Hundreds of requests came through for our high quality handmade dinnerware & ceramic coffee mugs - and the following image is an examples of what is to come!Hot Foot It to www.handmadetiles.co.za and grab it at a 25% discount!Our new hand cast porcelain based coffee mugs will be fresh, exciting and playful and you can be sure that each person in the family will take ownership of one of these cups!The idea is to paint One Of A Kind Mugs and even customize it for our clients kitchens!Enjoy!What else can we do for you?Southern Art Ceramic Design can create & produce:

• Exclusive Promotional Coffee Mugs
• Personalized Coffee Mugs
• Special Mugs as Gifts
• Printed and/or Transfer of unique logos and/or messages/phrases/words, etc.

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We have just received this image, not the best, but good enough to give you an idea of the final installation.

View the lay-outs here.

Hi Gerrit and Gillian,

Thank you for the wonderful Halcyon Days tile panel that you made for our new kitchen at Malgas and especially for having them ready within the time frame that you advised. We love them and will definitely send you before/after photographs of the tile installation above the gas hob once it is complete. The installation of the kitchen cupboards will commence early October, so the installation of the tiles should be complete by mid to end October.

Enjoy the upcoming long weekend.

Kind regards,

Hi Gerrit and Gillian,

Thanks very much for pushing this through, with as they say, “A Dash of Speed”

Once you let us know that the tiles are ready, we will collect them, if it suits you on a Saturday morning on our way to the Breede River.

The builder phoned me to say that the tiles that have already been installed above the gas hob really looked fantastic - so well done Team Mytile!

Kind Regards,

Guy and Jay

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We often have surplus handmade and hand painted tiles available that an individual or decorator can use to revamp a neglected area.

This kitchen is a great example of what can be achieved with our handmade Delft tiles.

The client attempted to use the Delft tiles as inserts with cheaper CTM tiles, but once he has received and viewed our quality tiles, realized that he need to use tiles from our studio exclusively!

“Hi Gerrit,

Gerhard Basson”

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Hele’ Oosthuizen specialize in the realistic rendering of Fynbos, Proteas, Birds and lately Cheetahs in a Bush veld scene.

Her career started at Southern Art Ceramic Design when she decided to halt her final year of a music degree at Stellenbosch University in favour of ceramic art.

The themes range from immaculately realistic fynbos and floral studies to the ultra realistic portrayal of bird species. Her work is unique in the South African art sphere as she utilizes the most fickle of mediums – the ceramic process!

Here is some of her smaller format work that sold recently.

 Her ceramic work is bold and intense, some extroverted and flamboyant but always sensitive and peaceful.The preferred media that she works in is on a clay canvass using complex ceramic processes. Her inspiration for the special technique she uses in painting comes from being an avid bird watcher and living in Hermanus, surrounded by a World Heritage Site with one of the most spectacular diversity of the Fynbos biome.

Her development has not been defined by any formal field of artistic education, this provided her with the freedom to develop and nurture her natural skill to her own accord, resulting in a definitive, unique style and her ability to portray her subject matter in a style seldom seen in ceramics today.She continues on her journey of artistic exploration, and her work continues to increase in quality, stature and scale.

 Her reputation as an artist capable of combining simplistic beauty, grace and flair in a style that has completely become her own has been recognized by collectors the world over.

The ceramic art murals and framed art, with a hearty splash of colour, will harmonize your daily life and offer a comforting embrace.

Similar artworks can purchased from our e-commerce website www.arttilegallery.com, or you are welcome to commission small to large scale murals from her.

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We received this very special commission from Gert Gertzen Interiors for a prestigious new residential home on a farm near Stellenbosch.

“Hi Gerrit,

                We will be needing 16 sq meter plus waste ? of tiles all of the fade look  …..like 2-the farm yard    ,  1 delft style       ,    2delft style   all with the grey back ground   must have an old look about them.

                Can you give me a idea of price before we going any further…..as my  client loves your product.”

The final choice was the 1 in 3 image, with not one image repeating. Hundreds of farm animals, figures, birds, flowers, etc. were researched and hand painted in minute detail.

This new residential home is designed and build within the true Cape Dutch Vernicular but the request was for a Delft-style hand painted tile that was soft and not in your face. The artist received cartblanche with the decorative work and they proceeded at full throttle to paint hundreds of different images.

The animals, mostly related to farm-life, includes pigs, dogs, horses, sheep, cows, etc. and birds like roosters, chickens, ducks, peacocks, etc.

The figures were based on children playing, adults at work and play, hunters, horse riders, etc.

This property is newly redeveloped near Lanzerac in Stellenbosch, and a close resemblance of activities and farm life will be experienced when the  viewer engage with these unique tiles.

The pre-fired tile looks quite different from the final product. Special clay bodies and glazes need to be used to achieve this high quality tile and unique finish. Originally Delft was based on low-fired Majolica glazes, but we seldom use low-fire techniques due to the high quality expected from professional teams.

Some of the tiles at the studio before sorting and dispatch. This order for 1700 tiles necessitated the production of 4200 tiles to ensure a successful delivery within the deadline received for this project.

“Ten einde laaste is die mure geteel en lyk baie goed………”

We are still waiting for the images of the final installations and I dearly hope to receive the approval to display it publicly on our websites.

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Any commission is welcome and often very important. This commission for a  plaque based on the K of Klaucke and the waves of the original plaque was excepted just before Christmas - actually early December. I was hesitant due to December having a history of processes not delivering the required results - things going awry - and now an opportunity to impress a serious art collector - stress and yes…..you can guess!

The above tile, the second and last of two, has cracked. Right at the beginning when I conceptualized the making of the tile with the client, the idea was to make three horizontal tiles with the top edge just above the waves. But, it is Christmas time, I am overly confident and because of a recent success decided to opt for a single tile …. why … why?

The end result is that I must remake the tile, two again, just in case….!

At least the colour coordination has been developed, a process that took a multitude of tests and firings over a period of four weeks. The glazes being used here are extremely volatile, but so beautiful and so perfect for the position where it will be installed.

The house was designed by Andrew Greeff Architects, a spectacular modular house with a man-made stream flowing through it, and it is above an overflow to a Koi pool that this tile must be installed.

The final firing will be with 22 carat gold lustre that will be fired onto the waves, just to add that last traces of opulence and aristocracy!

The intuitive responses to the clay is what provide me with the passion to create “artworks” like these, it is so much fun but at the same time extremely stressful when the artist works against deadlines that looms like a dark storm gathering on the horizon!

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Colour, it is personal, it is what you make with it, it is just …. so much more …. it is fun, happiness …. it is you … but it is also a shared emotive response …. !

Look a the following personalized example - matched a gloss transparent glaze to perfection with the colour on the paint swatch cards from Plascon/Dulux.

The colours are not from any one pure pigment but is mostly based on a monochromatic base glaze with the addition of a specific coloring agent.

The R&D left me with several options, I could have opted for a glossy transparent look, or a glossy solid dimension to the colour presentation of the tile. Even a matte option can produce very favorable results - it all just depend on the brief!

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The following image was e-mailed to the the prestigious Malibu Softs Interior Team, who subsequently commissioned us to produce flat handmade tiles with graphic designs interpreted by Danela Conti. The brief from the client was clear -  simulate the ambiance of this kitchen. Another contract from Malibu - Read more ….

Gillian, our head designer, formulated the presentation and the colours. To achieve the soft tonal effect a variety of blue colours were applied by hand. Tones of a single colour were achieved by the use of a soft brush and the  delicate hand painting of the geometric designs.

We hope to receive permission to publish the final installation pictures, and will update this post then.

The floor to ceiling concept with graphic patterns, in specific colour fields or even with a variety of bright colours is becoming a firm favorite with clients wishing to create an awesome focal point within their interior spaces.

Southern Art Ceramic Design will be focusing on the development of new concept tiles that could perfectly blend in with even the sleekest of ultra modern designs - the designers will pay special attention to fine handcrafted details and technological interceptions, that can aid a small specialized studio in the production of special individualized concepts.

The Tiles above are based on geometric designs, inspired by the image for this project. It could easily be interpreted as North African or Moroccan, and will be a magnificent addition to any pool, fountain or seaside lodge. The bottom row is a design, from a series of ours some 15 years back, a classic and still an eye-catcher!

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I was not fortunate enough to visit the Oyster Box Hotel, but a friend was, and she forwarded some images of the entrance panel that was commissioned from our studio.Due to the picture being taken at lunch time the colours are washed out, but at least one can get an idea.Read more… about the professional team behind this project.

To all our followers -  Hot Foot It to The Oyster Box Hotel for early morning champagne and a few photos for us here in the Cape!

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The potential of floor to ceiling tiles, decorative or plain, to create a focal point with imposing charm and character has been recognized by many top designers. Handmade products adds that one factor, the ultimate personalisation - the option where you can opt in to have top craftsmen create a product with your imput for that  unique element that will make your home truly personal and not just four walls filled with choices from an impersonal catalogue!

“This looks fantastic, just what we are looking for.
Yes I did, I think they are beautiful. I have a meeting with Sarah Watermeyer the designer who is helping me with my kitchen probably next Tuesday. Will let you know colours etc after that.

Much appreciated
Jenny”

We provided several samples and the preferred colour tones were the pale olive green colours and not the brighter and purer greens.

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