Dimensions: H 21cm x Ø 19cm
Materials: A blend of stoneware and locally sourced wild clay, finished with a Fossilised ash slip and two glazes. The Fossilised ash slip is formed of Fossilised wood from the Solent. 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.
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 brass with a brass footing, one can feel water's ceaseless transformation.
The wild sand within this work, reminiscent of the minute grains that the sea shapes, is the foundation of this piece. A glazed finish adorns the surface, evoking soft blue pebbles along the water's edge. Speckles and drips of green-brown within the body of the piece tell a story of time's passage. The locally sourced lobster is at the heart of this piece, embodying the spirit of the coast. Here, the boundary between land and sea blur, much like the ebb and flow of the tides. The amalgamation of these elements produce an organic energy that transcends mere craft. It stands as an homage to the resilient spirit of the coastal landscape of The Isle of Wight, where the land, sea and time itself unite to tell an unspoken story.
Rosetta Bell’s creation captures the essence of water's transformative traits. Her work becomes a tangible and tactile testament to the constant dialogue between land, sea, and time.
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.
