You South Africa – 29 August 2019

SUPPLIED,

INSTAGRAM/@CARROLBOYESOFFICIAL

thatI’vereadbusinessbooks,I realiseit

takesabouttwoyearsfora businessto

becomeprofitable.ButI wasdetermined

tomakeit workwithinsixmonths.”

Shedecidedherartshouldn’tonlybe

beautiful– it shouldalsobefunctional.

“Itjustmadesensetome,especially

froma financialpointofview.I feltI

couldindulgemyloveforsculpting

whileatthesametimemakingit more

accessibletopeople.”

Sheinitiallymadepewterjewellery,

whichshesoldonGreenMarketSquare

inCapeTownonSaturdays.“LaterI got

someoneelsetodothesellingbecause

if someonelikedit,I wastemptedtogive

it tothemforfree.”

Herthoughtsturnedtohousehold

itemsandshebeganmakingpewter

saladserversandcutlery.Whenanestab-

lisheddécorshopagreedtosellherwares,

it was“awonderfulfootinthedoor”.

Moreordersfollowed,bothfromindi-

vidualsandshops.Eventuallythere

wasn’tenoughspaceforalltheproducts

inthebasementandguestroomofher

home.HerfatherandbrotherCharles,

whowerefarmingtogetherinLimpopo,

suggestedtheybuilda workshopforher

ontheirfarm.Charleshelpedmanageit

whileCarrolworkedfromCapeTown.

Buttherewerebumpsintheroadto

success.“Irecallonetimeapproaching

a bankforfinancing.Thebusinesshad

startedmakinga profitandI wantedto

buycoppersheetsorsomething.I need-

edanoverdraftofR10000.Thebanksaid

they’dhelpme,butonlyif mydadwas

theguarantor.

“I couldn’tbelieveit.ThereI wasinmy

latethirties,withtwouniversitydegrees

tomyname,andmyfatherhadtosign

forme.I toldthebank‘nothanks’and

madeanotherplan.”

S

HEhada teamofdesigners

butwouldspendlonghours

creatingpiecesinherhome

studio.“Theideasusuallyger-

minateatnightinthehalf-

awake,half-asleeptimes.”

Assoonasshehada clearideaofa

design,she’dmakea claymould.Some-

timesshe’drefinetheideawitha sketch

otallher g

larandsome,suchasanab-

stractwhiteceramicbutterdishinthe

shapeofa womanina hunchedposition,

wasn’ta hit.“Ilovethisbutterdishbut

noonewantstobuyit.Sometimesyou

missthemark.”

Carrol, whofiercelyguarded her

privatelife,lostherlifepartner,ceramic

artistBarbaraJackson(60),tobreast

cancerin2010.

Barbara’sdaughters,whomsheand

Carrolraisedtogether,areartiststoo.

KimJackson-Meltzer,wholivesinthe

US,andMartineJackson-Klotz,wholives

inCapeTown,wouldoftenactassound-

ingboardswhenCarrolhada newidea.

“Andmythreegrandchildrenkeepme

grounded.Theyremindmeofwhat’s

importantinlife.Aftera difficultday,

theymakeeverythingsomuchbetter.”

Carrolfoundloveagainandshareda

homeinSeaPointwithherpartner.

“InmyfreetimeI walkontheprome-

nade,readandswim.”Butherfirstand

greatestlovewascreating.

“Itgivesmesuchjoytochallengepeo-

ple’sideasofthehumanbody,tocreate

somethingthatmakesyouthinkfora

momentthatanarmcanstretchthatfar,

thoughweknowit’sphysicallyimpossible.

“It’sjustthattouchoffantasythat

makesit thatlittlebitmorespecial.”S

w

p

LEFT: Her sketches and designs were

printed on crockery and ceramics. RIGHT:

As soon as Carrol had a clear idea of a

design, she’d make a clay mould of it.

N

popupo

before makingthe

mould,afterwhichitwouldbe

ttotheartdepartmenttobere-

ed andproduced.

Notallherdesigns wereequally

m

ent

fine

N

se

f

ABOVE RIGHT: Carrol was well-

known for unusual serving dishes

and quirky salad servers (FAR

RIGHT). ABOVE and RIGHT: She

extended her designs and brand

to include products such as

scarves, wine and chocolates.

‘My grandchildren

remind me of what’s

important in life’

you.co.za 29 AUGUST 2019 | (^21)