Tag: women who create

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Interviews & Conversations Projects Women I've Shot

Women Who Create
This is Tiffany Marx

Women Who Create is an ongoing portraiture project all shot in B&W in my studio in Woodstock, Cape Town. I love to connect with other creatives and see what motivates them and find out what is behind there work.

I’ve known Tiffany for well over two decades and started jewellery design alongside her when we were at school. Tiffany went on to become a full time pro-jeweller. I’d describe her as a passionate, hardworking force to be reckoned with and a loyal and beautiful friend. Tiffany produces her unique handmade range of jewellery and bespoke, custom made orders from her airy, industrial studio in Salt River, Woodstock.

After graduating from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology she launched her own highly successful range of “Inspired Jewellery” at the 2007 Design Indaba.
Now, several years later she runs her own shop in The Watershed at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town.Over the years Tiffany’s ranges have evolved yet also remained consistent in their integrity and her personal style which is bold, clean and contemporary. I’ve included many examples of her work and you can find more here on Instagram.
 


A Q&A with Tiffany Marx:

What is your all time favorite quote?
I have far too many to just choose one, here are some of my favourites:

“Where there is love, there is life” – Gandhi

“What keeps life fascinating is the constant creativity of the soul” – Deepak Chopra
“The future belongs to those who believe in the power of their dreams” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“The earth has music for those who listen” – Shakespeare
“Watch carefully, the magic that occurs when you give a person just enough comfort to be themselves” – Atticus
Do you have pet peeves?
People who litter and those who don’t respect another’s time.
Your worst trait?
I can be a terrible procrastinator!
What is/are your greatest extravagance/s?
The usually VERY rare weekday lie in with my kitties all snuggled up purring in bed with me (this has been a more frequent occurrence during lockdown and I am loving it) and my ever-growing Gin collection.
Your greatest fear?
Losing the use of my hands and eyes…
What defines your idea of happiness?

The fact that I wake up excited and get to do what I love every single day.

When and where are/where you happiest?
I have two. The first is in my studio – in the early morning or late afternoon evening when the light is at its most magical and I can sit and work and soak up the views of the mountain. The second would be in our beautiful home – snuggled up with Jack and my two amazing kitties.
What is your most treasured possession?
The amazing art pieces that I am lucky enough to have inherited from my late grandfather and Artist, Hannes Harrs
What does your (physical) creative space look like?
Amazing natural light, pops of yellow, green trailing plants, industrial glass windows with a panoramic view of Lions Head and Table Mountain, and the most beautiful polished, textured concrete and resin floors.
What do you get huge satisfaction out of doing apart from your primary creative outlet?
I adore cooking and find massive satisfaction in working with clay – any creative pursuits that I can get stuck into and really experience the process of.
When creating what is your biggest frustration?
Not having big enough chunks of time to just sit at the bench and lose myself in my work.
When you’re in your ultimate creative space what word would you use to describe the experience?
Transcendent
You can find Tiffanys Instagram feed here,- its gorgeous.
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Interviews & Conversations Projects

Women Who Create
This is Sanell Aggenbach

Women Who Create is an ongoing portraiture project all shot in B&W in my studio in Woodstock, Cape Town. I love to connect with other creatives, see what motivates them and find out what is behind their work.

Apart from creating this portrait with Sanell I’ve had the honour of documenting and working with her on project she’s busy on at the moment. Working with Sanell is divine. I’d describe her as having an open heart, being blissfully talented and rocking to her own beat (in her studio with the music turned up).

Sanell Aggenbach is a South African artist living and working in Woodstock, Cape Town. Using painting, printmaking, and sculpture, her work addresses the relationship between history and private narratives, with a sense of ambiguity. Her work also explores the processes of nostalgia and historical myth-making, often incorporating the playful, disarming, and absurd to draw the viewer into discussions of darker subjects. She has a unique style of combining traditional painting techniques with sculptural elements, as well as typically feminine crafts such as sewing and tapestry. (-Wikipedia).

“My earlier works relied heavily on processing found imagery, rethinking associations and creating new fictions. These works were often an amalgamation of historic references with private narratives and forms part of a process of investigating pathologies and deconstructing the past. My primary intention is to construct subtle paradoxes by introducing a quiet humour, either formally or materially.”

Her explorative work has secured her many achievements including winning the Absa L’Atelier Award in 2003. Her work is represented in numerous public and private collections, including Sasol, Absa, Spier, SABC, Red Bull (Austria), the South African National Gallery, 21C Museum in Kentucky (USA) and Anglo Gold.

Find Sanell’s website here.

A Q&A with Sanell…

Why do you create?

It’s my most optimum method of communicating ideas, emotions and concepts.

What is your all time favorite quote?

JUST DO IT! The Nike slogan… because I’m a procrastinator and tend to overthink…

Do you have pet peeves?

Charlatans, frauds, fakes, those who manipulate or take advantage of well meaning or less fortunate individuals.

What is/are your greatest extravagance/s?

Books.

What defines your idea of happiness?

Swimming with my family – we are all water rats.

A person dead or living who you admire and why?

Louise Bourgeois – she was an influential artist who only came into prominence very late in her life. Her unyielding persistence, her courage to challenge and address her immense childhood trauma in her work and her poetic use of materials, from drawing to monumental installations are haunting and humbling. 

On what occasion do you lie?

To spare my children’s feelings.

What is your most treasured possession?

A letter from my late brother, the only one he ever wrote to me.

What do you do to help put you into your optimal creative space?

I need solitude, knowing that everyone is fed and looked after… then I turn up the volume and tune in.

What does your (physical) creative space look like?

It is an old mechanic’s workshop which we renovated with large metal windows overlooking a small green courtyard. An abundance of natural light and plants.

When creating what is your biggest frustration?

My process is slow and time-consuming, with endless layering –  therefore I sometimes struggle to finish works. So instead of yielding to the process I can get frustrated due to the timeline. Having said that, I need deadlines for all my painting and sculptural projects.

Name a few quirks that others may not know about you?

I’m stubborn, persistent and I hate baking.

When you’re in your ultimate creative space what word would you use to describe the experience?

Timeless.

Categories
Interviews & Conversations Projects Women I've Shot

Women Who Create
This is Alexia Klompje

Women Who Create is an ongoing portraiture project all shot in B&W in my studio in Woodstock, Cape Town. I love to connect with other creatives and see what motivates them and find out what is behind there work.


Alexia Klompje is a South African ceramicist who I first met before her clay-days when she was in fashion styling.

I’d describe Alexia as a ceramicist, an artist, a healer & a storyteller.

She creates ceramic pieces and hosts workshops that both tell her story, share her learnings, make connections & aim to inspire others. And this is her story…

It all started in 2012 when I was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Upon removal I was left unable to move the right side of my body.

I could barely leave my apartment, the recovery was slow, I was depressed & felt lost. As a creative person I desperately needed something to do with my hands whilst I healed. I had been working as a stylist for many years and loved my job. Unsure of what that creative thing was, I had a dream one night and in it i was told I needed to start working with clay. And so the journey began!

Playing with clay allowed me to express myself, tell my story and heal. Through clay I truly met myself, explored my creativity & discovered my soul path. And Klomp Ceramics was born.

I now create pieces and collections of work that express both my minimalistic design aesthetic, and my personal story, experiences & connection to self and spirit. The pieces I create are organic, imbued with emotion and a meaningful message. I hope to inspire others through this story whilst creating beautiful handmade contemporary ceramic pieces.

To date I’ve launched many collections & ranges under my brand, have worked on numerous collaborations, exhibited and been featured in various publications and online media both locally and abroad.

Currently I am moving into a more personal space, changing the way I make and my clay offerings as I evolve, grow & shift as a conscious human being.

My story and experiences now also inspire me to hold workshops where I guide and facilitate true reconnection and healing with the creative self through clay work.

I currently work & sell from my studio & shop at 114 Upper Mill Street, Vredehoek, Cape Town.

Finish this sentence: I create because…?

It’s who I am.

What is your motto?

“Do what you love. Love what you do.” I saw it on a bumper sticker and it was the catalyst for a massive life transformation!

Do you have pet peeves?

Yes, Inauthenticity is my worst.

When and where are/where you happiest?

With my daughter, at home, out in nature, meditating, practicing yoga, playing with clay, eating delicious food, connecting to others meaningfully.

What is your most treasured possession?

A black & white sketch my husband drew when he was a child of Paris which ended up being made into an official YSL campaign poster.

What do you do to help put you into your optimal creative space?

I connect with the Source, the Divine, my Higher Self.

What does your (physical) creative space look like?

White, light, real, neat but dusty & inspiring.

Name a few quirks that others may not know about you?

I can burp on queue. I have weird long middle toes like ET fingers.

When you’re in your ultimate creative space what word would you use to describe the experience?

Heavenly.

I’m bursting with excitement to launch my new works. Although I feel I need to start calling them my new plays because since making this shift in what I’m making it just doesn’t feel like work anymore. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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At this time of uncertainty one thing I’m certain of; there is a place in this world for meaningful art, creations, connections and joy. More so than ever. And this is what these new works of mine represent.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀


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I started them at the beginning of this year when I started my own personal transformation & spiritual awakening. Months before Covid-19 directly affected my life I intuitively knew that my life and how I moved through it needed to dramatically change. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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And so my extremely challenging but beautiful journey within began. And these magical pieces were born. To share with you. At this most important time.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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The new chapter to my story.⠀

Categories
Interviews & Conversations Projects Women I've Shot

Women Who Create
This is Barbara Wildenboer

Women Who Create is an ongoing portraiture project all shot in B&W in my studio in Woodstock, Cape Town. I love to connect with other creatives and see what motivates them and find out what is behind their work.

Barbara Wildenboer’s work mostly consists of collage, photo- and paper-construction and digitally animated photographic sculpture. She uses a combination of analogue and digital processes to create work which explores phenomena such as temporality, fractal geometry and the interconnectedness of all living things.

Wildenboer exposes the connections between a myriad of life forms – from the microscopic to the immense. Her main focus is on environmental aesthetics. She sees this as something that not only encompasses natural territories, but as also extending to human interaction with the natural realm.

There is a playful aspect of creating references within other references in the paper sculptures and collages. Using media images and information selected from various sources, Wildenboer constructs an alternate reality.

The three dimensional paper works reflect on how humankind is affected by globalisation, economic upheavals, scarcity, political corruption, wars, epidemics and natural disasters.

The collages are a musing on modern human life and the fragility of the symbiotic relationship between man and the ecology. A nebulous relationship that is jeopardised by consumerism, wastefulness and a sense of disconnection with the natural world.

Why do you create?
I find artmaking to be a very effective medicine to counteract a particular poison. It offers me an efficient way to connect with myself and stay sane.
Favourite quote:
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. ” — Aristotle.
What is/are your greatest extravagance/s?
Chocolate. Daily. Plants. They currently bring me much joy. I want to live in a jungle.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Actually. Haha. Both of those actually.
When and where are/where you happiest?
Lying on the warm rocks after an icy sea swim with a certain sea lion.
What is your most treasured possession?
A two-headed African fetish that I got somewhere on the equator while traveling overland 20 years ago.
What does your (physical) creative space look like?
I create wherever I am. This has included my bed, a garden, a waiting room, a queue, a car, a beach, a plane (before the blade got confiscated), and sometimes my studio in Woodstock. I always have a pair of scissors and a scalpel in my handbag.
When creating what is your biggest frustration
Some works feel resolved quite soon but then I choose to continue to work on them until I feel it’s time to stop. But this is not always the case. When I’m interrupted and I have to stop working on something while it still seems unresolved I feel uneasy until I’m able to get back to it. This also applies to life in general I guess.
When you’re in your ultimate creative space what word would you use to describe the process?
Chance / stream-of-consciousness
Name a quirk that others may not know about you?
I make dolphin noises when I’m in a good mood.