History shows that artistic genes ran in the family of many iconic artists such as French painter Jean Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806). He went on to train his son, Alexandre Fragonard (1780 - 1850) who became a successful painter, sculptor and draftsman. No one can forget the 19th century literary family of the Brontë sisters, Charlotte (1816–1855), Emily (1818–1848), and Anne (1820–1849). They were well-known poets and novelists who produced classics such as Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.
Similarly, in the village of Otse in the South-East district, the Ratlhale family boasts of artistic genes that run through each member. Landy Ratlhale is the second youngest son in a ceramicists and potters family of five siblings. His mother is a traditional potter while his father Peter Kuhlmann is a veteran potter and a former instructor at the then Lekgaba Pottery and Ceramics in Francistown. His older brother Brian Ratlhale is also a ceramicist therefore the frequency with which talent passes on through the Ratlhale family is no more than a coincidence.
