Dimensions: H 3cm x Ø 26cm
Materials: A blend of stoneware and locally sourced wild clay, finished with a wild sand slip and seaweed ash glaze. The wild sand slip is formed of landfall on the Undercliff and the glaze is a seaweed ash glaze using seaweed from the bay below Chloé's studio.
Method: Hand-thrown
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 wild clay plate, Chloé Rosetta Bell orchestrates a captivating ode to the essence of water, allowing its ever-shifting nature to take center stage. Sourced from the very shoreline of her home on the Isle of Wight, this piece serves as a mirror to the captivating qualities of water in its perpetual transformation.
In this work, the harmony of materials tells a story of land and sea's intricate dance. A blend of stoneware and locally sourced wild clay provides the foundation for this masterpiece. A wild sand slip, crafted from landfall on the Undercliff, joins in a symphony of natural elements. The seaweed ash glaze, created from seaweed sourced from the bay below Chloé's studio, drapes the surface, much like the sea's embrace. A smooth grey canvas emerges, the result of this intricate process. Speckles of brown, like ripples across a sandy shore, pay homage to the Earth's diverse hues and tones, a reflection of the land's interplay with the sea.
Yet, it is the textured regions of the plate, a testament to nature's rugged beauty, that capture the untamed spirit of water. Chloé Rosetta Bell's skillful craftsmanship embraces the essence of water, etching stories of its ceaseless influence into the landscape. This piece stands as a proud tribute to the ocean's eternal inspiration and 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.
