Belle Leon

For many years now, clay has been my preferred artistic medium as I strive to create that ellusive perfect piece. What that looks like….. I don’t know yet! It may be a bowl, a vase, a platter, a decorative piece for the wall or a raku piece reflecting the unpredictability of the technique. The outcome is hopefully something with beauty, elegance or perhaps whimsy; something that can be used, handled and loved every day. Striving for that perfect creation is what compels me to the studio again and again.

My ceramic work is often described as eclectic. There are wheel thrown forms, sometimes altered, often hand built forms with additions, molded or slip cast pieces. The major focus in all of these, however, is on functionality and surface decoration. My functional forms tend towards simplicity rather than elaborate, with a focus on well finished pieces that are easy and comfortable to handle. Surface decoration excites me and I seldom use a single glaze to cover a piece. Usually there will be a carved element, an underglazed or slip trailed drawing, a silk screened or painted image
on the surface. Often whimsy and unpredictability take over, particularly in hand built rather than wheel work. I relish the excitement and anticipation of pulling a piece out of the flames of a raku kiln and am hardly able to wait for it to cool to discover the beauty or disaster awaiting in the ashes!
The focus of most of my work is taken from nature – fed by my ever present background in Zoology and the beautiful vistas found all over land and sea on Vancouver Island.
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