MEET THE ARTIST
CLAIRE SCHOTT
"The pieces I create for the table are designed as if the tablecloth were a blank canvas on which the plates and bowls told a landscape, a story that would come to life with the arrival of the guests."
Claire Schott
CLAIRE SCHOTT
Ceramicist, SAINT BARTHÉLÉMY(40)
Claire reveals her art of balancing pieces to create a landscape on our tables.
Tell us your story; how did you find your calling?
I first molded clay as a child, and this desire to work with the material never left me, despite a conventional career path, until I decided to make it my profession four years ago. I then chose to undergo training to acquire the skills inherent to this traditional craft, and today I am a fine crafts artisan.
How would you describe your style and your artistic approach in a few words?
The ceramics I create are made of stoneware or porcelain. These are contemporary pottery pieces, imbued with the ancestral gestures of the potter's tradition, shaped on the wheel or by hand in my studio.
The pieces I create for the table are designed as if the tablecloth were a blank canvas upon which the plates and bowls would narrate a landscape, a story that would come to life with the arrival of the guests.
Setting these plates thus becomes a reflection of what a table is: the gathering of different people sharing a harmonious moment of conviviality, pleasure, and gastronomy.
What themes or subjects inspire you the most in your work?
I seek inspiration in the raw and simple world of minerals and plants. Working with earth as a medium and researching glazes lead me to the form of the vessel: a soft texture guides me toward a pebble, while a raw and rugged appearance evokes rock, tree bark, a flower…
How do you work?
To do this, I work with, reshape, remove, or add clay.
From this exploration emerges a collection of ceramics for the table and the home: distinct, random, unique pieces that can be mixed and matched to create a dialogue between them.
Do you have a particular technique or specific expertise? Without revealing all your secrets, have you developed your own methods and techniques?
I work with stoneware and porcelain using techniques such as wheel throwing, slab building, coil building for large pieces, as well as kurinuki (a Japanese clay carving technique) and slip casting.