Antoinette Badenhorst has been a potter since 1981 and says the longer she is in this field, the more she learns. "It is an ongoing process of exploration." In 1998 she gave up a successful potter's studio in South Africa and found a New World in America. "Since being here I have discovered more about my feelings for my home country as well as a confirmation of where my life was founded. Along with that I have learned to enjoy new things and appreciate God's blessings in my life. Working and living in a new environment, set new challenges for me. It is these things that I am trying to bring out in my work."
Elephants, as well as other wild animals, rocky mountains, and primitive lifestyles have been a large part of Antoinette's life and therefore have been a huge influence on her work. She says, "The rhythm of Africa is in my blood." On the other hand, she grew up in a rather sophisticated environment surrounded by the likes of Shakespeare and Tchaikovsky. "My desire is for some of these elements from my experiences to be apparent throughout my work and for people to be able to connect with one or more aspects of my life. That would give meaning to my work that I love so passionately."

Born in South Africa, Antoinette grew up in Namibia, the former South West Africa. She studied in Potchefstroom, South Africa. She is married and has three daughters. While in Africa she promoted ceramics in every way possible. She took part in many exhibitions throughout South Africa, winning her first award in 1995. She gained international recognition after exhibiting and winning national and international awards in South Africa and in the USA between 1995 and 2000. In 2001 two of her pots were accepted at the Mississippi Museum of Art for their permanent collection. President George Bush and his wife Laura have one of her pots in their private collection. She also obtained permanent residence for her family, because of her extraordinary ability in the field of ceramic. To be able to achieve that, she had to prove that her work is considered among the top 10% of American ceramic art.
Her own work is primarily done with porcelain clay and she fires her ware in a primitive way called pit fire. Some of her work is strongly influenced by the primitive cultures of Africa, but also with a fine nuance of the Western culture in which she grew up. These pieces are strictly decorative.
She also uses porcelain and stoneware clay to create vessels and other pottery of functional nature. Since she mixes her own clays and glazes, she creates work that is unique and exclusive in its nature.
Lately she took on the challenge of high fired, translucent porcelain. She experiments with different lamps and let the light shine through the translucent clay. She often combines a hand building process with a wheel thrown process.

ABOUT THE PIT FIRED POTS OF ANTOINETTE
When creating her work, Antoinette strives to bring the old and the new together in one piece of ceramic. She likes to combine different techniques to explore form and design. She uses the wheel to create some basic forms. Molds made from bisque clay or potters plaster became wonderful tools. She often uses the free form of pinch pots, pots thrown on the wheel and molded pots and pieces of molded clay in combination with each other.

The pieces are mostly made out of high quality porcelain clay that can be fired to become translucent. She uses this clay for the particular quality and character that it gives her to achieve her goals. One of these goals is the feather light and thin pieces that the clay allows her to create.

Often Antoinette tries to give a very natural appearance to a piece of ceramic. It is at such times that the porcelain clay allows her to create natural cracks, as one would find in nature, on her pieces. Other times the crisp quality of the porcelain allows her to create patterns on the work. The porcelain clay also allows her to get a very smooth surface. Some of these pots she burnishes on the wheel, or in her lap. Other times a fine sheen is created by using just the finest particles of clay, which is called terra sigilata.

Once she has some pieces of pottery dry, she first fires it in an electric kiln. Sometimes she fires several times to add some other elements, such as color or glazes to a pot. The process continues outside her studio when she treats the pieces with different chemicals and fires them, stacked on top of each other, in a primitive fire outside her studio. Once the fire is going, she has no control over the outcome any more. Sometimes she does not like the outcome of a piece. In such cases Antoinette, will fire the pot in the electric kiln again, to bring some oxygen back into the porous clay and the whole process will start over again. Sometimes a pot will crack in the fire. Antoinette will use those cracks to her advantage, if the piece allows it.

Once she is satisfied with a pot, she polishes it with a waxy polish and burnishes it with a soft cloth to give it a soft shine. In some cases she will highlight some smoke marks with acrylic paints.

The smell that one sometimes smells on the pots is a combination of wax and the burned materials in which the pot was fired. It disappears after a while.

HOW TO TREAT THE PIT FIRED POTS

Since the clay is porous, a pot will not hold water and water will ruin the appearance of a pot. The function of these pieces of pottery is strictly for decoration. The pot is treated with chemicals that can give a bad taste to food. Any sticky material, such as stickers, should be attached to the bottom of the pot to prevent marks on the visual parts of a piece.

Do not scratch with sharp objects, since it will show up on the pot.

If for any reason it does get in contact with water, put the piece out in a warm (room temperature) spot and allow drying. If any stains are left, one can use a waxy natural shoe polish to get it out. Rub the area with a soft cloth to get the shine back. A soft cloth is advisable to dust the pot from time to time. The pot should not become dull, but if it does happen for some reason, one can treat the pot the same as any wooden furniture.

Do not pick the pot up by the spout and do not put the pot under high pressure, for instance if it need to be moved to a different location.

The best way to pack it will be in a thick layer of bubble plastic. If there are outstanding areas, like attached handles, spouts or figures, make a cushion of bubble wrap to secure those areas better. Keep the piece in a standing position and use the double boxing method to ship it.

Extra care is taken to have a smooth bottom, but one can attach thin strips of felt if you feel to do so.

Should there be any more questions about the work, you are welcome to contact the artist.

Porcelain functional pottery

Antoinette works with porcelain and semi-porcelain clay and glazes that she fires in an electric kiln to a temperature of 2300F(1260C) She constantly experiments to get new and better glazes that is hard enough to withstand wear and tear in microwave ovens and dishwashers. All her glazes are food safe, unless differently marked. Since the clay matures in the firing process, the vessels are leak proof microwave safe and dishwasher safe. Pieces that are painted with luster (a golden, bronze or copper metallic) should not be used in a microwave