About

Established in 2020

Simone Suchet tapped into art as a child. Moving from pencil sketching to painting with acrylics, enabled her to explore a relationship with nature on another level. A keen photographer of animals, landscapes, trees and wildflowers, these images provide material for her interpretation and translation onto canvas.

The art form of ceramics was introduced into her life by Edone Petheram, a fellow Tree Society Enthusiast and dear friend back in Zimbabwe. This sowed the seed to express her creative talent in hand-thrown clay.

“Designing and creating shapes on my potter’s wheel is the part I enjoy most of all. Clay is affected by temperature and humidity, so the process is always different.”Wishing to embrace the first step of ceramics, Simone dug raw clay from the stream bed on her land, processed it and fired it in her kiln. The deep orange colour that resulted indicated the high iron content of the terracotta clay. “I have tried different types of clay, including some from a local potter whom I wanted to support.”

“Each piece of pottery that I create is unique, functional and durable stoneware. It is all handmade and lovingly painted, drawing upon my deep respect for designs inherent in nature and African cultures. This form of art reflects my need for authenticity in my work.”

“My studio is open to the garden where I can hear the happy song of sunbirds feeding on flowers whilst enjoying a view of the mountains. Feeling the warmth and brightness of the sunshine on my limbs in winter is wonderful. During the summer months, the grapevine above me becomes laden with grapes, the strong aroma of which attracts birds and bees. My workplace provides an organic environment that enhances the satisfying experience of moulding raw clay into art forms.”

KwaZulu Natal South Africa Durban Art Gallery Hosted The KZN National Ceramics Exhibition 2025

'Black Rhino - Living On The Edge'

Simone stands next to one of her three entries on display in the Art Gallery.

'Black Rhino - Living on the Edge'

'Black Rhino - Living on the Edge' Close Up

Inspired by the plight of Black Rhino and the organisation BRREP (Black Rhino Range Expansion Project) led by wildlife veterinarian, Dr Jacques Flamand, that began in KZN in 2003

A Wheel-thrown Terracotta Stoneware Three-Foot Base of a Cylindrical Tower (to represent the three toes of each foot of the rhino, designed to be rooted in the African soil – its birthright), fused to a traditional Zulu Pot (representing the home of the Black Rhino). A hand-sculpted Black Rhino on the detachable lid at the top of the construction conveys the Rhino’s precarious position high above the verdant hills of KZN, and in so doing, symbolises the animal’s Critically Endangered Status. The entire artwork is hand-decorated.

'Spiralled Horns And Handles'

'Spiralled Horns And Handles' - Close Up

The Second Entry On Display at KZNSA Art Gallery 2025.

Inspired by Kudu sightings in the wild.

A Wheel-thrown Stoneware Functional Vase with twisted handles and incised Kudu to convey the symbolic power and mysticism of the elegant, majestic and proudly carried male Kudu horns as they spiral upwards over two and a half turns, with the horn growth bands breaking reflected light.

Overlapping of blue and brown glazes created bleeding rivulets of natural green during firing, just as spring foliage emerges out of the orange/brown earth (represented by the rich golden orange body of the piece) against the blue skies of Africa, therein simulating the colours of the African lowveld at the transition time of winter to spring.