Alice Riehl

Porcelain maker

©Yvan Moreau

Seduced by ceramics

Alice creates large three-dimensional porcelain wall installations
She mainly shapes her pieces by modelling
Travel allows her to find inspiration in exotic places

Alice Riehl first trained in marketing and pursued that profession for ten years. However, her heart was not fully into what she did and after much soul-searching she woke up one morning having “decided to allow myself to move into a manual job.” Alice chose ceramics simply because she was seduced by the material. “Its plasticity seemed more accessible than other materials such as wood, which I also like but whose hardness scared me.” She decided to train in ceramics by taking an adult education course at the Institut de Céramique Française in Sèvres. Here, she discovered porcelain, which immediately became her medium of choice.

Interview

©Yvan Moreau

How did you start your career as a ceramicist?: After training at the ceramics school, I left the company I was working for. I left Paris for the south of France and set up a workshop in my house to continue my apprenticeship on my own. The training had introduced me to a range of techniques and now I had to choose those that interested me the most.
When did you open your own workshop?: In 2004 I bought my first kiln and some basic tools to make a range of works. I set up the workshop in the basement of my house and installed new equipment as I progressed. Then in 2007, I came back to Paris and set up a workshop in an independent space.
Where do you get inspiration from?: Above all else, I draw inspiration from nature because I seek to transcribe the movement and energy of life in my work. I use many plants, and my travels are always great occasions to draw inspiration from the power and luxuriance of plants in exotic climates.
How does your work draw on your personal experience?: My grandmothers spent a lot of time knitting, embroidering or crocheting. I have very good memories of times shared with them, knitting needles in hand. When I first discovered porcelain, I quickly began to associate it with crocheted lace. In a way, it was reassuring because lace was so familiar.

Alice Riehl is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2006