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Antoinette Badenhorst has been a potter since 1981 and says the longer she is in this field, the more she learns. "It
is an ongoing process of exploration."
Born in South Africa, Antoinette grew up in Namibia, the former South West Africa. She studied in Potchefstroom, South
Africa. She is married and has three daughters. While in Africa she promoted ceramics in every way possible. She took part
in many exhibitions throughout South Africa, winning her first award in 1995. She gained international recognition after
exhibiting and winning national and international awards in South Africa and in the USA between 1995 and 2000. In 2001 two
of her pots were accepted at the Mississippi Museum of Art for their permanent collection. President George Bush and his wife
Laura have one of her pots in their private collection. She also obtained permanent residence for her family, because of her
extraordinary ability in the field of ceramic. To be able to achieve that, she had to prove that her work is considered among
the top 10% of American ceramic art.
ABOUT THE PIT FIRED POTS OF ANTOINETTE
When creating her work, Antoinette strives to bring the old and the new together in one piece of ceramic. She likes
to combine different techniques to explore form and design. She uses the wheel to create some basic forms. Molds made from
bisque clay or potters plaster became wonderful tools. She often uses the free form of pinch pots, pots thrown on the wheel
and molded pots and pieces of molded clay in combination with each other.
Often Antoinette tries to give a very natural appearance to a piece of ceramic. The pieces are mostly made out of high
quality porcelain clay that can be fired to become translucent.
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