Dalloun / France

Ceramic Artist / Terre Sigillée / The Dancers of Clay and Glaze

Dalloun was born sixty years ago in Le Berry, in the middle of France, a region known for its goat cheese and Sancerre wine, a few kilometers away from a small potters’ village. In La Borne, useful pottery from wood-fired stoneware has been produced since the 15th century. Although ceramics was not a family tradition, he discovered it at the age of 18 when his girlfriend took him to visit her father’s pottery studio. There, he was fascinated by the gestures of the craftsman turners. He left the studio with 20 kg of clay on his moped, but without the lady. He fell in love with clay and wanted to learn more.

In La Borne, traditional pottery was in decline, but a new generation of potters and artists brought new dynamism to stoneware and wood-firing kilns in the village. He began his first learning experience in this atmosphere with Jean Linard. Following that, he spent a few years in meetings, exchanges, and travels, including an initiation to low-temperature firings during a symposium with Paul Soldner.

The second revelation came in the early 90s when he encountered the masterwork of Pierre Bayle, who worked with terra sigillata slips inspired by Greco-Roman ceramics. His initial personal experiences were disappointing until he met Tjok Dessauvage a few years later. During a workshop, Dessauvage helped him acquire the technical foundations.

For the past 15 years, he has focused exclusively on terra sigillata, making his slips with collected wild clays and exploring their infinite variations on his bowls. New horizons have opened through educational work, international exhibitions with Chawan Expo, and travels to India, Korea, and now Taiwan.