In an age of mass production and disposable goods, Sheree Timm has chosen to embrace the enduring quality of clay as her preferred medium for creating handmade pottery in her Mossel Bay studio, Ruby Ceramics, where she transforms clay into functional art.
People are constantly reminded to consume more commodities as factories can produce more, faster, cheaper, and even deliver to their doors from across the world.
We live in a global village where consumption is enabled online with little thought for its origin. Consumers can buy whatever they need, made to exacting specifications, and suppliers will undercut any competitor’s price.
The serenity of clay in handmade pottery by Sheree Timm
Sheree’s process is deliberately slow and unrushed because she enjoys the act of creation. It’s not about being against mass production, but about offering something different. Every piece is made from start to finish in her hands, and there is a connection between her handmade pottery and the earth and her customers.
“It’s just earth and water,” she says, “but clay became a form of meditation.”
She adds that she doesn’t strive for perfection. It’s the little variations in her work; a thumbprint, a slight warp, a glaze that pooled in a unique way, that are a reminder that something doesn’t have to be flawless to be worthy.
Handmade pottery for mindfulness by Ruby Ceramics
Sheree finds that clay’s tactile qualities demand her full attention. It has a life of its own and can’t be rushed or automated, but requires her full attention, observation, and sensitivity to changing textures and forms. It’s an opportunity to get her hands dirty while collecting her thoughts, which makes it an exercise in mindfulness.
Sheree takes great pride in being a small-batch ceramicist. While mass production values uniformity, small-batch ceramics celebrate individuality. Her pieces are crafted slowly, thoughtfully, and with longevity in mind.
When someone buys a piece from her studio, she hopes that they understand it’s not about grand gestures, but about choices to surround ourselves with fewer, more meaningful things that are built to be used and loved for a long time. It’s a quiet kind of sustainability, one rooted in appreciation for the little things in life. Her work is not a disposable trend destined for a landfill.
In a world where products are removed from their makers, Sheree is very connected to her work, her hands are her tools, and her touch is her signature. She wants users to feel that connection when they hold her pieces. Perhaps, even more importantly, her pieces are designed not only to look beautiful but to be used in creating everyday experiences.
Imperfection as an aesthetic choice in handmade pottery
Sheree’s ceramics stand proudly against the homogenous monotony of factory-made goods. Slight variations in curves, unpredictable movement in the glaze, and the delicate traces of her fingers are not flaws, but her signature.
Having lived and travelled around South Africa, Sheree now calls Mossel Bay her home. The coastal town has undoubtedly influenced her work, as some pieces reflect the muted greens of fynbos, the sandy browns of the coastline, and the soft blues of the ocean. These natural tones serve as a subtle reminder of sustainability lost in the convenience of mass production.
“It’s just earth and water,” she said earlier. Still, her work represents a greater responsibility to the earth, and a reminder that sustainability is expressed through small, daily rituals: a handmade mug encouraging slower mornings, or a favourite bowl that expresses gratitude for the abundance that it can hold.
From Mossel Bay to your home, Ruby Ceramics is a reminder that in a mass-produced, consumer-driven world, something simple and handmade can bring you back closer to yourself, and an invitation to slow down is a beautiful act of rebellion that you can hold in your hands.
