“I like to think that the world is a marble in the dark pocket of a giant’s coat, so I guess the universe would expand into the giant’s T-shirt.”

Name
Lea Schelling

Profession
Ceramic artist and chef

Website
instagram.com/studiobeurre/

Where are you from?
Munich

Your style in 3 words?

Joyous, warm, intuitive

Your weakness? Your strength?

I’m impatient when it comes to techniques, so I guess it fits that my strength is to not overthink. (At least when it comes to my art, many other things I tend to think through and through and through)

What makes you different?

I don’t think I’m that different, in fact probably quite average.

When did you decide to become a chef and artist?

There has always been much air for creativity in my family, I would design the most special birthday invitation cards with my mum from a young age – my dad introduced music to our lives, and we all played instruments and sang together. And at the end of the day, important things were discussed over a heartwarming meal.
Becoming a chef at age 23 was probably the first brave step back towards my creative roots and I can sense that more and more is unleashing within me – I can express so much more through a lovingly prepared dinner or an object shaped by my hands. It’s like entering a different level of speaking my mind. So I guess I didn’t decide to make art, it just feels right.

Do you choose your art form, or does the form choose you?

I often start, thinking I know precisely what a piece and every detail will look like. Quite soon I notice that the clay between my fingers has a mind of its own and wants a say in the result as well. This happens with every new object, maybe one day I will have full faith in my hands and the material they touch.

What do you find most fascinating about the creative process?

I like how I feel incomplete without my little sketchbook in my pocket and how ideas find their way into my mind in unexpected situations – all of a sudden I feel an itch in my fingertips to make a quick drawing or even better get started right away. I’m fascinated every time that my work has an impact on people I don’t know, that it maybe even unlocks an emotion.

A few words about your favorite creation?

It’s probably my candle holder „Odette“, which can be placed onto the neck of a (wine) bottle and holds two candles. To me, it’s such a simple item but it always creates a spark in people’s eyes.
I also had great fun carving sculptures and vases from butter blocks for my first art show at the Nella Beljan Gallery.

What surprised you most about your first art shows?

I was surprised I even got invited to an art show, all of a sudden my work was moved out of my little studio and on display for the real world, something I never really imagined.

Someone else’s work that inspired or inspires you…

Paintings by Matisse (sometimes I picture my checked vases being part of one of his still lifes), I adore Heather Chontos’ colors, Yayoi Kusama’s endless dots, and Italy’s cucina povera.

Who would you like to work with someday and why?

I’d love to make a candle holder for MoMA in New York because I love their design shop and I love New York. It’s also a dream of mine to exhibit at 1000 Vases in Paris. I’m excited about most kinds of collaborations as I enjoy the communal feeling of creating together and being part of a bigger picture.

A new project coming up or an idea you want to work on?

An idea that’s been roaming around is to cook with clay – meaning to wrap vegetables, fish, or bread in clay and bake it in a fire until done. It’s an ancient cooking method and I’d like to make use of it today.
I’m also interested in making my glazes adding natural components such as sand, eggshells, or ash for different effects and a purer approach to my ceramics.

Finish the sentence „More important than my career are…“

…my friends and my family. They’re really all that matters to me in life.

2023: Where are we going?

Are we even still going or are we fading already? I like to let optimism win but it feels like the whole world is burning.

Do you think about time as an artist?

I must, the process of making ceramics takes time, it requires scheduling and considering time in advance. For myself personally, the concept of time is difficult to grasp though.

When the going gets tough…

Music and a plate of pasta always save me.

Put on your future vision glasses: What direction is our generation moving in, what will our world look like in 50 years?

I see a lot of good in our generation and the ones coming next. I see very respectful behavior towards nature and other individuals, young folks are not afraid to call out inappropriate or illegal behavior, confronting politicians and other public figures. And yet I see our society drifting further apart, the right is confidently taking up a bigger part amongst us and enough individuals act incredibly irresponsibly nurturing their own benefit.
I don’t know what our world will look like but I want to be hopeful.

What would you do if you could change the World?

I’d put a whole lot of women into powerful positions and stop our planet from heating up because I believe this is the root of most conflicts, wars, and disasters today.

What does freedom mean when it comes to art?

Artistic freedom to me means being detached and independent from external influences. Financial insecurity, lack of confirmation or opinions of people I want to like me might have a greater influence on decisions I make than I’d like to. Being rather free of those irritating factors and using my tools as an extension of my deepest inside – that’s freedom to me.

If the universe is everything and it’s expanding, what is it expanding into?

I like to think that the world is a marble in the dark pocket of a giant’s coat, so I guess the universe would expand into the giant’s T-shirt.

Tell us about your future plans…

I have a few exciting collaborations coming up and commissioned pieces I need to plan and get going in the next months. I sometimes dare to dream of owning a proper little studio in the future.

Your city’s favorite spots?

She said, Nella Beljan Gallery, Passage Kino, Körnerpark, Restaurants Lode&Stijn and Hallmann&Klee. I’m always stopping at Museumsinsel, it feels grand and dramatic, strolling on Sonnenallee is like a short vacation in 5 different countries, sitting at Ankerklause watching very normal and unique interactions.

A book that everyone should read…

Normal People by Sally Rooney and Sprache und Sein by Kübra Gümüsay

Last but not least: what is your favorite Song?

It’s a new one every week but this week it is „Take a Chance on Me “ by Domi and JD Beck with Anderson Paak

One last statement please: „Wood or stone, gold or art?“

I want the warmth of wood.

Your #…?

#studiobeurre