Our Story
This is the story behind the studio - the long way round, and why it was worth it. Here you'll find out who we are, what drives us, and what Pencil Ceramics is really about. Pull up a chair.
Meet Ellen
My parents used to call me 'Traeumerle' - little dreamer in German. As a child, I would jump out of the car, sit in the dirt, and lose myself in the texture of earth for hours. I spent my days drawing, painting, crafting - fully present and fully alive.
Somewhere along the way, I lost that. The path I followed led deeper into fast-paced environments, ambition, and corporate targets. I spent a decade working for high-tech companies including Google and Spotify and became a version of myself that society recognised as successful, and drifted further from the one I recognised as whole. It took a toll on my mental health and and eventually my body spoke loudly enough that I had to stop and listen.
My turning point was a birthday gift to myself: a single pottery class. Those two hours changed everything. For the first time in years, I was inside my body - not managing it. The clay in my hands pulled me into the present moment completely. I left that class knowing I had found my way back.
I made Cape Town my home - a city that mirrors everything I needed: nature, warmth, rawness, and light. I pivoted my career and opened Pencil Ceramics in the creative heart of Woodstock, and I have never looked back.
My work brings together three worlds I carry deeply: the precision and quality of my German heritage, the Japanese philosophies of Wabi-Sabi and Oubaitori that I fell in love with during an apprenticeship in Mashiko - one of Japan's most ancient ceramics towns - and the warmth, colour, and soul of South African life. Each piece I make carries all three.
Wabi-Sabi is at the heart of what we do here. It is the Japanese philosophy that finds beauty in imperfection, simplicity, and impermanence. A fingerprint pressed into clay. An uneven rim. A glaze that moved in ways no kiln can predict. These are not flaws - they are the signature of a human hand. They are what makes a piece yours.
Pencil Ceramics is not just a pottery studio - it is a sanctuary. The studio is home to myself (Ellen) and Kayla - two artists and teachers who believe that everyone deserves a place to slow down and create. We can't wait to welcome you.
— Ellen Maree, Founder
Meet Kayla
Kay is a ceramic artist based in Cape Town, South Africa, with a Fine Art degree from the Michaelis School of Fine Art (UCT), where her passion for sculpture first took root. Ceramics soon became a natural extension of her practice, offering a hands-on way to explore form, texture, and creativity.
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After spending two years in the behind-the-scenes world of galleries and exhibitions, Kay returned to her love of making and fully embraced ceramics.
Through self-teaching, she developed her own line of work, from functional tableware to expressive sculptural pieces, inspired by nature and the joy of creating by hand.
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Now part of the Pencil Ceramics team, Kay shares her passion with students, guiding them to explore their creativity, experiment freely, and connect deeply with the tactile magic of clay.
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— Kayla Krepelka, Studio Assistant Manager
