In the Garden Studio
Cara lives in a rambling old farmhouse in the town of Somerset West in Cape Town, South Africa. Surrounded by old Oaks in a wild garden teeming with birds and dogs she creates her wares from her garden studio.
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Cara holds a Masters Degree in Fine Art from the University of Cape Town where she lectured in theory and practice of art for over 10 years, during this time she also curated and co-curated exhibitions at South African Natural History Museum, the South African National gallery and various UCT galleries. Her background in Printmaking, love of art history and French Heugenot ancestry informs much of her practice.
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In retrospect pottery has always marked places and times for me. My grandmother’s transferware jug was one of my most treasured items in our home, so too, the old Dutch handleless teacups in the farm kitchen. My first trip to London, now more than 20 years ago is marked by a treasured, carefully wrapped creamware jug; my gap year in Zimbabwe, with a handbuilt pit fired earthenware pot paint with enamel paint… the list goes on…. Its a long list.
When I left behind the world of academics and moved to the countryside I soon started gardening ferociously. I think the digging, sometimes in some seriously clay soil brought me back to the feeling of making in clay. As I was digging away I also found pottery shards of Victorian transferware and little clay birds- which was rather odd.
The discovery of the clay birds were later clarified through a conversation with a neighbour- the previous owner had also been a potter. The garden grew and I needed vases for the flowers from my garden. I couldn’t find what I imagined. Things just fell into place.