apply and especially the aesthetics of the three dimensional “space enve-lope” which each piece occupies. In ceramics, if the dialogue between shape, texture anddecorative surface is off balance – and it’s a subtle but damning flaw - you get mediocrity.

Donve Branch

Nicole Kingston Mellaney Ruiters Vale v d Merwe

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Here, with some of the less experiencedpotters, the way “accident” is handledmanifests as vessels which hover on thecusp of being traditional shapes, but flirtwith what their makers regard as ‘contem-porary’ shapes. These – and there arequite a few - end up by teetering on thefine line between being a “failed” pot andbeing a pot which makes it to another lev-el.Works which stood out for their innovationand imaginative flair were Lee Hensberg’swhite vessel decorated with baroque detailreminiscent of Austrian painter GustavKlimt, and Nicci Stewart’s reprise of hersignature large bowl shape which is deco-rated with her whimsical and charmingmotifs. Lydia Holmes won this year’sAward for Excellence with her two blueporcelain vessels which bears out my hy-

pothesis about those who do and those whodon’t grasp the marriage between form,texture and the space envelope. DonvéBranch and Delphine Niez were jointlyawarded the People’s Choice Award. Niez,last year’s award winner, showed technical-ly sophisticated and fragile white porcelainvessels in which foliage and organic materi-al is burnt out of the clay body leavingevocative traces of their original presence.

Lisa Walker

Billie MacNaughton,

Nicci Stewart

Bianca Whitehead Heather Frankel

Lesley-AnnHoets

Lee Hensberg Anton v d Merwe Delphine Niez

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Charmaine Haines Miranda Qomoyi

Richard Pullen Billie MacNaughton

Brenda Davis Owen Tarr

Michelle Luyt

Contact Gallery on Leviseur in Bloemfontein directly on ADMIN@GALLERYONLEVISEUR.CO.ZAshould you wish to take part in this ceramic competition early in the new year.

TAKE NOTE

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The exhibition opened on Wednesday 24th July 2013 in Kimberley, and it is a really beautiful show - one of our best. Quiteemotional, of course, but not a sad occasion. Mike Hart, Juliet’s husband, came up from Maritzburg with his son Tom, andChristopher Duigan came from Maritzburg to play a wonderful concert. Wiebke von Bismark and Michelle Rall represented thepotters and Julia Meintjes came down from Johannesburg to help me select the work for the travelling part of the exhibition, asuperb selection of work that I cant wait to show around the country.

Professor Ian Calder made a considered, sensitive and very interesting opening speech. He would rather have opened the ex-hibition under less sad circumstances, but he was clear that the Ceramic Studios at the CVA are under threat of closure at anytime. This in spite of the large numbers of Masters students currently enrolled - they are FULL, and in spite of the popularity ofthe course, its efficacy and the fact that it is the last remaining academic institution teaching ceramics. This is a totally unac-ceptable situation, adding in my view to the shameful lack of logic or sense in education in our beautiful country. He was cer-

tain that the Legacy exhibition represents one of the last remaining hopes of drawingattention to what has been an effective and excellent institution. I am determined to carrythis forward as best I can.

This travelling exhibition will be in Port Elizabeth running fromMarch until May 2014. David and Sarah Walters will be presenting aworkshop here in Port Elizabeth at the time of the opening. The ex-hibition will open on the fifth of March, so keep this date in mind.

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Although many ceramists are aware of the issues relating to hazardous materials in their environment, here are a few pointsto remember about ergonomics and how tasks are undertaken in the studio:

People differ in height, weight, physical strength and ability to carry out tasks.We work in an environment where our tasks are very different as each person might work with a different clay, a differentprocess or a different size object.

Our skeletons , muscles tendons and ligaments hold it all together and are controlled by the nervous system. Any tasks per-formed incorrectly will result in some pain manifesting in the muscles, tendons and ligaments, as they try to protect the skele-ton from injury. However we sit, move or stand will have a short as well as a long term effect on our bodies.

Therefore, posture, force, duration, recovery time, heavy dynamics and velocity will all have an influence on our bodies.Often heat stress, poor lighting and noise can severely affect individuals.

It is important to set out your studio in such a way as to minimize the risk factors in picking up heavy objects, twisting yourbody while working, bending and stretching.

Manual work is at the core of ceramic work. We lift clay bags and kiln shelves without thinking, we sit at the wheel for hourswithout stretching, we make repetitive movements when hand building. These movements all have an effect on our bodies.When lifting, attempt to hold the object close to your body and keep your legs apart and slightly bent. Use your legs to lift andnot your arms and back.

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Store equipment between your knee and shoulder height and use a ladder if higherobjects need to be reached. Put a dolly under heavy studio equipment which needmoving from time to time.

Make sure your seat is the same height as your banding wheel. Brace your elbows onyour thighs to form a triangle when throwing and use your body weight to throw, notjust your arms and shoulders.

Make sure your workbench is the correct height for you. Adjust your chair so thatyour elbows are at right angles to or slightly higher than the workbench. Use a foot-rest so that your knees are bent at right angles to your seat. Use a lumbar support ifneed be. Your work surface for standing should be different for sitting, or adjust yourchair accordingly.

Try to have things within easy reach. A little stretch is good, but be aware of twistingtoo much when stretching. Vary your tasks so that your body can assume a differentposition. A good idea is to set a stove type alarm for 40 minutes to remind you torelax and move a bit.

Remember, your body is like a machine – it needs some love and care and willbreak down if not looked after!

Madelein Maddon has a kilnand wheel for sale. Pleasecontact her at(maddon@intekom.co.za).

Michelle Scheepers has a kilnfor sale. It is a single phasekiln. R7000. Please contacther on 0733009934

There is a wheel going begging at the University.Madeleine Murray brought her wheel in. It is old,but if you are interested please contact Billie Mac-Naughton on 0845812023 for more information.

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Wedge, roll, drop and rotate, turn over, drop and rotate, pat and rotate………… Controlled rhythmic manipulation of lus-cious red clay and the base of a vessel is born!Lesley Ann Hoets – hand builder of sensuous Raku fired vessels demonstrated her building techniques at the NMMU Ceram-ic department on the eleventh of October, to a group of 15 members.

As the wind buffeted the building outside calm reigned around Lesley Ann as she firmly but gently shaped the clay withevenly spaced pinches, all of the same pressure. This is a potter in complete control of her medium. She knows her mate-rial well and knows too just what she can expect from it – all resulting in vessels you want to put your arms around andhug!

Lesley Ann constantly related the human body to the work process and form of the piece – everyone needs toes and feet tobalance on and then the body - belly and shoulders for the correct form. The body must be balanced on the toes to createa beautiful shape.

Her toolbox contained many found objects – a piece of driftwood picked up on Hout Bay beach is her paddle, her Granny’sdarning mushroom is used on the inside of the vessels, a pointed shell makes textured impressions………………….

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As the piece grew, new coils were rolled between her hands (NOT on the table) and added after light scoring and dampening.Lesley Ann works on a small, low banding- wheel and while the rim was trimmed her elbow was firmly anchored in her side tokeep her fetling knife absolutely steady. She kept the inside smooth and tidy at all times with various ribs and the darningmushroom.

Once the coil was joined, the pinching process would begin again.A firm piece of plastic stretched between her fingers is used to smooth and compress the rim. The vessels are sometimes giv-en a coating of slip before burnishing and the transparent soda glazes she uses are coloured with oxides. All her work is Rakufired followed by a heavy sawdust reduction.Lesley Ann recommends reading “Pioneer Pottery” by Michael Cardew and Paulus Behrenson’s book on pinch pots.

This was a workshop well worth attending – seeing a potter of this calibre working is truly inspirational and the valuable littletips and hints that flow between presenter and attendees is a bonus on top.Thanks Lesley Ann for a super day.

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Cape Pottery Suppliessponsors of two regional exhibition awards

Kiln Contracts Building, 11 Celie Road, Retreatinfo@capepotterysupplies.co.za

021 7011320

BELMONTcERAMICS

We supply:

Quality earthenware and stoneware clays

Exciting coloured clays

Wide range of glazes

Pottery tools and equipment

Contact us :

Danie 0719063313

Belmont@cermalab.co.za

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Lisa Walker Teaching StudioI will be giving classes on Tuesday and Wednesday eve-nings, 6-9 p.m.My classes begin on 11 February and a monthly fee will becharged.For further information contact Lisa Walker,cell:0825169220 or e-mail at deanlisa@mweb.co.za

Eloise Mogg (East London)See advert on page 19

Nahoon, East London, Cell:082 756 5734 Tel:043 735 0909Email: moggspottery@bluebottle.com

Commencing on 15 January 2014. Contact Eloise for moreinformation.

Nicci Stewart - Teaching StudioMy classes will begin 1st Feb 2014 . I teach every 2nd week

of month from my studio at 150 Fordyce Road, Walmer.Classes on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings from 6 to8pm. Each lesson costs R135. Tel: 0415811380 or

nicci@niccistewart.com

John Steele (East London) StudioOpen ceramics studio on Monday Evenings or TuesdayMornings - come play with clay !

@ CLAYSTATION,14 Princess Drive, Bonza Bay, East London, John Steele 0847005864 or Oudol Silberblatt 0835577132.

Promote yourself!!!!!Get your details onto the Ceramics Southern AfricaWebsite - its free!

Please supply the following details for addition to the NationalWebsite at www.ceramicssa.org1. Contact detailsName:Phone Number:Cell number:E mail address:Website:Region:2. A bio of between 150 and 160 words. Not sure what to write?To get an idea of what is required, have a look at the websiteand see what others have done.3. A portrait in black and white 151 pixels w x 151 pixels h(portrait orientation) at 72 dpi .4. An image of your work in colour 258 pixels w x 343 pixels h(portrait orientation) at 72 dpi.Please note 3. & 4. If the images supplied are not sized asrequired, I will resize them but they may have to be croppedwhen resizing, which will be at my discretion.

Send it all to John Shirley at johnshir@gmail.com and cc toceramicssa@icon.co.za your profilewill be published on theceramist’s page on our site www.ceramicssa.org

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one hundred plates exhibition…coming next year!Bianca Whitehead, Head of the Ceramic Design Department atthe Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University will be hosting the100 Plates exhibition next year.

She has endeavoured to hand out and receive back 100 plates,decorated with black under glaze in which ever style the ce-ramist chooses.

At our first social evening of 2013 (long long ago!) These plateswere handed out and they have been slowly trickling in for fir-ing.

The funds from the sale of plates will go towards helping needystudents within the ceramic department, a good cause in deedand something we should all support, considering that the Uni-versity sponsors many of our own projects. This is a very good“pay it forward” project.

Have you done your charitable bit yet? If not, contact Biancaat Bianca.Whitehead@nmmu.ac.za to collect your plate and getdecorating. This is a worth while cause to support, but nothingwill happen if we do not all assist!

You may do more than one if you wish!

in the shelves - at ART GalleryAre you interested in showing your individual en-deavour? You have a wonderful opportunity toexhibit all on your own “in the shelves” at ART Gal-lery. Anthony has offered this opportunity to allmembers of CSA - Eastern Cape.

You will have one or two of the tall shelving unitsall to your self while the walls are being used forother exhibitions. So, take some time to work onsome related pieces and take the plunge to exhibiton your own. The normal 30% commission willbe charged. You stand to have your work on dis-play at the openings of other exhibitions and toshowcase your individual talent.

Please contact Anthony Har-ris at ART to negotiate a time

frame.

0723795933 * anthony@anthonyharris.co.za

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We are saying goodbye to Bren-

da for a while - hope you will be

back. Brenda is going to work in

England on and off and she will

not be available for election tothe committee next year.Good Luck!

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When glaze firing porcelain, pots fire much better if they are placed on a thin layer of silica sand.Mix the sand with wax resist and brush it on the bottom of the pots.... this keeps the sand under the pots andnot falling into pots on shelves below...

Large bowls of similar size and proportion may be stacked inside one another for bisque firing. Fill each bowlwith vermiculite to support the next bowl. Vermiculite may be used repeatedly.....

If your bisque tiles are warping in the kiln, try standing them up on end, instead of placing them flat on thekiln shelves. Place them in the centre of the kiln, not close to the elements....

Fire Pots in saggars with used tea bags as a reducing agent. They are already packaged and easy to keep re-duction consistent and controllable....

Sulfur released in bisque firing an electric kiln can be controlled by placing a small cup of whiting in the firingchamber. It can be used several times....

lydia holmes - chair0835649430lydia@rgholmes.co.za

donve branch - v. chair0833262842donve1@telkomsa.net

As Delphine will be returning to France next year, she has resigned as secretary. Pleaseuse our own email: ceramics.easterncape@gmail.com for any correspondence.

margie higgs - treasurer0837279454margie.higgs@pcadvice.co.za

lisa walker0825169220deanlisa@mweb.co.za

Brenda Davis will no longer be available to serve on the committee

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