Sonia E. Rolland

Sonia E. Rolland

Nériage (mixed colored clay) involves both purposefulness and relinquishing control.  Sonia first encountered the technique when she began practicing pottery in France in the 1990s in Bernard Zberro’s studio.

Making the colored clay, by adding stains to the clay body, is a time and labor-intensive process.  While careful weighing and measuring, extensive testing, meticulous note-taking, and the use of power tools would allow more predictability, Sonia embraces a less scientific approach, focusing instead on producing beauty at each stage of the process, as the thrown pottery pieces morph into different shapes, textures, colors.

Sonia’s utilitarian yet unique pieces are inspired by a Japanese ethos that the search for perfection and conformity makes subtle differences and irregularities all the more valuable.
Contact: sonia.rolland@cantab.net