Dimensions: H 3cm x Ø 16.5cm
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: Handle with care, avoid harsh chemicals, protect against extreme temperatures, and periodically inspect for any signs of wear or damage.
Description
In this stoneware and clay plate, Chloé Rosetta Bell allows the essence of water to take centre stage, embodying its ever shifting nature. Crafted from elements from the shoreline of her home, the Isle of Wight, this piece mirrors the enhancing qualities of water in its constant transformation.
In this work, wild clay combines with locally sourced crab and lobster shells, invoking the whispers of and life within the sea itself. A glazed finish drapes the surface, providing a smooth blue canvas reminiscent of the ebbs and flow of tides. Speckles of brown, like ripples across a sandy shore, celebrate the Earth’s diverse hues and tones.
Yet, it is the textured centre of the plate, a testament to nature’s rugged beauty, which captures the untamed spirit of water. Rosetta Bell’s skillful craftsmanship embraces the essence of water, etching stories of its ceaseless influence into the landscape. This piece stands proudly as a tribute to the ocean’s constant transformation.
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.
