Dimensions: H 24cm x Ø 23cm
Materials: A blend of stoneware and locally sourced wild clay, with two glazes. The first glaze uses crab and lobster shells provided by local fisherman and the second is a seaweed ash glaze using seaweed from the bay below Chloé's studio. Finished with brass which is wrapped in seaweed.
Method: Hand-thrown and Hand-forged
Care: This piece can hold water. Handle with care, avoid harsh chemicals, protect against extreme temperatures, and periodically inspect for any signs of wear or damage.
Description
Chloé's stoneware and wild clay works entice viewers to immerse themselves in the fluidity of water. In her large pot, graced with a brass foot and lidded top, one can feel water's ceaseless transformation.
Sourced meticulously from her home on the Isle of Wight, Chloé artfully blends wild clay, seaweed, lobster and crab, the essences of her coastal surroundings. Wrapped in seaweed, the brass lid and base takes on an enigmatic allure, a symbol of the perpetual interplay between the land and water. A glazed finish adorns the surface, evoking soft pebbles along the water's edge. The first glaze uses crab and lobster shells provided by local fisherman and in the second is a seaweed ash glaze. Thickened, rough speckles and drips of brown within the body tell a story of time's passage and nature's rugged essence.
In this piece, Chloé's artistry transcends the ordinary, encapsulating one of water's many essences—the power to sculpt and the capacity to nurture. It serves as a reminder of the harmonious rhythm that sustains life, and an invitation to ponder the interconnectedness of our world.
About the Artist
Chloé Rosetta Bell is a ceramicist who graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2019. Material-focused and primarily working in clay, her work is driven by her relationship with the land surrounding her home on the Isle of Wight. Situated in the Undercliff, it is one of the largest areas of urban landslip in Europe. Her practice seeks to create a tangible, physical celebration of this windswept landscape, and the livelihoods dependent on a specific landscape in general.
Chloé’s work is research-based. She will study materials, narratives and stories within a specific landscape to inform her collections. In one instance, she developed unique glazes from oyster shells at Porthilly Oyster Farm and chalk residue produced from washing Halen Môn’s sea salt. This method of research-based practice speaks to both how she creates and what she is saying with her work. Rosetta Bell creates an object that is at once beautiful in form, shape and texture. But, what is just as intriguing is how she does this whilst creating a physical and sensory piece of record of her landscape; a collision point between man and nature. Her work preserves her natural surroundings and the human livelihoods that depend upon it.
