Helen Green

Ceramicist

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Casting dreams

Helen is inspired by nature and history
Her techniques have roots around the world
Using local raw materials is important to her

Helen Green opened her workshop in Montpellier in 2015. Her ceramic objects are all handmade, earthenware, stoneware or porcelain, thrown directly on a potter's wheel, sculpted or slip cast. She shapes sculptural and sensual forms which can be functional, using natural and warm materials. She enjoys participating in local production and collaborative projects, finding links with objects and techniques which are centuries old. Initially trained as a fine artist, Helen quickly knew that a mastery of clay would allow her to create the objects she dreamed of. She also wanted to invest in mastering a material that was soft and natural and that was not ecologically abject. She finds clay all the more fascinating because it bears traces of humans since the dawn of humanity.

Interview

Is the act of making an important part of your work?
A firing event is a modern ritual and includes an element of experimental improvisation, but you can direct the object towards a potentially wonderful result. As Paul Soldner said, you have to embrace “the element of surprise, without fear of losing what was planned, by wanting to grow with the discovery of the unknown”.
Do you enjoy collaborative projects?
All my artistic adventures since 1999 have been thoroughly nourished and enlightened by my collaborative work with Alain Mombrinie. Collaborating with other artists and designers allows me to innovate. I like that these works incorporate an element of sharing, the trace of the 'Other' and of a common land.
Have you learned techniques from elsewhere in the world?
I discovered high-firing glazes with Peter Hauwelle in France and A–Z porcelain with Ilona Romule in Hungary. I also had the opportunity to participate in pit-firing experiences with Joel Bennett in California and travel to Ghana visiting potteries, notably Peace and Unity Pottery in Vume.
Do you think the craft of pottery is in danger?
Certainly, we are in a world that favours economics over ecological and social dimensions. Having said that, I think our societies are becoming more and more aware of the importance of these dimensions, and it is to be hoped that in considering them, the craft industry will only be more highly valued.

Helen Green is a master artisan: she began her career in 2009 and she started teaching in 2016