Meeting + Interview with Lola Moreau
Brutal. went to meet the ceramist Lola Moreau in her Parisian studio. Let's discover his universe through an interview.
What is your background and your training to get to ceramics?
I studied applied arts, multimedia graphics, at the Estienne school and at the Gobelins. Then I worked as a freelance graphic designer for nearly 10 years. It was a bit by chance that I started taking ceramics lessons at the Dalo workshop in 2015. It confirmed the fact that I was tired of always working behind a computer, and I started to ask myself questions about retraining... I inquired about professional training, when I heard about a workshop project to be set up in Bastille, which became the gangster collective. Today I still work in this workshop.
Are you self-taught or did you learn from someone else?
So I did not do any training. Having a workshop allowed me to practice a lot and progress at my own pace. But I inevitably learned also thanks to others: At Dalo, then with the collective, and over the course of the meetings, the readings, and all the resources available on Internet! I also followed an internship of creation of enamels with Valérie Raymond-Stempowska, and I hope to be able to do more regularly to discover new techniques and improve myself.
Do you remember your first play?
Yes, I still have it at home: it's a very small turned bowl, with engraved patterns, in which I put jewelry.
How would you define your job?
I don't really know, I prefer to ask the question to others!
What is your creative and manufacturing process?
I often start from an idea, or an inspiration, and then over the different stages and trials it evolves and gives something that can be quite different! I also do a lot of research. There is a random element that I maintain voluntarily, but I still have a notebook in which I note everything.
What is your favorite technique? Your favorite moment in the process?
The modelling, with the plate or with the pinch. I think I love every step of creating a piece other than the sanding.
What is your favorite material? What do you like about him?
Sandstone, with a fine or impalpable chamotte. Because it cooks at high temperature, and for its raw, natural appearance. There are many varieties, with different shades, and I like to change them regularly, depending on the finish I'm looking for or the glazes I want to apply. Maybe one day I will have a fetish land...!
What inspires you outside of ceramics?
Watch, listen, read, interact with others...
Can you tell us about one or more books on ceramics or something else?
I mostly read novels! A ceramics book: Terres et glaçures by Daniel Rhodes, recommended by Valérie during her internship.
What are your last significant trips or your travel desires?
I feel less than before the desire to travel far. Right now I want roadtrips in France (I don't know half of the regions..!) and in Italy that I would also like to know more about.
