About Me
HI, I’M KATE
Tucked away at the end of a gravel road and overlooking a little mountain, is both my home and my studio space. Surrounded by nothing but the natural landscape, my everyday environment is the place from where I draw most of my artistic inspiration.
That, and of course the multitude of amazing international designers and artists out there!
As a maker and designer, my intention is to promote handmade South African design, which appeals to both a national and international market.
As a means of expression, my main concern is the use of colour. In my role as a ceramicist, I work mostly in porcelain and stoneware. A large part of my porcelain ceramics work is focused on colouring the clay by using oxides and ceramic stains. By using coloured clay, a decorative surface is produced during the fabrication of the piece, the clay itself employed as the sole means of decoration. The decoration and the piece becomes one whole, and further intervention is therefore not necessary.
Although I usually start out with an inspired colour palette in mind, I quickly veer off the path and enjoy the unpredictability of seeing what different tones come out when I add more clay (or more colour) to the mix. I prefer to make decisions during the making, leaving a door open for things to happen and to allow a certain improvisational flow into the work, all while navigating the possibilities and restrictions of the material, identifying a successful palette and staying very much in the present.
In my more recent dabbling into the world of jewellery, I am enjoying the playfulness of creating new shapes and designs, and the addition of metallic lustres add a little bit of glamour to some of the pieces. Bling is the thing! The strength of porcelain, which gives it the ability to be crafted to its thinnest capacity, assists in giving the pieces their exquisite delicacy, thus positioning the unique colourful earrings firmly on the boundary between functionality and art.
My latest venture into textile design has brought me so much joy. I love the freedom of creating with no boundaries. Exploring different mark-making techniques using a variety of tools and concocting colour pallets that speak to me, has been the most fun, allowing me to create my statement bags..
