Solène Chatain
Solène studio
Powell River, British Columbia, Canada
Preferred pronoun:
she
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Artist Statement
As a self-taught ceramic sculptor, I infuse my innermost thoughts and emotions into each of my creations. I have been exploring the fusion of silica and iron in my “Iron Age Frescoes” series. These multimedia sculptures display materials that seeded our earth after cosmic explosions. Both materials have been flowing through humanity’s veins ever since. They mix weathered, rusty metal fragments with organic ceramic pieces. I often think of the metal pieces as metaphors for the technology we, humans, invent out of need, revere but in the same breath despise and fear. My pieces stand as echoes of historical moments, both past and potential, leftovers of the Industrial Revolution, and omens of our precarious path as a species.
Studio Description
I have a home studio in my garden, it used to be a chicken coop. It's small but it's all mine and that's a game changer to work on sculptures and needing to do little bits and wait for drying times, etc. I love coming back several times a day to a piece and have a few going at once. Yes, you can tell my studio is fairly new to me and much appreciated.
What type of clay do you use?
Stoneware clay
What temperature do you fire to?
Mid-range
What is your primary forming method?
Handbuilding with slabs
What is your favorite surface treatment?
Mishima
Do you make any of your own tools?
I haven't yet.
What one word would you use to describe your work?
Clever
What is your favorite thing about your studio?
That I have one just for MY ceramic mess.
What are your top three studio wishes?
A slab roller, more shelves, and that I could take my whole studio in a suitcase and travel with it.
What’s on your current reading list?
La femme forêt, Anais Barbeau -Lavalette
How do you save money on materials and supplies?
I use supplies from the community studio when I can. We share the costs. I also check on my local clay community for second-hand equipment.
How do you recharge creatively?
I go sailing or run the trails in the forest.
Do you have any DIY tips for studio efficiency?
I put leftover bits of clay in a ball right away and wrap it in a wet fabric, so I can re-roll it into a slab the next day.
What challenges have you given yourself to overcome?
I want to sell more sculptures!
What did your first piece look like?
It was a heart-shaped ashtray for my partner to remind him to take care. (He doesn't smoke anymore.)
What ceramic superpower would you have and why?
I would build crazy, gravity-defying shapes that would never crack, be unstable, or warp. It would be such a time saver though I might become complacent.
What area of skill do you most look to other artists to learn?
Selling my work, narrowing my ideas to have a more cohesive body of work, and all-new-to-me sculpting techniques and tips, especially for sculpting bigger pieces.
Who is your ceramic art mentor and why?
Andrea Connel because she dares to try new things, to make complicated, many-faceted sculptures, and make it look simple when she teaches it.
What is on your studio playlist?
The nature sounds from my garden.
Why do you create art?
Because it makes me happy to be alive, it gets me out my head and into the moment.
Who is your favorite artist and what do you admire about that artist?
I am obsessed with Janny Baek's shapes and colors. I can't get enough of Kurokawa Toru's organic forms, and I have a big crush on Andrea Connell's figurative pieces.
What is your best studio tip?
Nothing revolutionary so far but I have been loving putting work in progress in airtight containers so they don't dry at all until the next step.
If you could change one property of clay, what would it be?
What? What would be the fun in that?
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