Vintcent and Cathering have been doing pottery for about twenty years – six of these in Pongola, KwaZulu-Natal. The pottery workshop is ideally situated for visitors to drop in – and it is possible that Vincent might do a demonstration on the wheel.
Most people are amazingly ignorant as to how a pottery works. The process is long and technical with the clay going through five processes before it can be used. Vincent digs and mixes his own clay and also his own glazes. His kiln is fired with paraffin and old oil. The bisque (first) firing takes about 8 hours and the glaze firing double that time at a heat of 1400°C. People are always surprised at the length of time it takes to reach a finished product.
Vintcent’s passion is large floor pots, but he does basins and tableware to order. He also uses ash from White Elephant Lodge as a specific glaze. It is a natural, neutral warm pale green.
