Local Pottery Studio: Clay Hands

INTERVIEWED BY Michaela Stehr IMAGES Nicole Katie Suttle

We chat to Natasha Viljoen, founder of Cape Town pottery studio Clay Hands, about her new space, inspirations and working with clay.

Tell us about the history of Clay Hands.

I grew up thinking it was normal to have a pottery studio in your home, and maybe because I thought this was so normal it never even crossed my mind that it would be a path I’d follow as a career. Sometimes the best things are right there in front of you.

My grandmother, Valerie Claassens, was a potter and teacher in Pretoria. And then my mother, Lissa Claassens, became a studio potter in her 20s and also a pottery teacher in her home studio, Earth Play Studio. I was one of her first students at the age of four. So I grew up in and around pottery studios.

I’m trained as a graphic designer and worked freelance before the whole Clay Hands thing emerged, kind of by accident. Odon (my partner) and I started going to weekly classes at my mom’s studio in Hout Bay in 2014. Soon friends became interested in the craft too and wanted to join but my mom’s evening classes were full. So we opened a “chill” class for friends at her studio. It was a lot of fun and two years down the line I have stopped doing graphic design professionally and opened the Clay Hands studio in April 2018, where I now happily spend my time and teach four times a week.

How did you get into clay?

I’m still getting into clay. It’s a life-long journey. There is so much to explore and experiment with clay. From the harvesting of one’s own clay and playing alchemist mixing glazes to different types of firing (gas, wood, electric or alternative firings) and exploring shapes, forms, textures and colours. I honestly think I could spend my life “getting into clay” and still not be bored. But I think it was the return to those evening pottery classes in my early 20s that got me hooked. The time in the classes felt like a meditation, a time truly for me, and a place to really be creative (instead of moving pixels around a screen).

Who do you look to locally for inspiration?

Locally, my inspiration very much comes from my day-to-day living and people I cross paths with, from students to friends. My mom is obviously a huge source of inspiration. She makes incredible sculptural pieces. I admire the technical skills and knowledge that goes into her work.

Ckho Mququ and Unathi Peter are two very talented up-and-coming ceramic artists working from the incubation ecosystem of Macassar Pottery. I learn a lot from seeing their processes unfold on a weekly basis when I go there to give classes.

Alila Hofmeyr, who was in those first pottery classes as a child with me, is now also a potter and a huge inspiration. It’s great to have a friend to bounce ideas with and share the journey of becoming.

Tell us about your new studio.

The decision to move into 196 Victoria came quite suddenly while I was attending an astrology class run by Orietta, the owner/visionary of the building, so we only had a month to get everything sorted and set up. It was a lot, but really amazing to work in a team with my family. 196 Victoria is a holistic healing and creative centre in Woodstock. I’m so lucky to have found a spot that is central and easy to access with public transport and yet tucked away in the sanctuary of a leafy courtyard. I feel like I’m living in a fairytale in this fantastic building. You can’t miss it: it’s bright yellow on the main road, and yet most people don’t see it.  I share the studio space with @alexkatamarang, who makes beautiful custom bags.

Give us some insight into your studio’s decor style?

Although we’re in the business of making “things” (although mindfully) I very much believe there are already too many “things” in the world, so I try source anything I need for the studio from second-hand shops, through upcycling, repurposing or by making it myself. The beautiful shelves in the studio were made and designed by my dad from old solar panel crates and palettes (he’s a renewable energy engineer). We built all the shelves out of those and they look super!

What pottery styles / techniques do you see being used most frequently?

About a year ago there was a big trend towards white homeware, which I’m really glad we’ve moved beyond. People are being more experimental and playful at the moment. There’s a lot of carving textures, whimsical patterns and layered glazes going on. I love that more and more people are wanting to dedicate time to experiment with various surface design techniques and also building techniques, like learning to throw on the wheel or mastering a skill like coiling.

Tell us about your classes and workshops.

At the moment I facilitate weekly classes on a Monday, Wednesday and Thursday evening from 7pm until 9:30pm and the terms run more-or-less with school term times on cycles of about 10 weeks.

With these, it’s been an honour to see the growth in the participants, which comes with their commitment to weekly practice, as well as the connections that form through the space. Clay is something that really requires us to slow down and practice patience. It teaches us to embrace mistakes and find acceptance.

For commitment phobes (jokes!) and people who just want to come try out some claying, I offer one-off Saturday morning or Tuesday evening workshops every month. And every first Tuesday of the month Yanna Romano (Emerge) and I offer  “Listening In” – a movement meditation and mindful clay event with live music and minimal words.

Interested in joining a class? Visit the Clay Hands website for more information or follow the studio on Facebook.