Picassiette

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  Véronique Coty

"The Picassiette is, before all else, a tribute and hommage to Mr Raymond Isidore, who, while grave-digger of Chartres' cemetery in France, decorated his house, inside and out, with a mosaic of more than than 60.000 plates ! 
I discovered the picassiette technique in New York, where the seeds of Mr Isidore had begun to sprout anew. Through an artists' workshop there, I learned the picassiette art. It is the art, the freedom to create something beautiful from another beautiful thing. From the beauty of old porcelain plates, I can revive old furniture, an empty box, an antique mirror, wall planks, all being wooden-based surfaces.
The plates that make picassiette are smooth, and shinning like jewels. The variety of styles, colors and forms excite my imagination. I find these beautiful plates in neglected cupboards, in attics, at garage sales; through me they get out again into the world. With a pair of cutting pliers, I recreate them in a structured or destructured way to best fit the object they cover, in a total harmony of form.
Breaking a dish necessitates patience and an infinite delicacy... I love the precise movement required, the dense feel of the material, and the rich, sensuous sound when it breaks. And then, piece by piece, to bring back to life contours of the plates' design, without disturbing the new object's line... that is the art of picassiette!
Picassiette helps me discover a new art of life and helps me believe that life can be sustained by art. And I love being part of the renaissance of an extraordinary art form."