4 minute read
Meet the Maker: Chloé Rosetta Bell – Connecting with Clay
Connecting with Clay
Meet the maker Chloé Rosetta Bell
Photos by Maria Bell
Photos by Maria Bell
In her studio in St Lawrence, Chloé Rosetta Bell is just about to start making a new collection, which will be shown at the New Craftsman in St Ives in August, using the residue left from the gin-making process of Tinkture Rose Gin. “It’s from Maddock Farm Organics, where they grow David Austin roses,” explains Chloé. “I visited them last year, and I’m using the residue to make the glaze – it has touches of soft pink. “I spent my MA developing glazes from surplus materials in the food industry, such as oyster shells. I test and test and test, until I find something that will take the residue. It comes down to chemistry in the end.” “I did a BA in Contemporary Crafts at Plymouth and my Master’s at the Royal College of Art in London (graduating in 2019) and had an independent studio in Winchester for a year where I worked on my Oyster Shell Collection. Then, during the pandemic, I became a Photographer and Design Consultant for Flow Gallery in Notting Hill.” Chloé curated an exhibition for Island makers and Island foragers at Flow during the pandemic, which was digitally shown. Other Island makers featured were forager Alex Richards, who wrote recipes to accompany the exhibition, and woodworker Tom Fallick of Thorne and Anchor. The first collection that Chloé worked
on after relocating to the Island was her Sea Salt collection. “I went to visit the Michelin-starred restaurant Sosban and The Old Butchers on Anglesey, and they wanted tableware that celebrated a local supplier. They suggested local sea salt makers, Halen Môn. I wanted to use something from their sea salt-making process to develop a glaze – I look at how I can connect people and how the project can evolve. “David and Alison Lea Wilson run the Halen Môn Anglesey Sea Salt company – they started it in 1987. I had supper with the founders, who shared about the residue that’s left after washing their salt in a brine solution. It has chalk in it, and I thought I might be able to use that to make a glaze. It’s [the glaze produced] quite a textured surface – salt eats everything – but you are left with a matte pale blue glaze with dark blue and green marks from the metal oxides found in the salt residue. I don’t use any glaze additives – the metal oxides in the residue bring out the colours. “I love it because it’s unexpected, and every piece is unique. It’s very chaotic but wonderful at the same time. You open the kiln, and you don’t know what will come out. It means it’s incredibly food-safe because there are no additives. I had to make enough tableware for 12 tables at Sosban and the Old Butchers – an intimate restaurant serving local produce. “The first glaze development I made for Sosban and The Old Butchers used mussel shells and seaweed.”
Shells and the dried seaweed are ground into a powder by Chloé, using a mortar and pestle. But the process by which it is made into a glaze is secret! “You get a purple colour with touches of red,” says Chloé. “All pieces are fired multiple times with layers of glaze, giving each piece different finishes.” Pieces from Chloé’s Halen Môn Sea Salt collection were being shown at the Flow until the end of June. “My projects have to be planned a year, or even two years, in advance,” explains Chloé. “My next collection will use the residue left from the rose gin-making process. I’m making a mix of functional and sculptural pieces for this exhibition.”
Chloé plans to start work on an ‘Island Collection’ in early 2023, working with well-known undercliff expert Robin McInnes. She has already been experimenting with lobster and crab shells from Ventnor Haven Fishery. Maria Bell, who took some of the featured photographs, has been photographing Chloé and her work since 2017. She will be capturing the Island collection. “The idea is to use local producers and work with Robin to document the undercliff landscape,” explains Chloé. We can’t wait to see it. chloerosettabell.com
