Meeting + interview with Léa Baldassari

Brutal. went to meet the ceramist Léa Baldassari in her Parisian studio. Let's discover his universe through an interview.

What is your background and your training to get to ceramics?

I arrived in the world of ceramics by chance, going to take a course for a whole weekend in Montreuil in a small workshop, I am the only one to have continued. I have always loved tableware and beautiful objects. Before that I was a make-up artist, I also did hairdressing and I worked in the organic world.

Are you self taught or did you learn from someone else?

A bit of both. I took lessons in Montreuil, then I did 2 workshops at Clay, one on color with Emmanuelleroule and another on filming with Margot L'homme, at the same time I was in a free workshop at Clay as well and then I was lucky to be in the countryside during confinement with a lot of earth and at that time I tested a lot of things on my own, I learned a lot, I did this every day it made me feel good mad. In September I made the decision to take a small oven at home and embark on the adventure!

Do you remember your first play?

Sure ! It was a small cup without a very thin handle with irregular edges, I had left the earth with its natural color, I already liked this raw aspect.

How would you define your job?

It's quite difficult to give my point of view on this, I like when others give me theirs!

What is your creative and manufacturing process?

I would say it's very instinctive, I don't usually do any drawings beforehand. I often start making an object without knowing what it will be, I love it! And when I like a shape, I draw it and write down all the details in a notebook so that I can reproduce it if I want to.

What is your favorite technique? Your favorite moment in the process?

The modeling is certain, I really like the "imperfection" that this technique brings. I love the pinch, seeing a grain when I make a bowl, for example, brings me a lot of happiness. My favorite moment is that of the creation of the object, the one during which my hands are in the earth but in reality I still like them all, except the sanding, I like that it is always in motion, never do the same thing, every day is different!

What is your favorite material? What do you like about him?

The chamotte sandstone is very pleasant for me to work with and its very raw rendering, I like a lot.

What inspires you apart from ceramics?

Nature, I really like to be there, with my dog, to contemplate it, I am a great contemplator and a great dreamer. I love taking pictures of absolutely everything!