Born in South Africa, Cynthia now lives in Auckland New Zealand .
She started pottery in 1979 with a very well known potter in South Africa, Digby Hoets. Her passion was making large pots which eventually sold through Helen de Leeuw in Hyde Park, Johannesburg. When Cynthia came to New Zealand, she found the human form to be the closest connection to our planet, Mother Earth.  She uses Mother Earth to express her  feelings regarding Nature in all its energy, form and colours

Artist Statement

Working with clay is a passion. Adding form, texture and colour is exciting and each piece becomes unique when applying the Raku process. Combining reduction & oxidising firing and cooling, enhances the unique finish that has come to be known as “Raku”. It has its roots in the ancient Japanese art. Only a select few potters today still practice this form, because of its “unpredictability” in outcome. In today’s world of mass production, this is a distinct disadvantage, but for those artists on the road of self expression is an asset.

Each piece is individually built by hand using white Raku clay or paper clay. The creative process starts right from the beginning, lending form, shape, and texture while I draw inspiration from my experiences, surroundings and the energy of New Zealand. The completed clay pieces take on their own personality, which is then set by bisque-firing (firing without glaze) up to 1050 Deg C in an electric kiln to transform the clay to a hard and strong ceramic. The second stage of the process is the application of Raku glazes to the bisque. With knowledge and experience I can see in my “mind's eye” what the final result of the glaze will be, because the Raku process is something that can only be learned fully from experience. The raw glaze looks nothing like its final outcome, and this is especially true for the Raku process.

Each piece exhibited here is unique, created by myself - it's New Zealand made - enhancing and adding to the aesthetics of any surroundings, living area or working environment - be it in the home, or at the company headquarters. Without art, the ethos of a company is less vibrant and interesting to employees and visitors alike, and the living area of ones home is just a bit more dull and boring to all who call their house their home.

The Raku Process

The Raku process entails heating the bisque quickly up to around 960 Deg C in a gas kiln and then removing it from the kiln while red-hot and placing it into a container with certain (secret) combustible materials. This “smokes” the bisque and at the same time removes oxygen from the container, thereby “reducing” the cooling environment. The results are often surprising, and no two bisque pieces, even though identical before the Raku process, ever turn out quite the same. This is therefore a pure art form, where the potter lends a hand, the materials give substance and the reducing environment creates lustre and colours according to the energy and the mood of the day.

Click here to view Cynthia's work