Framed Ocean Tiles and Whale's Tail, 2026

Description

Ceramics Western Cape 2026 Exhibiton: New Signature 1st Merit Award SOLD Handbuilt, and slab rolled stoneware fired in an electric kiln to 1200degC. Surface decoration etched with coblat oxide, underglaze, clear glaze and gold lustre. This framed collection of nine small ceramic tiles and accompanying Whale's Tail sculpture celebrates the beauty and wonder of the ocean through intricate, ocean-inspired imagery. Each tile is a small treasure, inviting close observation while collectively expressing a deep appreciation for the sea and the need to protect it - the Whale's Tail a joyful wave to say "Remember me" and acknowledging the connection between whales and humans. The work is also deeply personal. My fascination with ceramic blues began in childhood, collecting fragments of Delft pottery in my neighbourhood Homestead Park, where my forefathers once farmed and where the Oranjezicht City Farm now stands. I also have fond memories of my grandmother's cabinet filled with Old Cape Dutch porcelain, whose blue-and-white patterns inspired a lifelong love of ceramics. These pieces are a nostalgic tribute to those early influences and to our cultural heritage. At the same time, they serve as a reminder that, like the precious fragments we preserve from the past, our oceans are treasures that deserve our care and protection for the future.