In Fahmeeda's words:
" I was born in Pietermaritzburg.
I was introduced to 2D art
(drawing and painting) in Primary School but only took a serious interest Fine
Arts at the end of High School. After matriculating in 2001 from
Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High, I studied Travel and Tourism at Damelin in
Pietermaritzburg and I graduated in 2002. After working for a year I wanted
to study Marketing and at the end of 2003 I went to study for a BA VA degree at UKZN (then UNP) to do digital art and
computer graphics, but instead ended up doing ceramics as a major, and then my
Masters.
Under the intuitive leadership of
the late Professor Juliet Armstrong and Professor Ian Calder I finally found my
niche. I must admit though I haven’t looked back with any regrets. Not only have
they both been a source of inspiration to me but it is through their guidance
and encouragement that I believe that I have reached the level that I have
today. My parents were also very supportive of my decision to do art and very
proud of my achievements so far.
I found that I really love working
with my hands, a trait which I believe I inherited from my father who is a
carpenter.
I started playing around with
porcelain at the end of my 3rd year just to get the feel for it. At
first I found the medium tricky to work with as it’s not the same as working
with the normal stoneware clay. However once I got used to it I haven’t looked
back. It is a beautiful medium to work with. After experimenting with some
forms and colours I decided that this is the medium for me. I loved its
whiteness and when thinly pottered its translucency which is achieved when high
fired, and so in my Honours and Masters years I used porcelain as my main
medium.
I loved working with this clay
medium and especially liked the coloured glazes that I could achieve on the
white porcelain body. It was at the end of my Honours year that I found a way
to work with the porcelain which allowed me to use the clay body in such a way
where I added colour to my porcelain body, and then coiled with it. I found
that this method really worked for me. Granted
I had a few failures at the beginning but I do love a challenge. I was able to
roll out thin individual coils which were joined together to form the vessels
you see.
When people look at my vessels
they think I used a machine to roll out my coils but are fascinated when I or
Juliet enlightened them that each and every coil is rolled out by hand. Each
piece can take anything from three hours to seven hours
depending on the size and number of colours used. A
factor that plays
a part in making these pieces is the weather - if it’s
a hot day I have to try and work fast, because the coils are so thin they dry
out almost instantly. I believe that this project has instilled in me great deal
of patience.
I did not want a conventional
shape, rather I prefer that the form takes
shape as I go, it gives my pieces a more organic and natural form. This also
means that no two vessels are ever exactly the same.
These vessels were part of my
Masters’ exhibition works.
There are three examples of my
Masters’ work in the Tatham
Art Gallery William Humphreys Art
Gallery Kimberley
I have taken part in several group
exhibitions over the years the most recent was at UKZN Jack Heath
Gallery in honour of the late
Professor Juliet Armstrong. She was not just my lecturer and mentor for
several years but also a treasured friend. Her students always came first;
it was through her that we were introduced to some of South
Africa