Sophia Palesa Morren

Born in a small town in the Free State called Maokeng (Thornyhill), I moved to Johannesburg when I was 12 years and finished high school in the city of lights (or gold). I attended a business school for 18 months and then worked in a financial institution for 10 years before I finally decided that there was more to life then pushing paper and making somebody who did not even know my name.

I have always wanted to do something creative and rewarding. I did a fashion design course for a while but it did not satisfy my creative need. As a child growing up in the little dusty streets of Maokeng we used to make all kinds of playthings with soil which we picked up along the river banks. You could make a house, people and furniture and spend hours building a whole village. This soil was called letsopa which I later found was called clay in English.

I was introduced to Caroline Schulz Vieira by a mutual friend in 1998 and immediately started pottery lessons with her. I did this for 5 to 6 years and then opened my own studio. The last three years have been spent learning and discovering a lot about clay and myself and the fact that there are no short cuts with clay, but overcoming obstacles is part of the reward. I have been doing commissions from time to time. I took part in an exhibition put together by Nina Vanjacob two years ago. In December 2007 I had a joint exhibition with a painter and Caroline Schultz Vieira. 

My work is hand built in stoneware and fire to 1000 C then sawdust fired outside on the ground. I also fire at 1260 C and decorate with black slip and oxides. My journey into this wonderful form of art is only starting and I know it will take me my lifetime to master it with limitless sources in nature for design and inspiration.

Information courtesy of the artist.