MOSER Mireille
Originating from Switzerland, Mireille Moser entered the Beaux-Arts school in Geneva at 15 years old. Disappointed by the sculpture classes which were too conceptual at the beginning of the 1970’s, she discovered ceramics and became passionate about this discipline which offered what she was searching for: a pragmatic and concrete aspect. After obtaining her diploma in decorative arts in 1976, Mireille Moser found an atelier in which to establish herself. Parallel to her work as a ceramicist, she fully invested herself in the cultural life of her city by participating in the direction of the gallery of the center "Genevois des Arts Appliqués". There she had the opportunity to realize many expositions of diverse artists and to enrich herself with these artistic exchanges.
After the excitement of those years in Geneva, the move to France in 1987 corresponded to a need for the artist to isolate herself and to find her own path. It’s in Rochebaudin, a small village in the Drome region in France where she found the location conducive to creating. The area, in the middle of a valley, surrounded by cliffs and fields is contemplative and inspiring. Mireille Moser is a rare artist and her work has been exhibited many times. In a career of almost 40 years and counting she still creates and experiments ceaselessly. In her own words « she does not like producing », each piece must be a new adventure. She even goes so far as to produce her own techniques, such as modeling with double sided slabs which give more mass and amplitude to the piece.
Mireille Moser likes volume and color but did not associate them at first. It took time for her to find the subtle alliance of the two and the result is striking, as in her most recent pieces all presented at our gallery. The artist works from slabs made from chamotte and ironstone stoneware clay which she models and on which she applies a porcelain slip and then colors with oxides by paint brush, cloth or her fingers. She sometimes accentuates the volume of the piece by scratching and carving it here and there. The reduction atmosphere firing process she uses and hints of glaze complete the work and reveal rich tones resulting from the the diffusion of the iron in the clay. Sometimes very colorful, sometimes matte black, architectural forms and geometric motifs, these pieces are all the most recent expression of the artist.
