Ellen van der Woude

Ceramicist

©Milou Dijkstal

©Ottilie Dijkstal

When the magic happens

Ellen is inspired by the sea and submarine sea life
Her work seeks to draw attention to the issue of marine pollution
Before becoming a ceramicist, she studied law

Ellen van der Woude became an artisan by accident. Though she graduated in law from a Dutch university, she has never stopped following her dream of doing something creative. She had been painting since childhood and was looking for other ways to express herself. “A friend asked me to join her on a ceramics course, which I did just to try, but then the magic happened. I became fascinated by this rough material and working with it has become my passion.” Challenging the boundaries of clay and porcelain, she creates delicate, imaginative sculptures reminiscent of sea anemones, sea urchins and coral. Each has its own texture and is decorated with small elements, all made individually by hand.

Interview

©Ellen van der Woude

How do your recreate the underwater world in your work?: Through carefully manipulating techniques and using different materials such as engobes and oxides. This is what makes the works look organic and natural, as if alive – but never perfect, because even in nature nothing is perfect.
Has there been a particularly important moment in your career?: It was probably when I was rewarded the Prix du Jury during the exhibition De Mains de Maîtres in 2016. It made me realise that what I did was quite good and that I should be more confident about it.
What may people not realise about your work?: Most people don’t realise the amount of time it takes to make a sculpture and the process of trial and error that is needed to get the result you want! You really have to master your techniques to create beautiful objects.
What do you love most about your profession?: Creativity is something that is fundamental to my life and creating art has always been my true passion. The aspect that I love the most is creating something with my hands and 'translating' the many ideas in my head into a sculpture, in other words, bringing my ideas to life.

Ellen van der Woude is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2005