The vibrant young artist, Siyabonga Sikosana, comes from an artistic family in Willowfountain. He has become well known for his detailed and often humorous acrylic and oil paintings of life in the semi-rural community familiar to him. His canvases are alive with contrast: romantic against realistic images, subtle against pure colours, light against dark, near against far. Often, quirky comments are inserted in the form of signs at spaza shops or graffiti on the walls of houses. Siyabonga is one of the few township students who was offered art for matric, and he studied design at the Durban University of Technology. He has travelled to New Zealand and other countries on exchange programmes. He is a familiar face at the Tatham Art Gallery, where some of his art works are on display.

Eicke Schmidt’s jewellery moves constantly in new directions, combining materials and colours in a sensuous and audacious way. Her collection now includes earrings and wacky ceramic buttons. Eicke says: “My jewellery draws on a range of historic influences because of my exposure to European, South American, Asian and African exemplars over many decades. I try to create a synthesis of these sources. I employ my own sensitivity to the sources from which I draw inspiration. Some pieces have undergone a gestation period of nearly 50 years before revitalization. Beyond antique or old silver, brass and copper ornaments I use enamel, marble, crystal, jade and amber, from both Europe and Africa. At time chunky and primitive in the positive sense with ethnic overtones, others restrained, elegant and delicate, I employ my feeling for the rightness of shape, colour and tactile and sculptural quality to create unique pieces of wearable sculptures in miniature.

Much of the craft in the Tatham Shop reflects the rich Zulu cultural heritage of this region. Zolani Mpente, a wonderfully talented wood sculptor, who creates domestic and farm animals and people using different indigenous woods from the surrounding forest near his village, Dedeni. Great detail is carved into his work, with the surface finished to a silky smoothness. Zolani also incorporates different fine-grained indigenous dark woods to contrast the predominantly light wood used.

James Katiyo, who lives near Winterton, makes beaded chickens and Nguni cattle that are so lifelike they could be the real thing. He also makes the most beautiful beaded flowers: sunflowers, proteas, arum lilies, agapanthus, and strelitzia. Come and buy a bunch of flowers that don’t need water. The beautiful flowers (above) are made by him.