Cape Town based artist Helen originally trained as a textile designer, so pattern, rhythm, texture and it’s relationship with colour is embodied in her work.  Sgraffiato or scratched and etched mark is Helen’s signature which forms a red thread running through her craft.

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After she completed her B. Tech in surface design at the Cape University of Technology in 1988, she spent the subsequent eleven years in the formal commercial sector of fashion and homeware design. In 1999 she undertook a short course in ceramics. Essentially a self-taught artist, she now moves seamlessly between clay work, painting and printmaking. Her ceramics have earned her a loyal following and are housed in numerous international collections.

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Ceramics are either handbuilt or manipulated slipcast earthenware.  Tall candleholders which hold a t-lite form the backbone of her studio. Sculptural vessels , bowls, platters are an integral part of an ever experimenting and innovating range which supplies an international market.  Her colour palette of red, aloe green, bronze patina, and pewter which plays with the unglazed whites of raw clay has an appeal which resonates with the most contemporary settings while still retaining an earthy handcrafted aesthetic.

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In this video, Helen Vaughan transports us on a first hand guided tour into the tranquil starkness of her beautiful home in the Karoo-the place that inspires her horizons,