Louise Bell’s ceramic sculptures are rich in symbolism and story-telling. She makes project-based work and the projects feed into each other. The Sacred Cow and the Trojan Horse are part of her ‘Regeneration’ project. Initially conceived as ancient wheeled toys, these pieces evolved into representations of totemic animals. They stand to represent Louise’s faith in the young to further the political and spiritual battle for the environment. They include symbols of hope and new beginnings in the form of acorns, tiny children, feathers and butterflies.
Louise’s sculptures are hand-built and each piece is unique. She uses coloured slips, underglazes, a lithium glaze, lustres and occasionally on-glaze enamels to decorate, which means that pieces like these may go through four firings. Louise makes her own stamps, moulds and sprigs, to give the texture to each piece. The acorns on the Sacred Cow’s necklace are made by pressing porcelain into sprig moulds made from acorns found under a magnificent oak tree in her village. Louise also deploys ‘Extinction Rebellion’ and ‘Peace’ symbol stamps to add both texture and meaning. She loves building up layers of decoration and hopes that the viewer will discover the gold acorns, arrows and symbols as the light hits the work.
Louise’s initial ideas tend to spring from her own life; living in the East Sussex countryside, teaching and having children and grandchildren. She reads extensively around each subject that she investigates, visiting museums and developing sketch books. However, much of Louise’s creativity comes from the process of making which is for her a complete joy.
1. Jump and Grow Wings: Trojan Horse 2024
W 35 cm x H 47 cm x D 14 cm
Keuper red clay and porcelain. Decorated with slips, glazes, gold lustre and gold decals
£1,800
2. Sacred Cow 2024
W 37 cm x H 29 cm x D 12cm
Keuper red clay and porcelain. Decorated with slips, glazes, gold lustre and gold decals
£1,300