Pottery destination Southern France – Le Don du Fel

 

Le-Don-Du-Fel-Gallery in France

Le Don Du Fel gallery/studio

 

 

Le-Don-Du-Fel-Gallery with pottery on display

Le Don du Fel Gallery

 

 

Le Don du Fel – French contemporary ceramics

 

The pottery centre Le Don du Fel is perched on a crest overlooking the Lot valley and commands sweeping views of the picturesque countryside of Aveyron. Architecturally, it’s an abstract array of five ochre coloured curvilinear cylinders that are juxtaposed against the gentle rolling green hills. Inside the complex, there is a contemporary ceramics gallery, facilities for lectures and workshops and a retail store for a diverse selection of quality ceramic arts. Located in close proximity to the village of Le Fel and about 11km from Entraygues Sur Truyere, the region features lush vineyards and scenery.
Up to 7 exhibitions are displayed each year featuring renown ceramicists such ae Claire Curneen, Emmanuel Peccatte, Peter Beard, Christiane Wilhelm and currently Cormac Boydell. Other high caliber artists like Spanish potter Teresa Girona, French potter Geoffroy Pascal, Geoff Shapiro and founder Suzy Atkins also have their designer ranges on display.
The Le Don du Fel centre has been evolving since the 70’s when Nigel and Suzy Atkin (UK & USA) put the project in motion, resurrecting the building from ruins.  The utilitarian salt glaze wares of ‘Poterie du Don’ kitchenware products are also produced and sold from the site. “The whole mission here is not just to sell our own work, although that’s very important; it’s part of our identity, but really to show the best of European ceramics in a French context, which means people are constantly discovering things when they come here,” says Nigel. “We have a selection of artists. We work a lot with English-speaking artists, and we work a lot with Spanish artists. We are very proud to be recognized because we work for every taste and every budget, combining art and utility. We work for open-mindedness

Situated in the central south of France, the nearest French city is Toulouse, approx a 2 hours drive. Below are some of the potters contributing to the extensive collection :-

 

Agnes His

 

Agnes-His-ceramic sculpture trees

Agnes His

 

 

Andreas Steinemann

 

andreas-steinemann-ceramic-conical bowl - black and white

Andreas Steinemann

 

 

andreas-steinemann-ceramic-conical bowl polychrome stripes

Andreas Steinemann

 

 

Ann Goodfellow

 

 

Ann Goodfellow ceramic female figure sculpture

Ann Goodfellow

 

 

ann-goodfellow posing with her sculptures

Ann Goodfellow

 

 

Ann Van Hoey

 

Ann Van Hoey burnt orange contemporary folded vessel

 

 

Arshaf Hannah

 

The vessels of Hannah are an intensely poetic fusion of sensual curves and delicately defined edges that confer on each piece a statuesque majesty that is particularly convincing.

 

Arshaf Hannah contemporary ceramic sculpture

Arshaf Hannah

 

Two Arshaf Hannah sculptural ceramic vessels

Arshaf Hannah

 

 

Athena Jahantigh

 

Athena-Jahantigh-ceramic-anamorphic horse

Athena Jahantigh

 

 

Athena Jahantigh-ceramic-ram

Athena Jahantigh

 

 

Bodil Manz

 

Bodil Manz-ceramic-cylindrical vessel with geometrical pattern decoration

Bodil Manz

 

 

 

Zablocki Lopes

 

Zablocki-Lopes

Zablocki Lopes

 

 

Brigitte Iemfre

 

Brigitte-Iemfre-ceramic-lion figurine in red

Brigitte Iemfre

 

Brigitte-Iemfre-ceramic-red bull figurine

Brigitte Iemfre

 

Cormac Boydell

 

Cormac Boydell-ceramic-wall plaque

Stags and Cattle – Cormac Boydell

 

 

Cormac Boydell-ceramic-wall plaque

Leaving the Island – Cormac Boydell

 

 

 

Christian Pradier

 

-ceramic-bear figurine by christian-pradierChristian Pradier

 

 

Christian Pradier

 

 

Claude Champy

 

Claude-Champy--ceramic-abstract sculpture

Claude Champy

 

 

Claude Champy black glazed ceramic sculpture abstract form

Claude Champy

 

 

 

Claudi Casanovas

 

Claudi-Casanovas-ceramic-art biomorphic sculptur

Claudi Casanovas

 

 

 

-ceramic-art

Claudi Casanovas

 

 

Suzy Atkins

 

Suzy-Atkins ceramic soup tureen

Suzy Atkins

 

 

Double gourd vase with flared top - Suzy Atkins

Suzy Atkins

 

 

Suzy Atkins French pottery

Suzy Atkins

Le Don du Fel tablerware

 

 

Florence Pauliac

 

 

Florence-Pauliac-symmetrical ceramic sculpture

Florence Pauliac

 

 

raku sculpture by Florence-Pauliac

Florence Pauliac

 

 

Florence-Pauliac portrait photo

Florence Pauliac

 

Duncan Ayscough

 

 

duncan-ayscough-ceramic-art

Duncan Ayscough ceramic vessel

 

 

 

 

Duncan Ayscough long neck vessel with flared mouth

Duncan Ayscough

 

 

Duncan Ayscough

 

 

Teresa Girones

 

Depth of expression characterizes Teresa Girone’s figural sculptures and these two examples are no exception.

 

Teresa-Girones ceramic bust of an african boy

Teresa Girones

 

 

Teresa-Girones ceramic tile with female face

Teresa Girones

 

 

 

Elaine Peto

 

elaine-Peto ceramic horse sculpture

Elaine Peto

 

Michel Blanc

 

Michel Blanc

 

 

Johanna Hair

 

Johanna Hair

 

Johanna-Hair raku penguins

Johanna Hair

 

 

Johanna Hair

 

 

Jin Eui Kim,  Sth, Korea

Jin Eui Kim plays with illusion and space, through the arrangements at varying intervals of bands of contrasting color.

 

 

Jin-Eui-Kim horizontal striped ceramic sculpture

Jin Eui Kim

 

 

Jin Eui Kim

 

 

 

Jeff Shapiro

 

Jeff Shapiro sculptural ceramic vase

 

Jeff Shapiro

 

Jeff Shapiro

 

 

Jeanne Opgenhaffen

 

Jeanne-Opgenhaffen-textures ceramic wall sculpture

Jeanne Opgenhaffen

 

 

Jeanne-Opgenhaffen white ceramic art panel

Jeanne Opgenhaffen

 

Jean Francois Fouilhoux

 

Jean François Fouilhoux

 

8

Jean Francois Fouilhoux

 

 

Joan Carrillo, Spain

 

 

Joan-Carrillo contemporary ceramic vessel

Joan Carrillo

 

 

 

Joan-Carrillo contemporary ceramic bottle

Joan Carrillo lustre ceramic bottle

 

 

Isabelle Leclerc

 

Isabelle-Leclerc brown swirl layered sculpture

 

Isabelle Leclerc

 

 

Isabelle Leclerc

 

 

Henk Wolvers

 

By concentrating on the physical qualities of his chosen material and by using only the simplest techniques of fabrication, often pushed to their limits, he has composed, always with an immutable elegance, a highly personal hymn to lightness and translucency. Dutch artists Henk Wolvers elaborates a refreshing narrative for contemporary porcelain.

 

Henk-Wolvers black, white and blue ceramic sculpture

Henk Wolvers

 

 

Henk-Wolvers three sculptural vessels

Henk Wolvers

 

 

Enric Mestre

 

Enric-Mestre geometric sculpture ceramic

Enric Mestre

 

 

Enric Mestre

 

 

 

Emma Rodgers

 

Emma Rodgers abstract bull ceramic sculpture

 Emma Rodgers

 

Geoffroy Pascal 

 

Pascal-Geoffroy-

 

 

 

Elke Sada

 

Elke Sada

 

 

 

drip glaze footed vase in red, brown and white

Elke Sada

 

 

Jongjin Park

 

His sculptures surprise us by the improbable nature of their construction which clearly and radically extends the expressive potentialities of clay.

 

Blue-ceramic-sculpture by Jongjin-Park

Jongjin Park

 

 

Jongjin-Park-ceramic-abstract cubes

Jongjin Park

 

 

Lut Laleman

 

 

Lut-Laleman-wavy ceramic-sculptural vessels

Lut Laleman

 

 

Lut-Laleman-wavy ceramic-sculptural vessels

Lut Laleman

 

 

 

Maria Bosch

 

Catalan artist Maria Bosch creates superb big stoneware pots, half-way between jars and steles, whose profoundly mineral surfaces carry large areas of muted colour circumscribed by a looping web of dark lines.

 

 

 

-ceramic-art

Maria Bosch

 

 

 

Martin McWilliam

 

McWilliam forges his investigations, to further push his diverted containers into a spatial ballet where the outside, the inside and the immediate environment enter into a strong and accomplished reaction.

 

Martin-McWilliam-ceramic-contemporary vessels with textured surface

Martin McWilliam

 

 

Martin McWilliam-curvy ceramic-sculptural vessel

Martin McWilliam

 

 

 

Martin McWilliam with one of his ceramic sculptures

Martin McWilliam

 

 

 

Merri Wells

 

Merri-Wells--ceramic-angel sculpture

Merri Wells

 

Michal Fargo

 

Michal-Fargo--ceramic-art Light blue rough texture vase

Michal Fargo

 

 

-ceramic-art

Michal Fargo

 

 

 

Michal Fargo

 

 

Nicholas Lees

 

British ceramicist Nicholas Lees, through his flawless technical perfection, communicates a sensation of dematerialized lightness, which calls to mind trompe l’œil effects which are both dynamic and bright. His shapes overcome the archetypal form of the vase and become motion, perception and intangible uncertainty.

 

Nicholas-Lees-white grouping of ceramic-sculpture vessels

Nicholas Lees

 

 

Nicholas-Lees-white grouping of ceramic-sculpture vessels

Nicholas Lees

 

 

 

Nicholas Lees

 

 

 

Paul Philp

 

Paul-Philp--ceramic-faceted vase with speckled glaze

Paul Philp

 

 

Chantal Cesure

 

Chantal-Cesure ceramic bowl

Chantal Cesure

 

 

 

Peter Beard

 

Peter-Beard-ceramic-winged sculpture

Peter Beard

 

 

 

Peter-Beard-ceramic-vertical striped bottle light blue and lavender

Peter Beard

 

 

Peter Beard

 

 

Sangwoo Kim

 

Sangwoo-kim-ceramic-art sculpture - pink and red vessel

Sangwoo Kim

 

Polymorphic -ceramic-art sculpture by Sangwoo Kim

Sangwoo Kim

 

 

 

Sangwoo Kim

 

 

Sara Moorhouse

 

Sara Moorhouse-ceramic-striped horizontally bowl

Sara Moorhouse

 

Sara-Moorhouse-ceramic-striped horizontally striped bowl in orange, black and white

Sara Moorhouse

 

Sara Moorhouse

 

 

Simon Griffiths

 

“My work primarily stems from direct observation of the subject I am portraying. The stylistic and constructional considerations are secondary to portraying the subject as honestly as I can. This is not to say that I strive to make my work realistic in the literal sense, instead I seek to capture and portray that sense of awareness that is present in all living things. I like to think that every one of my sculptures has some of the soul of the animal within it.”

 

ceramic-art owl sculpture Simon-Griffiths

Simon Griffiths

 

 

-ceramic-art

Simon Griffiths

 

 

Simon Griffiths

 

 

 

Simon Zsolt Jozsef, Hungry

 

” I don’t want to catch the forms but the process of forming. Not the fruit or the flower, which are always changing and growing but the growth and change itself, which will form the material.” says Joszef.

Simon-Zsolt-Jozsef-ceramic sculpture bottle - light blue

Simon Zsolt Jozsef

 

 

Simon Zsolt Jozsef

 

 

Steen Kepp

 

Steen-Kepp--ceramic-raku vessels

Steen Kepp

 

 

-ceramic-art

Steen Kepp

 

 

-ceramic-art

Steen Kepp

 

Susan Obyrne

 

 

Susan-Obyrne-ceramic-bird figurine

Susan Obyrne

 

 

-ceramic-art

Susan Obyrne

 

 

 

Sylvian Meschia

 

Sylvian-Meschia ceramic-vessel with arabesque design

Sylvian Meschia ceramic vessel – arabesque decoration

 

 

Sylvian-Meschia ceramic-vessel with arabesque design

Sylvian Meschia

 

Sylvian Meschia

 

 

Wendy Lawrence

 

Wendy Lawrence-ceramic-art sculpture

Wendy Lawrence

 

 

Wendy-Lawrence

Wendy Lawrence

 

 

Wendy Lawrence

 

Wouter Dam

 

Wouter Dam

 

 

Wouter-Dam

Wouter Dam

 

 

 

Yoshimi Futamura

 

Yoshimi-Futamura ceramic sculpture

Yoshimi Futamura

 

 

Yoshimi-Futamura ceramic sculpture

Yoshimi Futamura

 

 

Yoshimi-Futamura ceramic sculpture with nature texture

Yoshimi Futamura

 

 

 

Yoshimi Futamura

 

 

Home – Le Don du Fel

 

 

 

 

 

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4 Comments

  1. Posted March 10, 2017 at 6:19 pm | Permalink

    Amazing post thank you.

  2. Raffaella Roca
    Posted June 4, 2017 at 1:16 am | Permalink

    Hi. Yours is the best site I have seen about pottery. I am from Italy. I don’t know my English how it is . Ciao

  3. Robbie I. Hood
    Posted June 4, 2017 at 9:53 am | Permalink

    Thanks and your English is pretty good.

  4. Alejandro Londoño
    Posted May 18, 2019 at 1:21 pm | Permalink

    C’est un très beau et intéressant endroit, j’aimerais le connaître dans ma prochaine visite en France

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