Hwange Collection
Hwange is Zimbabwe’s largest national park, a wide stretch of wild country in the north-west that runs to the border with Botswana. The Hwange Collection is drawn from this landscape.
Much of the park rests on deep Kalahari sand, pale and soft underfoot, where teak woodland opens onto grassland and long stretches of Mopane. Pans lie scattered across the plains, filling with the rains and shrinking through the dry months until the elephant herds gather at whatever water remains. The colours change with the seasons, from fresh green after the rains to the slow turn of Mopane leaves to copper and bronze, and grass bleached to the colour of straw. It is a place defined as much by its colours and textures as by its wildlife.
Those colours and materials are where each glaze in the collection begins. I never collect from inside the park itself. Instead, I choose places around it that reflect the wider region, its sands, woodland and soils, and gather ash, clay or minerals there. I process them in the studio and test them in different balances until a glaze emerges that holds something of where it came from. Each glaze is named for that place and fired on the same stoneware body, so the collection can grow slowly, one glaze at a time, while every piece still sits comfortably on the same table.
Gwayi Green
Gwayi Green is the first glaze in the Hwange Collection. It is named after the Gwayi area, a small stretch of country close to the park where clay is part of everyday working life.
Along the Gwayi River, a large community of potters works the local clay, mostly into terracotta, and the area has always been known for its pottery. Nearby, there is an established refractory pottery at Dete Crossing, and Hwange town, a short distance away, has long been known for its refractory bricks. Ancient rock weathering alongside the Kalahari sands has left clay deposits here that vary from one place to the next, and clay from Gwayi became the starting point for this glaze.
To that clay I add ash from Mopane (Colophospermum mopane), a hardwood valued for generations for its hot burn and lasting embers. Its ash carries calcium and other minerals that help a glaze melt into a glassy surface, and Zimbabwean feldspar holds the glaze together. In a reduction firing, the iron in these materials turns the glaze green, ranging from deep greens to warmer iron tones with fine natural speckling. Each firing behaves a little differently, so no two pieces are quite alike.
If you are outside Zimbabwe, please read International Orders below before ordering.
If you are in Zimbabwe and would rather not pay by card, please contact me and we can arrange the sale and shipping directly.
A hand-thrown stoneware mug finished in Gwayi Green, a rich green glaze I make from Gwayi clay, Mopane ash and Zimbabwean feldspar.
Each mug is individually thrown, trimmed, glazed and reduction fired. The interaction between the clay, glaze and firing creates subtle variations in colour and surface, from deeper greens to warmer iron tones. Natural iron in the clay can also produce fine speckles across the glaze, giving each mug its own character. No two pieces will be exactly alike.
Read more: about our Gwayi Green Glaze
Dimensions: Approximately 9.5 cm H × 8 cm W
Capacity: Approximately 330 ml
Dimensions and capacity may vary slightly between individual pieces.
Each Piece Is Unique
These mugs are handmade in small quantities, so variations in shape, glaze surface and colour are part of the character of the collection. Natural iron speckling and subtle changes in the glaze may appear from one piece to another. The mug you receive may differ slightly from the one pictured while retaining the same overall character of the Gwayi Green glaze.
Care
This is dense stoneware, made for everyday use. I recommend washing it by hand, which helps to preserve the glaze and finish over time.
As with all handmade ceramics, please take care around hard surfaces and avoid sudden thermal changes. The Gwayi Green glaze may develop subtle changes in appearance with use, particularly around areas that come into regular contact with tea or coffee.
Shipping & Collection
Studio Collection — Free | Zimbabwe only
Collect your order directly from the Wenwe Ceramics Studio in Bulawayo. Once your order is ready, I’ll arrange a suitable collection time.
Community-Based Delivery — $5 packaging | Zimbabwe only
I can explore trusted networks to get your ceramics to you. For example, if you’re in Victoria Falls or Harare, I can look for someone already travelling in that direction through my own contacts or local groups. The $5 fee covers secure packaging for your ceramics.
Swift Depot Collection — $35 delivery & packaging | Zimbabwe only
I can send your order through Swift to the Swift depot closest to you. The $35 shipping fee covers the Swift delivery and the secure packaging. You will collect your parcel from the selected depot once notified. Orders are generally sent on Mondays, as Swift does not operate on weekends.
South Africa — Coming Soon
For customers in South Africa, I’m developing a delivery option that will bring your ceramics into South Africa and then send them by courier to your nearest courier collection point or to your address. In the meantime, please contact me.
International Orders
For now, I sell mainly within Zimbabwe. Sending a single ceramic piece abroad from here can cost considerably more than the piece itself, so international shipping is not available at checkout. If you are outside Zimbabwe and would still like a piece, please contact me before ordering. I will work out the most practical route and what it would cost, so that you can decide with the full price in front of you.