“I am ceramic artist with my roots deep in South Africa. I am inspired by South African landscapes, colors, texture and human condition. I am a textile designer, printmaker, painter, jeweler and potter.”
Helen lebt heute in der Karoo, der Trockensavanne im Herzen Südafrikas. Eine sehr karge Landschaft mit spärlich bewachsenen Hügeln und Steinbergen, bekannt für seine sehr begehrten, intensiv duftenden Wildkräuter.
Die durch ihre Rastalocken bekannten Mohairziegen werden hier in extensiver Viehzucht aufgezogen, mehr geht landwirtschaftlich nicht. Die Windräder, mit denen die Wasserpumpen betrieben worden, wurden in vielen Arbeiten von Helen verewigt. Die Farben der Landschaft und die markanten Kontraste in rot oder blau, oftmals hervorgerufen durch die wenigen Häuser, die wie Fremdkörper in Landschaft eingedrungen sind, finden in ihren Arbeiten ihren Niederschlag genauso wie die raue, steinige Landschaft sich in den Sgrafittis erkennen lässt.
Cape Town based artist Helen originally trained as a textile designer, so pattern, rhythm, texture and its relationship with color is embodied in her work. Sgraffito or scratched and etched mark is Helen’s signature which forms a red thread running through her craft.
After she completed her B. Tech in surface design at the Cape University of Technology in 1988, she spent the subsequent eleven years in the formal commercial sector of fashion and homeware design. In 1999 she undertook a short course in ceramics. Essentially a self-taught artist, she now moves seamlessly between clay work, painting and printmaking. Her ceramics have earned her a loyal following and are housed in numerous international collections.
Ceramics are either handbuilt or manipulated slipcast earthenware. Tall candleholders which hold a t-lite form the backbone of her studio. Sculptural vessels, bowls, platters are an integral part of an ever experimenting and innovating range which supplies an international market. Her color palette of red, aloe green, bronze patina, and pewter which plays with the unglazed whites of raw clay has an appeal which resonates with the most contemporary settings while still retaining an earthy handcrafted aesthetic.