It’s a beautiful spring Thursday in Norfolk, and myself and Chloe are currently walking around Sandringham woods (one of the Queen’s estates), discussing life. We stop off in the coffee shop to talk about her practice and eat cake, the conversation goes as follows…
Q- What is your name, age and where are you based?
A-My name is Chloe Mountain, I am almost 21( so 21) and I’m based in London, and Norfolk.
Q- Tell us what your creative practice/ artwork is about
A- My field is ceramic, all of my work is basically plaster/ clay and glass that kind thing, but it always comes back to myself, the project I have been doing recently is very personal so it’s mainly my reflection/ response on how I fell about things opposed to manufactured ceramics. My degree is so ‘mass-made’ which I really don’t care about and I always try to stay away from perfect forms, I always try to push the mold, literally. The first project I created cups that had holes in them, they looked like perfect cups but they were completely pointless and unusable.
Q- What are the main themes/ subjects you explore in your work?
A- Because its obvious pottery, I explore textures and surfaces a lot as that interests me, I’d rather make something that you want to touch and engage with and not be something traditional. Its all about sensations isn’t it? I always try to incorporate that into my work.
Q- Who are your inspirations?
A- Noel Fielding (Noel Fielding), and I am massively into Basquiat (Jean Michel Basquiat)at the minuet, he is the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen in my life, and I visited his exhibition at the Barbican last year which was amazing. Greyson Perry (Greyson Perry- what is art)who, everyone loves. But Basquiat is the main person at the minuet, I love his colours and bold forms.
Q- Where can you see yourself in 5 years time?
A- Asleep, in my bed, if I’m quite honest ill probably be having a nap. Seriously tho, coming to the end of a masters degree in Sculpture, hopefully at the Royal College of Arts in London. I love doing my product design degree, but I don’t want to create things which are mass made so I’d love to move towards sculpture.
Q- If you could give a message to the world, what would it be?
A- Spend time with your grandparents! The older you get the more significant they and their wisdom will become. They’re not always going to be here bro.
To find more of Chloe’s work you can follow her at @cm.syd and @chloemountain.art on Instagram.
The Orange Peel 