Helen Vaughan

Helen lives and works in South Africa; a country she describes as “so diverse and stimulating it can only inspire innovation.”
She trained as a textile designer, so pattern, rhythm, texture and colour are all in her blood.
Sgraffiato or scratchings run through her work as threads and provides a vital link to all her ceramics.
A colour palette of yellow, red, green, blue, bronze, black and pewter contrast with her whitewashed raw clay to create a contemporary appeal whilst still retaining an earthy aesthetic.
Helen is interested in the cross-pollination of media, so her studio is an evolving laboratory of clay, cloth, paper and metal as well as the spaces in-between. Hence her new monoprints to complement her landscape ceramics.
Helen and her husband Ryno forsook city life to move to the quaint Klein Karoo town of Barrydale, where they opened up a very cool gallery and craft brewery respectively. The on-going phenomena of load-shedding causes problems for both the ceramic and brewing business but like many South Africans, they remain optimistic.