Elisabeth Le R¡§¦tif
Ordinary, Elisabeth Le R¡§¦tif works with paperclay and fires as raku. ¡¡ãIt is at once simpler and yet more complicated than the process one usually associates with that term. Simpler in that there is no bisque firing, the sculptures are fired as greenware to a temperature of 1100¡æ within 8 hours. More complicated in that more care is required in the early stages of firing because the composition of the clay is crucial to success, not to mention the post firing techniques which must be carried out at the correct temperature. The sculptures can be large, up to 2m high is not unusual.¡¡À
¡¡ãThe work of Elisabeth Le R¡§¦tif is mainly figurative and generally inspired by a theme, whether literary ... But perhaps the most ongoing theme is her portrayal of ordinary man and woman, the depiction of those who seem to be powerless to change their lives. At Aberystwyth Festival demonstrator¡¯s exhibition, Le R¡§¦tif created a large installation that consisted of a long paper carpet. On this carpet were ¡¡ãordinary people¡¡À, all facing the same way. Each had some short comment by their feet, written in such a manner as to create a wavy line. The combination of all these people and lines was to create a feeling of flow and one had the sense of them all moving in one direction. In the center of these people was an enormous anguished figure, towering above them, as if, it seemed, expressing their suffering.¡¡À From ¡¡ãCeramics Technical Review¡¡À, writer Audrey Richardson from UK.