At first glance you might be looking at scrunched up pieces of paper, pieces of a coral reef, alien life forms, eggshell, or pebbles from a beach. But on closer inspection, these are all exquisite ceramic pieces made by Nadine Bell in her studio just down the road from me. Nadine is largely self taught, and has a passion for creating pieces in porcelain that reflect on nature, pushing the porcelain, a material known for its fragility, to its limits. However, unlike the usual “Do not touch” signs which so often accompany such pieces, Nadine positively encourages people to pick her work. The making of each piece, usually involves a base material, employed as a reverse mould, on to which the porcelain is painted. That base could be fibre glass, scrim, a balloon, or even leaves. The firing process destroys the base, leaving the finished porcelain.
For the second year running, Nadine, and her husband Colin, a printmaker, will be opening their home, at 50 Farquhar Road SE19, as part of Crystal Palace Artists Open House, over the consecutive weekends of February 29/March 1st, and March 7th/8th. I am delighted to be joining them with a display of my cushions.
Nadine at work in her studio
Jewellery pieces in the kiln.
PS. I like Nadine’s work so much, we now have a couple of pieces at home!
