Galerie d'objets sensibles

Clémentine Dupré is a young, talented ceramicist with an atelier in the 20th arrondisement. Through the 23rd December she has opened her atelier to the public and has invited three other artists/friends to show their work to create an intimate and interesting salon where you can do some last minute gift shopping. What better then a handmade, limited edition object to give as a present? Clémentine Dupré's light as air ceramic bowls, vases, sake cups are both functional and beautiful. Working mostly (or what was on view now), in white porcelain, with finishes that seem transparent, matte, natural in colors ranging simply between white, black and navy blue. To compare to another ceramic aesthetic I would say Japanese, in its restrained elegance, and not surprisingly, she told me that she exhibits and sells quite well in Japan. In one series, which really grabbed me, she applies a trail of tiny, ceramic beads to the surface, creating a bulbous shape that might sit a the rim of a large bowl or grace the surface of a vase.


Of the oher work in the galerie, were a series of more industrial type plates with images printed on the surface, metal wire mobiles, hand sewn bags with vintage type textiles, and some cool notebooks, pins and magnets. Through December 23. Atelier Clémentine Dupré, 20, rue Etienne Dolet, 75020.

Arroyo Seco Ceramics

While staying with friends in Arroyo Seco, a tiny town just outside of Taos, New Mexico, I had the pleasure of walking into John Bradford Pottery..well actually he is a close friend of my friends who have their 2nd home there--and as it is a one-road kind of town, everyone knows everyone..it's great.

John Bradford has had his shop in Arroyo for about four years. When you step into the space and see the quantity of work, and then look in the back at his studio and the amount of pieces that didn't work for him, you can sense that he is serious and dedicated to his craft. He works more in series then in doing an edition of one style. In a series, pieces can work together but also stand as individual objects. He does work occasionally on commission. Check him out at www.bradfordpottery.com. Here are a few images to get you tempted.

design with conscience

Artecnica is a design firm that emphasizes a mix between art and technoogy to, as they say "elevate the value and purpose of everyday objects..." They work with various, international contemporary desginers to produce an interesting line of mostly high-end products. Based in California, they have always had a sustainable approach to design and production, but the most interesting, in my opinion is their project, "Design with Conscience," whereby they pair up a leading designer, say Dutch designers Tord Boontje or Hella Jongerius, with artisans in developing countries, in this case Rio de Janiero and Peru respectively. Working with the non profit Aid to Artisans www.aidtoartisans.org and the British Craft Council, this project creates not only a more affordable product of these designers, more importantly draws out the importance and potential of collaboration, and the links between these two types of designers, artisan and design studio. In addition, these products often have an eco-approach to materials, for example the project between Estudio Campana and artisans from rural Vietnam that uses repurposed scooter tires and natural wicker to produce a unique type of container or the tranSglass line which transforms recycled materials into a beautiful glass-like material that is then crafted by Guatemalen craftsmen into designs by Tord Boontje and Emma Woffenden. It's one of their best selling products. Take a look at their website for more information, www.artecnica.com.

Sarah Crowner-Hand Built Vessels

I meant to post about this show last week, but I must have been caught up in post-Tangier world. Sarah Crowner, an artist based in NYC and a dear friend of mine, has a fantastic new exhibition of hand built, ceramic vessels at the Nice and Fit Gallery in Berlin, www.niceandfitgallery.com. This new body of work (she previously focused on painting and abstraction), is inspired by Beatrice Wood, the famous ceramic artist who lived over 100 years during which time she hung out with early Modernists like Duchamp, Picabia, Anais Nin and the like. Wood was a pioneer on many levels. Not only did she leave home and traditional routes to live in New York and immerse herself in avant garde artistic movements, she then became a renowned ceramic artist, supporting herself completely and then became involved in spiritual movements such as theosophy. She continued to write, travel and make art until her death at 105. What a better person to be inspired by? Crowner's work (admittedly only seen in photo because I couldn't go to berlin), are unglazed, hand built, sensual objects that are meant to be abstract portraits of the circle of friends that surrounded Beatrice Wood. Wood would no doubt be honored by this homage.

La tuile à loup

Ceramic-madness
La Tuile à loup, www.latuilealoup is a delightful little ‘boutique unique’ located slightly off the beaten path in the 5th arrondisement. For anyone with even a minor attraction to handmade ceramics, this is a must-stop shop. Many years ago my francophile mom, who is mad for all things handmade and French, discovered La Tuile à loup and for years since our family has listened to the details about her annual pilgrimages to this Mecca of French artisan crafts. Alas, this week I made my first visit.
The main thrust of the store is artisan pottery, in all its French historical glory; Standard items such as plates, cups and bowls are evidently on hand as are spice containers, egg cups, terrines and just fabulous creations that are simply for viewing pleasure. The owner hand selects, with true passion and loving detail I might add, the work that fills the boutique. Some artisans may be working in a traditional style like the classic French countryside look of the Savoy, with its brighter colors and cute floral or animal motifs (see photo), and others are truly contemporary such as the Provencal artisans who make hand built, purposefully imperfectly shaped dishes with simple off-white glazes and black, calligraphic like markings. One my personal favorites is the ‘poterie utlitaire de la Puisaye’ (functional pottery from Puisaye), with its earthy, darker toned glazes that have a rough hewn, utilitarian look. I have a Puisaye pitcher that is used to hold a plant. I love it.

Not to be neglected is the wonderful selection of baskets, textiles and wood items also on display. Who can’t have enough sturdy French linen dishtowels or colorful cotton tablecloths from Provence? Here you can find the real deal on these items, not some bad, tourist knock-off. The boutique only has quality work which is steeped in tradition.