A clay hymn to wilderness
- Cathy creates ceramic vessels, dinnerware and jewellery
- The crystallisation process she uses can reach 1280°C
- She finds freedom in the ceramic making process
Cathy Astolfi's everyday, functional ceramic objects tell stories of the earth and her native Corsica's nearby sea. The island’s mountains and wild scrubland are represented in her works, which are made with island clays mixed with stoneware and porcelain. Using ancestral gestures and modelling techniques, Cathy shapes her pieces by hand, without any machinery, and often polishes them with a pebble and decorates them with a brush. The lines, textures and motifs in each work evoke landscapes, horizons and transformation. The firings she carries out at very high temperature reveal chemistry and alchemy. "My vessels can either be rustic or smooth, and they are always unique, original and signed. They tell stories about Corsica, my island," Cathy says.
INTERVIEW
Clay is fulfilling and joyful. My relationship with this medium has transformed me, and working with it gives me total freedom. My practice is shaped by my travels and human encounters, from the Sahara Desert to the Mapuche of Chile, from the Native Americans of the Dakota to the communities of Labrador.
I plan certain technical aspects in preparation for the creation process. I blend clays, create glazes and set things up for firing. Once this rigorous groundwork is done, creativity can finally take over.
I think many people fail to grasp the power and the large potential for discovery that a ceramicist's work can enable, both in terms of learning and personal development.
Everything! Interacting with customers allows me to create commercial and social bonds. A workshop that is open to the public is a space for enjoyable and warm exchanges, much like gathering around the fireside!
