Wild Olive

Cederberg is a mountain range in the Western Cape where two worlds of plants meet — fynbos on the high sandstone, succulent Karoo on the dry ground below. Over a thousand species hold that ground between them. It is the first of a series of collections, each taking a single plant as its subject.

Wild Olive opens it. Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata grows in the Cederberg. Its close relation, the cultivated olive, grows in the Alentejo, where the studio now works. One plant, two dry countries. The serpent moves through its branches.

Each panel is built from hand-modelled ceramic tiles, glazed and set in a dark frame. Twelve have been made: eight medium, two large, two extra large, the size determined by the number of tiles. When they are gone, the collection closes.