If you love doing your rounds at the trendiest interior design and décor centres in Harare then you would have surely bumped into finely designed decorative mirrors and paintings by the effervescent and uber talented artist, Brigette Lottor.
Asked what from her collection and works would be the ideal Christmas present ideas, she recommended her mirror designs and pieces from her Crazy Cutlery range cast out of aluminum. We had a brief one on one with Brigette about her craft.
Tell us a little about you, what is your background?
I was born in Zimbabwe, schooled here till I was 15 years old, then I finished high school at the art, ballet, drama and music school in Johannesburg. I did art, matriculated and went on to study fine art at Durban Technikon. Upon leaving, I worked for a company designing swimwear then I went on to work as a window dresser for South African fashion retailer, Foschini. I then got into painting people’s race horses and polo ponies. I moved to Malawi and got into craft making, where my market predominantly consisted of expatriates.
I came back home and continued to live off my craft as I slowly got back into painting and exhibiting. I have exhibited in Spain, Kenya, South Africa and have painted murals in Vienna. My art has taken me to some awesome places; I have travelled to India, the Himalayas, the Andes Mountain and Morocco. All these places have influenced my work and life.
When did you first realise art was your calling?
From when I started school everyone used to ask me to draw pictures for them. I was hopeless at academics but I could really draw, I have always loved and felt most content when I’m creating. Who are your main influences? and do you have any secret rituals you do to help you get in the zone for your art?
Hondertwasser, Klimt and Monet. Well, I drink a lot of tea! I clean my studio, listen to music with he volume tuned up to the highest volume and I take regular walks in my garden. I visualise the painting in my mind late at night before I actually do the work the following day- I work on how I am going to approach colour, composition and form…
I just feel totally at peace and happy when I’m playing a part in making beautiful things or refurbishing old spaces using very little to achieve new and exciting looks. Carving like on a fireplace is a great way to make changes to an interior space and by adding a couple of mirrors you create the illusion of more space and grandness. I am busy reproducing lovely old doors that you would see in Lamu and Zanzibar off the Kenyan and Tanzanian coast; these are carved with huge knockers and I am also producing a range of candle stands.
Your mirrors are incredible, what does the process of creating these decorative elements involve?
I used to just draw designs and a picture sample for my carvers and they would go away and do the rest. As business improved because there was huge demand of carved mirrors, I now use a factory in Marondera owned and run by Tom Bolus. He has an amazing team of guys that trace out my designs, in so doing creating templates that they can use over and over again.
We use board rather than wood. We use board rather than wood glued together so that we do away with the problem of cracking. Tom uses a routing machine to hollow areas and then the carvers just get on with what they do best- carving, they use different carving tools for the process. We stain the timber a dark colour afterwards and then distress it to give it an antique finish.Do you have a favourite piece?
I can’t say because they are all great and work well in different interiors, so I like to see them hanging in different settings to best show them off. I really like creating, whether its something that needs to be designed, carved, painted, beaded or made out of aluminum, or mosaiced into a floor.
So if you want something highly polished, sculptural, functional, artistic and most importantly affordable for a loved one, look out for Brigette Lottor collectables. To know more contact, Brigette, 0773 547 134.
No comments:
Post a Comment