Ceramics & Pottery by
David Schlapobersky and Felicity Potter
Contact us: Click here
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Ceramics & Pottery by David Schlapobersky and Felicity Potter
Contact us: Click here
|
|
|
About Us - Continued from the previous page ...
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OUR LIFE IN SWELLENDAM
Our
move to Swellendam in 1996 was a natural extension of our life together.
The search for a quiet country town close to the mountains and the sea
but not too far from a big centre had been going on for many years.
The environment in which we now live is reflected in our new work which
has benefited from technical innovations - such as the move from a gas to an
oil-fired kiln allowing us to introduce subtle and exciting effects – and
which has benefited from our new life-style. Our life together has always involved the care of James, Felicity’s oldest son who was injured in a motor accident as a child. He has grown into an endearing and attractive person and his dependence on us has dictated a way of life which we have been able to combine with the work of a studio pottery at home. Here in Swellendam we have a developing garden of flowers and vegetables in which we grow much of our own produce and we have enough land for a small flock of sheep. The rhythm of James’ needs, of the making and firing of pots, of feeding the sheep and watering the plants, are part of a life cycle whose integrity is reflected in our work.
Swellendam
is located at the foot of a dramatic mountain range, the Langeberg, (long
mountains) that bring abundant rain to the region.
The excellent climate and lush vegetation made the region home to the
earliest human inhabitants of the continent - the San and Khoi peoples - and
later to European settlers who constructed the third oldest of South Africa’s
magisterial districts. It remains a
wonderful pastoral setting for people, plants and animals. The house and property, “Bukkenburg”, located in the heart of the old part of the town, was built more than 150 years ago in the Cape Victorian style. Our renovations and developments are intended to create an environment in which family, friends and visitors find themselves welcome. Our pursuit as fulltime Studio Potters has been so rich and rewarding, and we have so much to be thankful for. We have had the distinct advantage to be able to work at home while at the same time being able to care for James, and find ourselves through our work to be connected to so many and so much, through such an essential and timeless tradition. ******************************************************************************************** SHE OPENS HER MOUTH WITH WISDOM AND A LESSON OF KINDNESS IS UPON HER TONGUE Proverbs 31:26 In honour of Bonnie Lipton, President of Hadassa 1999 to 2003 (From our visit to Hadassa Hospital, Jerusalem, 25 May 2008 to see The Jerusalem Windows by Marc Chagall) ********************************************************************************************
"The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind" William James |
