Based in Lewes, East Sussex, Louise Bell hand builds ceramic sculptures with multi-layered surfaces. She uses a high firing earthenware clay, slips, underglazes, a lithium glaze and sometimes even gold lustre and enamels to achieve an archaically muted surface, giving the impression that her sculptures are ancient artefacts. Her designs are broadly inspired by folk art and antique playthings. Every piece is unique.
Bell's practice is urgent and ongoing, with each project evolving from the last. Take her ‘Ancient Toys’ collection, inspired by the universal appeal of toys, with sources dating back as far as 1500 BC. Out of that project came the ‘Regeneration’ series, in which ‘pull-along’ animal forms became totemic beings carrying symbols of hope for the environment. Her subsequent works, part of an ‘Endangered Species’ collection, featured endangered animals depicted as toys. These pieces serve as a ominous warning: if we do not change our actions, the living animals will cease to be.
Mere representations will be the only thing left.
Bell studied Fine and Applied Art at City Lit College, London and completed a Masters in Craft, specialising in ceramics at Brighton University. In 2019, she participated in the Craft Council’s Hothouse Programme. She is a member of Design Nation, exhibiting with them at Collect, Somerset House in 2025.