There is a saying "you may leave Africa but Africa never leaves you". I am living proof of that. The sounds and rhythms of Africa run through my veins and live in my soul and African heart.
The smell of dust, sudden heavy rain down pours followed immediately by huge clear blue skies is in my matrix. That special African light and open spaces of Zimbabwe are what make me who I am.
There is an acceptance/realization I am a small cog in the working of the universe.
ART AWARENESS, how it all began.
I was working shift work at The Rhodesian Broadcasting Corporation as a program operator with free time to start dabbling in art. Zimbabwe has a tradition and is famous for soap stone carvings. I started painting, carving in soap stone and creating sculptures working with cement fondu. Loved it.
In the 1960s I had my first painting exhibition in Salisbury, now Harare. To my surprise it went well.
MARRIAGE AND CHILDREN and the winds of change
In 1976, the year of the long hot summer, we landed in England, at Heathrow. I had never seen so many people and houses in my life and everything so close together. Culture shock!
We settled in Kent, the boys started school and I joined the sculpture class at the local Adult Education Centre. Progressing, I also joining the pottery class. My pottery teacher one day remarked " you should be doing this professionally..." a Seed was shown.
SAD TIMES, I got divorced and had to face a new beginning. life can sometimes throw you a curved ball.
The world is strange place, you never know what is around the corner. You have to be open and embrace your path, your life journey.
Looking back I am so grateful for what England offered me. Time, opportunity and a place to find out what I wanted to do with my life.
In 1979 I applied and was lucky to be offered a place on the foundation course at Ravensbourne College of Art and Design. From there the universe guided me to Camberwell College of Arts. Under the understanding guidance of Ian Auld (who had worked in Nigeria), wonderful tutors like Coin Pearson, Ewan Henderson, Gillian Lowdnes, Janice Tchelencko and many others I flourished and graduated with a BA distinction in ceramics.
The universe wasn't done with me yet. I was offered a bursary to study at The Royal College of Art. The hoyden from the isolated farm in Zimbabwe had landed! I was the last of the three year course at RCA. They were my marmite years. Eduardo Polotzi thought I was unteachable. Difficult, but rewarding years.
What now. "I am I said" clutching my degrees. I applied and got a job as receptionist/typist at kings College Hospital in the liver transplant unit. Life and death on a daily basis, awareness of the fragility of life. A far cry from my art dreams but very interesting.
Then out of the blue I was offered 11 weeks a year teaching 3D at Camberwell, on a foundation course for foreign students. Happy days!! I continued to teach there for 13 years.
At the same time I started teaching people with learning difficulties and main stream pottery classes for Southwark Adult Education. Part time work gave me freedom to explore my own work and I did. Taking part in many exhibitions and selling through galleries.
My main source of income were the solo exhibition I arranged in Aldeburgh, Suffolk, The Orangery in Holland Park, Kensington and an annual exhibition in my garden in East Dulwich until I left London. Golden joyful years.
Our move to Gloucestershire in 2009 was unsettling and brought many adjustments and changes. I continued my solo exhibitions at the local Gallery in Stroud until 2019.
During lock down in 2020 I had time to reflect and reevaluate my life, how I would like to spend the rest of my life.
After 35 years of making ceramics sculptures and exhibitions, it is the right time to bring that chapter of my life to a close. It is not a sad story; I have thoroughly enjoyed my artistic journey and met wonderful people along the way. I will be part of the Select Art Trail, exhibiting at my Courtyard Art Room at St Roses Old Convent in Stroud.
This brings me to this, my selling website. A swan song, to sell the remainder of my creations. It may encourage people to add to the collections they have or new customers may want to own and enjoy one of my pieces.
What the future brings, who knows, one day at a time. Yesterday is history, today is a gift and tomorrow is a mystery. My African heart is still open and beating to the rhythm of the drum of life and full of joy ....
I hope you have found my story interesting. Remember anything is possible, you just have to believe and work hard ....
The smell of dust, sudden heavy rain down pours followed immediately by huge clear blue skies is in my matrix. That special African light and open spaces of Zimbabwe are what make me who I am.
There is an acceptance/realization I am a small cog in the working of the universe.
ART AWARENESS, how it all began.
I was working shift work at The Rhodesian Broadcasting Corporation as a program operator with free time to start dabbling in art. Zimbabwe has a tradition and is famous for soap stone carvings. I started painting, carving in soap stone and creating sculptures working with cement fondu. Loved it.
In the 1960s I had my first painting exhibition in Salisbury, now Harare. To my surprise it went well.
MARRIAGE AND CHILDREN and the winds of change
In 1976, the year of the long hot summer, we landed in England, at Heathrow. I had never seen so many people and houses in my life and everything so close together. Culture shock!
We settled in Kent, the boys started school and I joined the sculpture class at the local Adult Education Centre. Progressing, I also joining the pottery class. My pottery teacher one day remarked " you should be doing this professionally..." a Seed was shown.
SAD TIMES, I got divorced and had to face a new beginning. life can sometimes throw you a curved ball.
The world is strange place, you never know what is around the corner. You have to be open and embrace your path, your life journey.
Looking back I am so grateful for what England offered me. Time, opportunity and a place to find out what I wanted to do with my life.
In 1979 I applied and was lucky to be offered a place on the foundation course at Ravensbourne College of Art and Design. From there the universe guided me to Camberwell College of Arts. Under the understanding guidance of Ian Auld (who had worked in Nigeria), wonderful tutors like Coin Pearson, Ewan Henderson, Gillian Lowdnes, Janice Tchelencko and many others I flourished and graduated with a BA distinction in ceramics.
The universe wasn't done with me yet. I was offered a bursary to study at The Royal College of Art. The hoyden from the isolated farm in Zimbabwe had landed! I was the last of the three year course at RCA. They were my marmite years. Eduardo Polotzi thought I was unteachable. Difficult, but rewarding years.
What now. "I am I said" clutching my degrees. I applied and got a job as receptionist/typist at kings College Hospital in the liver transplant unit. Life and death on a daily basis, awareness of the fragility of life. A far cry from my art dreams but very interesting.
Then out of the blue I was offered 11 weeks a year teaching 3D at Camberwell, on a foundation course for foreign students. Happy days!! I continued to teach there for 13 years.
At the same time I started teaching people with learning difficulties and main stream pottery classes for Southwark Adult Education. Part time work gave me freedom to explore my own work and I did. Taking part in many exhibitions and selling through galleries.
My main source of income were the solo exhibition I arranged in Aldeburgh, Suffolk, The Orangery in Holland Park, Kensington and an annual exhibition in my garden in East Dulwich until I left London. Golden joyful years.
Our move to Gloucestershire in 2009 was unsettling and brought many adjustments and changes. I continued my solo exhibitions at the local Gallery in Stroud until 2019.
During lock down in 2020 I had time to reflect and reevaluate my life, how I would like to spend the rest of my life.
After 35 years of making ceramics sculptures and exhibitions, it is the right time to bring that chapter of my life to a close. It is not a sad story; I have thoroughly enjoyed my artistic journey and met wonderful people along the way. I will be part of the Select Art Trail, exhibiting at my Courtyard Art Room at St Roses Old Convent in Stroud.
This brings me to this, my selling website. A swan song, to sell the remainder of my creations. It may encourage people to add to the collections they have or new customers may want to own and enjoy one of my pieces.
What the future brings, who knows, one day at a time. Yesterday is history, today is a gift and tomorrow is a mystery. My African heart is still open and beating to the rhythm of the drum of life and full of joy ....
I hope you have found my story interesting. Remember anything is possible, you just have to believe and work hard ....