Fée Halsted flew to Miami this week for the opening of Pascoe and Company's Ardmore Ceramics Exhibition hosted by the Ocean Reef Art League. The exhibition has received a great response with tremendous enthusiasm for Ardmore and its artists. The new Pascoe and Company Gallery offers the largest selection of Ardmore in the United States.
Ardmore Ceramics is an extraordinary South African success story. From humble beginnings on a farm in KwaZulu-Natal, it has grown since 1985 into a vibrant studio employing around 50 sculptors and painters. Ardmore is the brainchild of artist Fée Halsted, who has created artists from the rural community. She has trained local people to earn a living, throwing, modeling or painting ceramics, and encouraged them to evolve their own personal style. Ardmore ceramics have been embraced by the international art world and have been exhibited in London, Paris, Dubai, Harare, New York and Miami’s Art Basel as well as in South Africa.
The Ardmore artists have become renowned for their exuberant use of color and their distinctive modeling of flora and fauna. Leopards, zebras, giraffes, hyenas and monkeys burst with life from the luxuriant foliage to form quirky vases and bowls. The artists have also focused on different styles of figurative sculpture including African travelers riding on exotic animals and story-telling figures inspired by Zulu culture. Over the years Ardmore has collaborated with partners across the world to transform their unique designs into remarkable objects, from limited edition furniture pieces to homeware and personal accessories. Recently Ardmore designs have appeared on stylish handbags and furnishing fabrics, and one of their pieces was also recently chosen for a collection of South African postage stamps celebrating indigenous ceramic art. The sale of these wonderful pieces of ceramic art uplifts and supports the Ardmore community and their families.
Website: www.ardmoreceramics.co.za
