Meet the Artists: Jabu Nene-Ardmore Design

Meet the Artists: Jabu Nene

The Ardmore Artists are an extraordinary group of talented people, who spend their days creating ceramics that wow collectors around the world. Under the expert guidance of Ardmore founder Fée Halsted and her daughters Catherine and Megan, the team of artists at Ardmore continues to grow and now numbers almost 70.

Jabu Nene is the fitting first subject of our Meet The Artists series. She was introduced to Fée when she was 15 years old, having discovered a passion for art at school. She joined the Ardmore team in 1991 and was mentored by renowned painter Punch Shabalala.

Jabu has developed her own unique painting style; her intricate designs come from her imagination. She fills the petals, leaves and animal skin she creates with geometric designs, zigzags, chevrons and squares in earthy tones. Her palette features soft pinks and rich browns and she often scratches into her paint with a sharp piece of wire, creating a sgraffito effect.

Her work has been exhibited at Christies in London, the Art Basel Design Fair in Miami and the Korean Biennale to mention just a few. One of the hugely successful Ardmore Collection wallpapers from British wallpaper house Cole & Son, inspired by one of her pieces, is aptly named "Jabu" in her honour

Her favourite artwork to date is the Big Five Urn.

 

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