🎧 2023 Emerging Artist: Hilde Boterman, Gent, Belgium Ceramics Monthly

Appears in the May 2023 issue of Ceramics Monthly.

Ceramics Monthly: What techniques do you use to make your work and why?

Hilde Boterman: In order to come to the body of each piece, I use different ceramic techniques. They can vary from using a mold for round or conical forms to throwing. The covering of each piece with texture takes many hours, which is why I always choose the most efficient forming process that I feel most comfortable with.

That said, most of my pieces are coil built. I prefer coiling because while I’m shaping the piece, I can alter it by building up and the final idea of the object, the definite structure, comes with coiling.

When the body is finished and still in the leather-hard phase, I start at one point by covering it with little clay granules that I roll one by one between my fingers and attach using slip. I can only do a few at a time because they dry very quickly.

I prefer the color of the natural clay to glaze. Most of my pieces are stoneware and are fired in an electric kiln to 2282°F (1250°C).

To come to the black/white contrast (e.g. Washington Vase) I make use of white clay. First, I do a bisque firing to 1922°F (1050°C). Then a black sinter engobe is applied and the excess is wiped off with a damp sponge so that the granules appear and the engobe remains in the recessed areas of the texture.

To create other contrasting effects, I use two different sorts of clays to make one piece.

CM: What do you do to push yourself to stay engaged with the field of ceramics and develop new forms?

HB: Actually, the idea started with a gadget we had to make at the Institute for Art & Craft, Mechelen, Belgium, as an assignment. We had to make a shape that rests comfortably in your palm. I came to an egg as an idea, and I wanted some structure to it.

My forms have a decorative, artistic dimension. I’m not keen on always making the same shapes over and over again. I like to try a variety of forms. It is challenging for me to use new shapes and other kinds of clay. That keeps me going. I prefer unique forms to series. In addition, my focus is primarily on what I think of as the shell; the realization of the surface is of utmost importance to me. My aim is to start from a basic shape and create that little extra.

What motivates me most is the appreciation of an audience. I showed my work for the first time in 2020 for “Clay in Movement,” a competition organized by KLEI, a monthly ceramics-focused magazine published in the Netherlands. I was nominated among 40 other artists, and I won the 2nd prize. The many positive reactions encouraged me to go on. As music needs ears, ceramic artists need viewers so as to expand their horizons.

You may wonder about the names of my creations. Well, they were inspired by the places I’ve been lucky enough to visit in my life.