Today we’d like to introduce you to Irène de Watteville.
Irène, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I made my home in San Diego County for more than four decades, but my birth in the Alsace region of France – and my instinctive French sensibilities – are evident in the tiles, platters, paintings, and inspired ceramic objects I am known for. I spent almost 20 years painting tile murals using 17th Century Majolica techniques and, now work in porcelain. During my ten years on the Solana Beach Art Commission, a City Council member accused me of wanting to tile the whole town. I pled guilty.
I had two important teachers: Erik Gronborg ( Solana Beach) and Debra Fritts ( New Mexico)
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I am a ceramist, now working in porcelain as it is a very strong material; thus I can make fine details such as antennas for a snail. I hand sculpt each piece; my subjects are food, flora, figures, architecture, and animals (especially rabbits, as my stuffed rabbit from childhood, is my Muse). My work seems at first traditional and refined, but if one looks closely, there will be an absurd element (such as a cooked crab knitting baby clothes). It is important that people smile when they see my ceramic and enjoy the elaborate details of the painting. My quote is “I love to absorb the absurd”.
How do you think about success, as an artist, and what do quality do you feel is most helpful?
This is a difficult question to answer: of course, selling a piece is important, but it is more when I really feel that what I created came from that inexplicable part of me that is my inner self/my soul and that there is a balance of elegance and originality. I hope to be in a Museum one day, would that mean success?
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I have a website: www.irenedewatteville.weebly.com.
I enter shows.
I just finished a two month exhibition with another ceramist Beliz Iristay at the la Jolla Athenaeum Music and Art Library. The best way to see my work is to come to my house/studio.
Contact Info:
- Website: irenedewatteville.weebly.com
- Email: irenewatteville@gmail.com
Image Credit:
Raymond Ellstad, Val Dostalek, Philipp Rittermann
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