Georgia’s Rachel K. Garceau translates her curiosity about found or mundane objects, such as petals, pebbles and the curved points of a pine cone, into striking porcelain work.
Artist: Born in Waterbury, CT, raised in the storied town of Goshen, Garceau lived in small towns throughout New England.
After graduating with a BA in Fine Art, with a concentration in ceramics, from Franklin Pierce College in New Hampshire, Garceau continued her ceramic education through studio assistantships, workshop and residencies.
In 2013, she completed a two-year fellowship at the Penland (NC) School of Craft, studying various methods and materials from blacksmithing to bookmaking to metalsmithing to shoemaking.
Afterward, Garceau was a one-year artist in residence at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, TN. In 2014, she relocated to Atlanta,
Company/studio: Rachel K. Garceau Studio is in the neighborhood of Serenbe in Chattahoochee Hills, GA. The artist, who has been working independently since 2014, has been in her current storefront work space since 2023.
In the beginning: Garceau started college as a K-12 Art Education major because she thought being an art teacher was as close as she could get to being an artist.
During a semester abroad her junior year, she was traveling through the countryside of France, Italy and Spain, continually stumbling upon pottery shops.
“It finally occurred to me that people were making a living this way,” said Garceau. “And that’s what I wanted to do.”
She returned to school and completed her degree in fine arts with a concentration in ceramics, focusing on utilitarian wares.
At Penland, Garceau fell in love with the process of mold making as well as the materials of plaster and porcelain.
That’s when her work took a turn toward sculpture and installations.
Art & materials:
- Porcelain forms for installations, indoors and out. ($3,000 and up) Forms are mostly white, sometimes black and occasionally grayscale or other small bits of color or gold luster. Some have no glaze, leaving the matte finish of the porcelain, while others might have a clear glaze which is glossy, giving the pieces a shiny or wet look.
- Custom pieces for domestic, commercial and public spaces in Georgia, including: the Gas South Convention Center in Duluth; Spa at Serenbe in Palmetto and the Hambidge Center in Rabun Gap.
- Small sculptures and wall pieces ($200 and up). Utilitarian objects, such as cups and service pieces ($30 to $350) through her studio shop.
Process: Mold making and slip casting.
- Typically sculpts original forms in plaster, then creates plaster molds.
- Cast forms in porcelain by pouring liquid porcelain slip into the molds that she created.
- Often utilizes the method of casting and the power of the multiple to create many similar components which she then builds into site-responsive installations in found or constructed locations.
Favorite or must-have tools:
- Mudtools small shredder for carving plaster.
- Surgical scalpel for carving porcelain.
Inspirations: Christo and Jeanne-Claude, artists who met in Paris and worked on outdoor installations.
“No project was too big, no idea to far out, no timeline too long,” said Garceau. “I am forever inspired by how they used their work to draw attention to a new perception to places, buildings, objects that already existed.”
What’s next: Teaching a workshop on mold-making through the Art Farm at Serenbe. May 11-16.
Where to buy:
- Direct from the artist. Contact Garceau through website or make an appointment to drop by the studio.
- Some small objects available: at Bella Cucina and The Object Space in Atlanta. (will add links later).
Connect:
- Instagram: @rachelkgarceau
- Website: rachelkgarceau.com
