by: Tom & Rosalie Nadeau

7.5" x 13"

Authentic Pottery Flounders

Rosalie Nadeau is a potter, widely acclaimed for her lifelike stoneware interpretations of flounder and striped bass. "I never dreamed I would work in clay," says Nadeau. "I liked it in art school, but never took it seriously."

Her familiarity with flounders began with her commercial fishing experience where she learned the importance of handling every fish with a great amount of care. She demonstrates this spirit of patience and attention to detail in her functional ceramic sculpture.

Nadeau is a production potter, turning out platters, plates and bowls of consistent high quality. She works out of her Orleans home/studio with her husband Tom. "Tom and I have a set division of labor," she explains. "I do what is artistic; He does the rest." Tom works the clay through the slab roller and cuts the fish from templates. Rosie begins work on what looks like a pancake. "I try to manipulate the clay so that each fish has a personality," she says. The scale pattern is rolled on, using crocheted cloth made by Rosie’s grandmother. She incises the fins and applies eyes and nose, creating a three-dimensional sculpture. the pieces are then dried, glazed and fired.

She uses six lead free glazes, sprayed on in combination, and feathered together in layers, “I strive for iridescence," she says. “I like that shiny, wet look.” the amazingly alive appearance and genuinely unique character of each individual fish reflects her “one at a time” approach.

All of her high fire stoneware is ovenproof, microwave and dishwasher safe.