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Ardmore Ceramics are internationally renowned for producing great collectors pieces. Make your way to the picturesque Caversham Valley in the heart of the KwaZulu Natal Midlands to visit the remarkable Ardmore Ceramics Gallery.
Ardmore Ceramic Art is a story about the Zulu people whose sense of rhythm, color, dance and song, as well as the spirit of the African imagination, is exerting its influence on the other continents of the world. Word of Ardmore has spread far and wide and those who believe they have the talent arrive at the Ardmore studios either in the foothills of the Drakensberg or the rolling hills of Caversham in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. Many have little knowledge of sculpture and painting and mostly no experience of ceramic art, they learn quickly and within a short time develop their own particular styles of sculpting and painting.
Their patience and extraordinary ability to pay attention to detail gives rise to artwork of tremendous charm and beauty. The creative talent of the artists, their learned skills and their desire to succeed, have resulted in their earning a special status amongst their friends and families and becoming known as the `Isigiwili’, which describes their abundant good fortune.
The traditional Zulu method of firing clay pots is to use cow dung and wood kilns. At Ardmore the artists have been introduced to electric kiln firing, ceramic paints and glazes as well as the technical skills needed to utilize modern ceramic equipment and materials.
The integration of traditional cultural skills with the advantages of western technology has led to the development of a unique art form which has earned Ardmore’s ceramics the description by Christie’s of London as `modern collectables’.
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The Natal Museum is full of interesting things, from Elephants to Birds to Zulu Pottery and San Rock Art.
With 8 Natural History and as many as 10 Cultural History galleries, a visit to the Natal Museum is a great way to spend a day!
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