I was trained in studio arts at the University of Quebec in Montreal, where I discovered ceramics through sculpture and installation projects. My transition from creating art for art to functional art objects comes from a quest for meaning, I wanted my artworks to be accessible and meaningful in the daily life of their owners. I also have a deep interest in household objects, their journeys through generations, and their great potential for emotional expression. I wonder about their provenance, who made them, under what conditions... I want us to reconnect with the value of objects in the globalisation and its issues; that we buy less, but with intent.
My ceramic practice is strongly influenced by my background in Visual Arts. The patterns in my pieces are inspired by various imagery from different scientific fields, landscapes, and pop culture, particularly from the world of parties and games with recurring patterns of confetti, festoons, and explosions. With these multiple influences I create capsule collections that evoke a particular mood, or a subconscious memory of the collective experience. I see my pieces as vessels that invite travel through reverie and nostalgia. My creative drive is to experiment through play with matter and to push the technical limits of ceramics. I find my inspirations in the precariousness of clay while having fun diverting classic techniques to create a material and visual singularity. Always keeping the function in mind, I want to see my works integrate the daily routine of people, I wish to inspire, and that to bring a little touch of magic to everyday life.
The patterns and colors are obtained by layering several layers of colored clay in the mass to obtain a slab, and then I cut and press the slabs on molds. And in the latest collection, also on the surface of the slab with frosted colored clay in a pastry bag. The contemporary japanese term nerikomi ("Neri" means to mix, and "komi" to press) is commonly used to describe many techniques of colored clay today. Historically, making patterns and deisgn with colored clay go back as far as the 7th century in China, during the Tang Dynasty. My work is therefore an interpretation of techniques and visual codes that have been transmitted and re-transmitted for ages, with an intuitive and playfull approach. You can consult my blog for learn more about this particular technique and the page events to know when will be my next workshop.