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LANDELZA VAN DIJK IS AN INDEPENDENT POTTER AND TEACHER PRACTICING THE ART IN MOST OF ITS FORMS LIKE BISQUE WARE, GLAZED AND NON-GLAZED ITEMS, CONTROLLED OVEN FIRING, PIT FIRING, RAKU AND LATELY A PASSIONATE DISCIPLE OF SCULPTURED, ARCHITECTURAL AND LANDSCAPE CERAMICS.
SHE GRADUATED FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA IN 1984 WITH A BSC DEGREE IN DOMESTIC SCIENCE WITH ADDITIONAL CREDITS IN ADULT EDUCATION. DIRECTLY AFTER UNIVERSITY SHE WORKED AS A DIETITIAN AND ALSO AS SENIOR ADVISOR, FACILITATOR AND CONSULTANT WITH THE MEAT BOARD.
THERE WAS HOWEVER ALWAYS THE CREATIVE URGE THAT INSPIRED HER FROM CHILDHOOD TO TRANSFORM IDEAS INTO ARTISTIC OBJECTS, FROM CLOTHING DESIGN TO THE FIRST TENTATIVE STEPS IN THE WORLD OF CERAMICS. WHILST WORKING AS DOMESTIC SCIENCE CONSULTANT SHE STARTED POTTERY CLASSES WITH RHODA HENNING AND SOON AFTER WERE PRODUCING WORK FROM HER HOME ON A PART TIME BASIS THAT SHE SOLD PRIVATELY OR THROUGH STUDIOS SHE WAS INVOLVED WITH.
IN 2002 SHE CHOSE POTTERY AS A FULL TIME CAREER AND MOVED INTO HER OWN STUDIO BUILDING WHERE SHE PRODUCED A WIDE RANGE OF CUSTOM MADE FORMS FOR SLIP CASTING AND PRODUCTION OF BISQUE WARE. DURING THIS TIME SHE STARTED EXPERIMENTING WITH VARIOUS TECHNIQUES INVOLVING RECYCLED CLAY AND DIFFERENT FIRING METHODS TO OPTIMIZE PRODUCTION AND ENERGY USAGE, AS WELL AS THE POSSIBILITIES OF CLAY AS A MEDIUM TO CREATE ART.
SHE IS CURRENTLY ACTIVELY EXPLORING THE APPLICATION, FORM AND FUNCTION OF CERAMIC ART IN THE FIELDS OF ARCHITECTURE AND MORE SPECIFICALLY ITS ROLE IN CREATIVE LANDSCAPING. ELZA ALSO HAS A CONTINUOUS GROUP OF ACTIVE STUDENTS THAT SHE ACCOMMODATES IN HER WELL EQUIPPED AND SPACIOUS STUDIO.
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