{"id":9524,"date":"2021-09-20T13:36:51","date_gmt":"2021-09-20T13:36:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.abele1757.com\/journal\/uncategorized\/virginie-boudsocq-ceramic-artist-serving-at-the-finest-tables\/"},"modified":"2021-09-20T13:37:49","modified_gmt":"2021-09-20T13:37:49","slug":"virginie-boudsocq-ceramic-artist-serving-at-the-finest-tables","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.abele1757.com\/en\/journal\/gastronomy-en\/virginie-boudsocq-ceramic-artist-serving-at-the-finest-tables\/","title":{"rendered":"Virginie Boudsocq, ceramic artist serving at the finest tables"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

C\u00e9ramVirginie Boudsocq, self-taught ceramicist, today works hand in hand with France\u2019s most exclusive Michelin-starred restaurants and luxury hotels. Her porcelain creations are entwined with the most original fine-dining experiences She gets to collaborate with a roll call of master chefs, including Emmanuel Renaut, Yannick Alleno and Christopher Hache. For Maison Abel\u00e9 1757, the artist looks back on her journey and the unique expertise she has mastered, including some of her collaborations with Michelin-starred chefs, and the hugely demanding alliance of the artistry of the chef and the tableware.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

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Where and how did you learn this incredibly challenging artform?<\/em><\/strong>To be perfectly honest, I taught myself. I discovered the artform for the first time at a ceramics fair in Anduze in France. Meeting Julie About, an artist who works with ceramics and paper clay, was a revelation.The minute I got back, I went to buy a block of clay and devoured online tutorials. From firing times to preparing the different types of glaze, I am completely self-taught. Well, almost – with a little help from the Internet (she laughs). It meant I could really, really cram. By learning about porcelain clay this way, I managed to develop a very individual technique to approach my work and the clay. And less influenced by the constraints of classical training.*Paper clay : terre-papier ou argile cellulosique.<\/em>What do you find most compelling about ceramics?<\/em><\/strong>From the very outset, I was drawn to working with my hands; touching the clay, being in close contact, working it and giving it shape. This is something I really love. During my studies at Art School in Cambrai, I was already drawn to Matterist painters, their gestures and strokes.Clay suits me down to the ground and porcelain clay is a real passion. It\u2019s a capricious, challenging material. It\u2019s quite tricky to handle and doesn\u2019t necessarily react as you would expect. What I really like is being able to tear the clay and almost mistreat it. It morphs on its own, without really needing much effort. I also really like the end of the firing stage. Between creating the piece and firing, there is always a surprise.Sometimes good surprises, like an unplanned twist. Or not quite so good, discovering flaws, breakages and fractures. With clay, the results are never the same. You never stop learning.In the very early days, I couldn\u2019t understand why people used to say that porcelain clay was clay for the pros. Yet that didn\u2019t stop me buying a block and thinking \u201cWe\u2019ll see what happens\u201d.<\/p>\n\n

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Your success was immediate. How do you explain this instant recognition from Michelin-starred chefs?<\/em><\/strong>That\u2019s a hard one. Most of it is sheer luck. I started working with clay, and six months later, I was slip casting in plaster molds to make bowls and cups. My kitchen cupboards were crammed full, and I had given cups to all my friends. I needed to do something with it.One day my husband came home and said: \u201cI know someone opening a home decor store in the south of France, in Saint-Remy-de-Provence, called Maison Marguerite. She loves your work.\u201d I was furious: \u201cI\u2019m not ready. This is madness. I\u2019ve got four measly cups and that\u2019s about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n