In the line of American artists that Chahan continues to discover and represent, Antoinette Faragallah is a new Californian ceramist with whom Chahan collaborates.
She has shown her work in an exhibition in 2010 at his gallery located at 11 rue de Lille in Paris.
This artist takes her inspiration from the sea world, and she particularly likes to work with clays that have a texture. She uses glazes and oxides that have both natural and metallic appearances.
« I’m most comfortable when my hands are busy. Somehow when I’m working with clay, my subconscious takes over and creative dots get connected. That takes me to another place, almost like being in childhood. What inspires me while working with clay is hearing my quiet self. For me, it is a true form of meditation.
I began studying privately at a local ceramic studio in 2004, adding hand-built items to thrown and altered pieces. When finishing a sculpture, I prefer to see the clay through the glaze.
I think that things you come in contact with that move you or that you enjoy just come out naturally and freely in clay. I’m a native Californian and some of my inspirations come from ocean life and the many visual snapshots of my time as a scuba diver. »
Four years ago, when Californian environmental ceramist stan bitters said to me, “I’m happiest when I’m with clay”, is when something changed in me. It was as if something was put into motion. I admire the works of Hans Coper and Lucie Rie and I am inspired by the metal works of Harry Bertoia. »
