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MO CORNELISSE, CERAMIC ARTIST

A look back at a special Golden Oldie from the MASTERS Gallery collection. Mo Cornelisse has been working as a full-time ceramist since 2012. With her love of craft, fascination with material contradictions and a keen knowledge of form and simplicity, she creates three-dimensional pieces with a golden edge.Online Editorial: Larissa Schaule Jullens
Image: Mo Cornelisse

Lost Toys

"These porcelain dolls remind me of the old days. They give me a warm, secure feeling. I call them Lost Toys, because we live in an age where everything goes through cell phones and computers. Who plays with an old-fashioned doll these days? I designed the dolls and put them in a new form of flowing geometric surfaces. I notice that every customer gives a different interpretation to my sculptures: that is precisely what makes my profession so much fun. I make Lost Toys in series, each time a boy and a girl together. They are each fifty centimeters high. I finish each doll differently by applying gold leaf to specific details. Precise craftsmanship, which I perform patiently, gold leaf by gold leaf. Incidentally, it is always a surprise to me how my work comes out of the mold/oven. The dolls are never identical. I have the bronze sculptures made by a bronze caster, which I then finish myself. I consciously choose to work with Bone China porcelain. This porcelain is of high quality, has a matte structure and is the whitest kind. That look combines perfectly with the gold leaf. The sophisticated light makes the gold details stand out more strikingly."

Cube tower

"With geometric shapes, I create a multitude of angles in my work, allowing light and shadow to prevail on and around the shapes. The exciting contrasts thus created have become my signature over time. I like to play with balance and the viewer's expectations. For example, the elements in Cube Tower seem randomly stacked on top of each other. Thanks to various new techniques including computer design and 3D printing, I have forms at my disposal that I could not make with my hands. At the same time, as a ceramist I am the one who has to realize the final sculpture myself and it remains handwork. The new techniques are the new tools. Cube tower consists of porcelain spheres with twenty surfaces, which get smaller and smaller towards the top. I connect the spheres immediately when they come out of the casting mold, because then they are still wet. This often goes wrong, by the way! This is how I "build" the tower. Then I fire the porcelain at a low temperature. After sanding all surfaces, the second firing follows and I melt the porcelain together to form a whole. My challenge lies in constantly entering into new processes with ceramics and certainly also with other materials. There is still so much to discover in this great profession. The process from idea to final artwork can sometimes take months. This is how I combine modern techniques with my love for clay, an ancient and organic raw material."

Blue Wall

"I live for my craft. The craft aspect of ceramics inspires me and constantly challenges me. After all, when you work with ceramics, nothing is predictable. The material has a will of its own and requires concentration. You can't just go wild and intuitive like a painter. If you do something like that with clay or porcelain, it would collapse under your hands. As an artist, I give my own interpretation to the craft tradition: I experiment with modern techniques and contrasting materials. For me, a sculpture is only successful when the viewer wonders how it was made. Various galleries at home and abroad exhibit my works and I also regularly work with interior architects. Their designs provide me with challenging commissions, because each time I get to respond to a completely different living environment. This enormous Cube wall installation of five by four meters I made for a property developer in London. A collection of geometric elements suggests a continuous movement on the wall. In consultation with the client, I arrived at the final design. The client chose the deep blue hue, which coincided beautifully with the undulating nature of the work."
Take a look at Mo Cornelisse's website here.

Nocknock

A community for artists as well as art lovers. A place where both art and its creator are put under the spotlight. A platform that expands your art world: Nocknock makes not only art, but also the artist visible. A new world full of art pieces, creativity and inspiration opens up. Where. Just online!

Take a look at Nocknock's website here.