To say she is a ceramic artist would be to define her by only one of the creative activities she excels at. She is also a painter, a writer, a journalist, a cook, a photography buff, a dab hand with computers and very possibly just about anything else you could care to mention.
The Carvoeiro home she shares with her husband of 55 years is a wonderful opening into the world of Birte Pröttel. From the minute you push through the gate into the garden, you are aware of the many examples that makes this bright-eyed enthusiastic mother and grandmother stand out in a crowd.
Sculptures are grouped under trees, in flower beds; some sit on benches, others hide among the undergrowth.
Disconcertingly, there is even the life-size (and very life-like) head of her former television art director husband sticking out from the earth somewhere. “I did another one which is in the house, but he refuses to have it in the sitting room”, she laughs, agreeing that the bust looks just a little too close to a dismembered body part.
Inside, happily, there are no instantly recognisable body parts – although there is a very good sculpture of a sheep’s head, carved from stone. The couple’s house literally dances with colourful artwork, paintings and sculptures, many of them inspired by their frequent travels across the world, and some made by one of their three sons.
It was actually through this particular son that Birte first discovered clay. By then in her 50s, she already had a string of popular books behind her in the couple’s native Germany – including one with the title: “How to find a man, get him and survive him”! She had always painted and enjoyed handicrafts, but working with clay and sculpting was uncharted territory.
“As I sat in on this class with my son, I suddenly realised that clay was ‘my thing’. I absolutely loved it”, she recalls.
The discovery coincided with her children beginning to leave home, and thus Birte enjoyed a new-found freedom. She “took over one of the children’s bedrooms” and began experimenting.
An ever-supportive partner meant that she soon received “a big kiln” as a present. She has never looked back.
Now, wherever she goes Birte makes sketches of things that catch her eye, and when home in her atelier, tries working on the ideas in clay.
“They almost always turn out quite different from what I at first imagined”, she laughs again. “The clay says to me what it wants to be”…
Very aware of presentation, a lot of her sculptures have excellent pedestal bases that mean they can stand anywhere, inside or out.
The ones we have in the gallery at the moment are mainly little villages, houses and boats, but at her home there are many others inspired by trips to Greece, China – there is even one from a trip to the Middle East featuring Arabic writing.
“I have no idea what it says,” she smiles. “I just saw the writing above the seat on the airplane”.
Could it be something as banal as instructions for what to do in case of air sickness? “Very possibly!”
Humour is ever present in her work – both as a writer and an artist. As we climb the stairs from the little atelier back up to the house, there’s a strange sculpture in a flower bed of a woman with the head of a fish.
“That’s about a place in Germany where we call the people ‘fish heads’”.
In another bed nearby, there’s a little figure apparently in despair holding onto his head… More laughter. “That’s about the time in a man’s life where he starts to lose his hair”.
A house full of stories, overlooking the sea, in an idyllic sunshine location.
“I am a very lucky woman”, she smiles again.
Lucky very possibly, but also very talented.
Plans for the future? “Just to go on, doing all this as much as I can”.
At 73, still cutting a dash in ochre and terracotta and with the twinkle of someone much younger in her eye, this will undoubtedly mean lots more ceramics are yet to emerge from the hand and humorous heart of Birte Pröttel.
Written by Natasha Donn
