Claire Fréchet

Sculpture formed from the earth

• Claire spent four months in Mexico and was mesmerised
• She loves all the phases of working with clay
• Her art is inspired by the geology around her and that she has visited

Claire Fréchet inhabits a world of her own when she is working – her world is imaginary, it is cosmic, and it is free. A truly imagined universe. Her works combine contrasting reliefs inspired by geology with mineral archetypal forms. She creates shapes, such as spheres, that are tapered or hammered as if they are landscapes unfolding between the shadows. The surface is almost flickering from the use of the oxidised, coated and smoked ceramic material. Her objects have a real sense of age, they appear almost prehistoric. Her experience in Mexico left an indelible mark, which was refined by her later studies in Paris. But the evocative primitive and perceptible touch in every nuance. This makes her pieces unique and unrepeatable, they beautifully mix modern with traditional. A bit like her personality.

Interview

©Claire Fréchet

©David Pereira

How was the Mexican experience?

I spent four months in the indigenous community of Mixtecs in the state of Oaxaca. I was interested in pre-Columbian cultures and syncretism. I learned all the techniques of local ceramic processing, from the construction of an oven to the final firing.

What’s your relationship to where you live?

My art is detached from the tradition of where I currently live, Picardy. I am influenced by what I see and touch. My atelier is next to a forest and undoubtedly its colours and movements are in my craft. But then work takes its own direction.

How would you define your art?

I create three-dimensional objects that are the result of visual and tactile contemplation. In my work, I explore an imaginary geography. That’s why I define my work as cosmic. Sometimes I also imagine Mars, with its mineral colours.

Was there a memorable moment in your professional life?

I had a dream once. There was velvet-like material. There was a lot of it, and it was dark. I could even touch it. This led me to work the dark earth and make it black as if it were coal. It is no coincidence that I also work lava stone.

Claire Fréchet is a master artisan: she began her career in 2008 and she started teaching in 2010

Works

©David Pereira

©Claire Fréchet

©Dominique Cherprenet

Where