Ellcy Cieb
Ceramist Cécile Gilbert-Byl was born in 1975 in Cholet, France. She lives and works in the Vendée region. Her creations bring beauty in everyday life.
She studied in the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Cholet and Angers and graduated in History of Art at University of Tours. For twenty years she dedicated her life to the study of decor and art carpentry in museums and on the historic monuments worksites. On the side she started to work with clay and learned pottery turning with Jeanne Schmidt and glazing techniques with Matthieu Liévois.
Cécile works side by side with her husband William Byl, sculptor and ceramist. They join their visions to create four hands works, mostly vases with engraved stylised animal figures.
The vases we selected at Circa are made of glazed stoneware, showing contrasts of surface and colour, creating geometric motives that remind of landscapes, trees or figures. The vases are turned and fired at high temperature, finished with engobe and glossy enamels. She experiments with various shapes and motives, fascinated by the precision of the glazing technique and the magic randomness of the kiln.
As Cécile says: “The main characteristic of my work is, I think, a pronounced taste for research and experimentation. I like creating new shapes, new motives and trying new experiments. I cherish my creative freedom and I don’t wish to limit myself to one style or form of expression.”
