Janaline starts her ART journey
janaline's world journey

Janaline starts her ART journey!

My signature lady in a bowl!
My bowls waiting to be bisked in the kiln
Cant wait to see how they turn out!

I have been addicted to travelling, seeing the world and doing art as long as I can remember. I grew up in a small place called Mposa, near Richards bay, in South-Africa. I grew up surrounded by art as my mother did ceramics, organized art exhibitions and encourage us to paint and draw. I did ceramics with my mom throughout my school days and loved every moment of it. My favourite subject at school was art and I devoured every book about art that I could lay my hands on. I developed a love for oil painting and before I left for University I had already sold 2 paintings.

I fell in love with art at a very early age but was torn between my love for art and my desire to travel and see the world.

This is one of the kilns we use for our ceramics
This is where the magic happens
Our bowls need to dry out before we can fire them in the kiln

After University I decided to travel while I am young and unattached, before I focus on my art again. I travelled and worked my way around the world for more than a decade before returning to South-Africa, and have had some amazing experiences along the way. When you live in a country you get to experience it from a different view than that of the ordinary tourist, I think it’s the people of the country and the little crazy everyday things that keep it interesting. These travels have changed me and my view of the world.

Painting my bowls!!
Spending the weekend painting and watching movies with my Aunt, Karen Kieviet

I loved travelling and exploring all these foreign countries and cultures but have reached a point where I want to focus a bit on my art and not have to move around for the next couple of years.  I found it quite difficult to find time and space to be creative while travelling. Actually, I think that taking photos and blogging about my travels was my artistic outlet while travelling.

My painted bowls have come out of the kiln. Now to glaze them and hope for the best!!
Glazing the bowls take a while….

I have made the big move back to South Africa where I now teach English online and have a lot of time to focus on my art! I have family in the Western Cape area of South-Africa and decided to buy a little place of my own in Cape Town. While looking for a place of my own I stayed with my aunt, Karen Kieviet, on their small wine farm in Stellenbosch. Karen has her own ceramic studio and it is here that I again uncovered my love for ceramics and working with clay. I had forgotten how much fun it is to create something with your hands from scratch and seeing how it takes form. The end product is either surprisingly beautiful or not what you had in mind but with a beauty of its own.

My morning breakfast spot at Aan de Vliet farm
View from the studio!
Aan de Vliet studio!!

Once I started it was all I wanted to do again. I couldn’t think of anything else but pottery, painting and art! So I bought a two bedroom flat in Parklands, 8 min drive from Blouberg strand, and converted the one bedroom into a studio for myself.

Before they are glazed!!
After for my face bowl and vase!
After!! My house vase!!

I now teach English 4 days a week and in between and the rest of the time I either do ceramics or paint something. Every Friday I drive through from Cape Town to Stellenbosch where I spend the weekend working with Karen Kieviet in her studio on Aan de Vliet farm. At first it was only for fun until Karen suggested that I should start selling my bowls.

My face bowl!
Big bird bowl
One of my home in bowls
Little dude soap bowl
One of my girl soap bowls

Travelling to so many countries and experiencing all these different cultures has changed the way I do art and I am sure you can see the colourful influence of the world in my art now.

The thought of actually making money with my art has always been a very distant dream and I always thought it was something that might happen in the far off future. I didn’t really think that my bowls were that good yet and wanted to wait a bit until I felt they looked a bit better. But my aunt convinced me to take a chance and see if they sell.

One of my cousins girls holding one of my bowls
Just to show the size of my small bowls

Karen Kieviet has been selling her art in a couple of different art galleries for years now and with her help I got my ceramic bowls into two galleries. It was and is a dream come true!! I am actually making some money with my art!

I have been doing ceramics with Karen Kieviet for a bit over a year now and working from my own little studio the past 6 months, and I love every moment of it.

Home in a bowl!!
One of my big angel bowls
One of my face vases

36 comments

  7. Love this Janaline, and I love art in general. Your art pieces are gorgeous and unique. And how lucky to be able create a work space in your home. All the best with artistic endeavor. Enjoy!

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