Ocean Myths New Rialheim Collection

 

What inspired this new collection?

A quiet moment of reflection while I was walking along the beach as the tide rolled in.

Each footprint in the sand echoed with memory.
Each breath carried the hope of a year still unwritten — filled with adventure, uncertainty, and the comfort of the familiar.
The ocean, with its steady rhythm, became a kind of safety net for the unknown.

The eye drifts toward the horizon — unchanged for generations — where thousands of footsteps, each with its own tale, have come and gone.
And in that stillness, the mind begins to wander:

What lives in the world just beyond what we can see?
What secrets lie beneath the surface of the sand?
What ancient stories do the waves carry?

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The Ocean Myths Collection is a tribute to a sacred place next to the ocean reminiscent of my childhood holidays where love and laughter flow without bounds, a place where meals become memories, where imperfect moments are beautiful in their flaws, and where friendships are shaped by stories, salty air, cookies, sunlight and long afternoon naps. Fond memories I wanted to alchemize and make more tangible.

These new Ocean Myths pieces personally take me back to a place where the gentle guidance of a grandmother’s touch is first experienced, where the laughter at a silly joke of an uncle echoes through the house, a place where mischief is encouraged by the silent, knowing smile of an aunt.

A place where moments weave themselves into the fabric of a tribe shaped by the past,
offering a deep sense of belonging for the future generation
where the power of place becomes the silent host,
and the people within it, the storytellers and sculptors of memory.

 

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And so began the journey — a creative exploration of the unseen, the magical, the mythical.
A dive into folktales, textures, colours, and the creatures that live deep in the ocean’s mystery — and our own imagination off course.

This is the beginning of Ocean Myths,
seen through the lens of our imaginary world —
a place where memory, mystery, and material come together in clay, textiles and scents.

Which piece is your favourite, and why?

Ocean Myths is a collection that has lived with us for over seven months — a journey of imagining, shaping, and refining. Each piece took time to develop, and in many ways, choosing a favourite feels like being asked to choose a favourite child.

Creating a coherent collection demands countless hours of research, observing form, studying the natural world, and falling in love with each object before it ever takes shape in clay. That intimacy with the process makes every piece feel personal.

Two works stand out for me: the Green Sea Turtle, Jonathan and the Octopus, Touchy Feely — each capturing the imagination in different ways with their own unique personality, and each evoking its own emotional response.

The Octopus, in particular, took us on an unexpected journey. Recent research reveals just how deeply intelligent and emotionally complex these creatures are. There’s a strange and beautiful humanity in them, one that’s hard to ignore once you've engaged with their story. They provoke questions, wonder, and often fascination — one friend even joked, "They must be aliens."

And by saying this, I’m not betraying any of the other characters. Each piece holds a piece of our story — the process, the play, the purpose. But the Octopus... the Octopus starts conversations. And I think that’s part of what art should do.

 

What’s one detail people might not notice?

What many may not immediately realise is just how much intensive handwork goes into each piece in this collection. The level of detail — from the sculpting to the surface finishing — means that no two pieces are exactly alike. It’s an incredible labour of love that adds both time and soul to every item, turning each one into a true piece of functional art.

Over the past few years, I’ve been quietly obsessed with crystal glazes — mesmerised by their unpredictability, their magic. And I’m proud to say that, for the first time, we’re presenting a full collection that celebrates this obsession. Every crystal glaze in Ocean Myths is applied by hand, allowing for natural variations and spontaneous patterns that can’t be replicated.

This isn’t just surface decoration — it’s a layer of alchemy that brings each piece to life. The result? Objects with true individuality, rich in character, complexity, and quiet wonder.

 

What was the most fun part of making it?

One of the most exciting parts of creating a new collection is witnessing the transformation from idea to object — and realizing, time and again, that how a piece is initially imagined is almost always worlds apart from how it finally turns out.

Over the years, the greatest lesson I’ve learned is to trust the clay — to let it speak, to let it shift, to let it surprise me. There’s a kind of magic that happens when you stop forcing form and instead allow the material to shape its own story.

That’s also the most joyful and playful part of the process — especially here at Clairvaux in Robertson, where the rhythm of the farm and the studio create space for experimentation. There’s something deeply satisfying in seeing a product come to life in a way you never quite expected — when the clay becomes more than medium… it becomes co-creator.

That’s the magic of functional art. That’s the fun.

What makes this collection different from the last?

This is the first collection truly baked by the sun.

Created entirely under the South African sun at Clairvaux, this body of work reflects our shift to solar-powered production and a deeper commitment to natural rhythm, process, and energy. Every piece in Ocean Myths carries not just our signature clay and imagination, but also the quiet power of the sun itself — as muse, kiln, and collaborator.

This isn’t just a collection.
It’s a solar-born story — forged in light, shaped by hand, and made to endure.

If this collection had a personality, what would it be?

The Imaginative Dreamer is someone for whom the art on the wall comes alive before they close their eyes — dancing at the edge of sleep, then slipping seamlessly into a dream world where imagination never dies.

What’s one secret about this creation process?

Patience

What feeling do you hope someone gets when they hold it?

I hope they feel hope.

During the research and development of Ocean Myths, I couldn’t shake a single, haunting question:

What are we doing to the ocean?

As custodians of this planet, what legacy are we leaving behind for those who come after us?

This collection is filled with beauty — but beneath that beauty is a quiet, urgent message.
Every creature we sculpted, every form we studied, reflects a world that’s both fragile and vast, and utterly dependent on our choices.

 The ocean is so much bigger than us, and yet so deeply affected by us.

Creating this collection changed me — so much so that I haven’t been able to eat anything from the ocean since. That’s how deeply it moved me. And if just holding one of these pieces can spark a pause, a question, or a sense of reverence in someone else, then I know the collection has done its work.

I hope that when someone holds it, they feel a connection — not just to the object, but to the myth, the creature, the responsibility, and the hope it carries.

How does it feel to see your work leave the farm?

Every piece that leaves Clairvaux carries more than clay and glaze — it carries the spirit of the land, the hands that shaped it, and the stories that inspired it.

For me, it’s never just about the product. It’s a testament to everyone who works here, to their dedication, skill, and quiet belief in true African craftsmanship. Each item is infused with the rhythm of the farm, the laughter in the studio, the problem-solving, the patience, the pride.

Watching that work leave the farm is emotional — not because it's going, but because it's going somewhere. It's headed into homes, into spaces where it will become part of someone else’s story. That, for me, is the most sacred part of what we do as artisans:
We create not just to keep, but to share.

And every time a piece leaves, it reminds me why we began.
Because art born of place and people has the power to travel far — and still carry home with it.

What should collectors be most excited for?

Collectors should be most excited about the alchemy of uniqueness that defines Ocean Myths.

This is the first time we’ve embraced crystal glazes as a central design language — each one applied by hand, then transformed in the kiln through a process shaped by fire, chance, and time. No two pieces are ever the same. Each becomes a living artefact, echoing the unpredictability and mystery of the ocean.

But what truly brings this collection to life are its four central characters:

• The Octopus, intelligent and otherworldly, inviting curiosity and conversation.
  
  

• The Green Sea Turtle, patient and enduring, a symbol of legacy and protection.
  
  

• The Whale, majestic and timeless, carrying ancient wisdom through the deep.
  
  

• The Sea Horse, delicate and surreal, reminding us of the ocean’s quiet magic.
  
  
  

Each one is inspired by real creatures and ancient myths — a blend of science, story, and imagination, shaped in clay.

And what makes Ocean Myths unlike anything we’ve done before?

Formed from African clay.
Fired by the African sun.
Shaped by African hands.
Made for the world.

This collection carries the spirit of our land, the soul of our studio, and a message of reverence for the oceans we too often overlook. Whether you’re drawn to the storytelling, the textures, or the rare, hand-applied crystal glazes — Ocean Myths is a celebration of what happens when craftsmanship meets curiosity.