Art makes life worthwhile, it gives hope, it heals and it has a way of bringing people together in a beautiful way.
Marika du Plessis is a self taught Ceramic artist who lives in the picturesque county of Northamptonshire, England. She grew up with a fascination for dried and fresh flowers, birds and toadstools in the beautifully diverse country of South Africa. Her stoneware ceramic pieces are impressed with delicate lace that was handed down from her florist mum and with Fine Bush foliage native to South Africa, amongst other plant materials.
She has a deep passion for creating pieces with an organic feel about them such as chunky coil built vessels and whimsical bird sculptures. Her work is mysteriously filled with symbolism and aims to bring a message of pure joy and encouragement. Each toadstool and bird has its own quirky characteristics and is intricately constructed, hand painted with multi layers of oxides, underglazes and glazes.
Her ceramic birds holds a very special place in her heart. Her entire aim is to bless her collectors with her characterful bird sculptures. Each one is deeply precious to her and she gets to know every inch whilst sculpting the parts. Most hours in her studio are spent adding details, delicate mark-making and textures into the precious birds. Each one is hand painted with a carefully considered colour palette. Marika often contrasts glossy glaze with matte applications. Each bird is further embellished with a beaded necklace symbolising togetherness with loved ones.
Being an art teacher for many years has imbedded a love for teaching and seeing students gain confidence in their creative ability fills her heart. Marika is now a full time Artist with a passion to teach ceramic classes to adults and children of all abilities. Her workshops are not only sessions where skills are learned but the aim is to create an atmosphere of peace, calm and relaxation for her students.
This whimsical theme is also carried over into her paintings that consist of oil paint on linen canvas. Through her colourful paintings she hopes to evoke deep emotions of happiness and peace to the viewer. She loves to capture the details of toadstools, magical birds and flowers in her paintings.
