Annabelle Venter

Artist Statement:

Hi! I’m Annabelle, born and educated in Cape Town, and a Namibian resident for 30 years now. My first pottery lessons were with Anton van der Merwe back in 1984, then with Helene Elliot in 1987, before I moved to Namibia.

I set up my own studio in Omaruru in 1998 and am mostly self-taught with the help of P.A.N workshops and books (before the internet).

The magnificent bird life in our riverside garden in Omaruru inspired me to start putting the wildlife that surrounded me, onto my pots. The first bird pots emerged in 2005 and since then I have expanded this theme and scope to include our beautiful wildlife and indigenous plants. For the last 13 years my work has consisted of primarily wheel-thrown functional pieces in Walford China White clay, glaze firing to 1200 degrees Celsius.

I adore the beauty of the natural world and some aspect of it is always present in my work. I try to realistically capture the ‘jizz” and the nature of the bird or animal I’m portraying. For example carmine bee-eaters always occur in large flocks, never alone and are a riot of moving, noisy colour! Recently I have been exploring unglazed sculptural pieces, and am slowly moving more in the direction of non-functional wildlife ceramics.

I’m also a passionate wildlife photographer and love to spend my free time wandering around the wild spaces of southern Africa with my husband, trying to capture the spirit of animals and places rather than just another ‘big cat’ shot.

I devote my working day to ceramics and photography roughly 70/30 and do bespoke commissions for select outlets in Namibia and Cape Town, as well as private clients.


I invite you to view my work here:
IG: @annabelleventer_wild
FB: https://www.facebook.com/Annabelle-Venter-Wildlife-Ceramics-Photography-302747013255490/