CREATIVE CLOSEUP: CLAIRE RESNICK

Welcome to Creative Closeup, an ongoing series where we meet inspiring women, learn about their creative practices, and discover the spaces they inhabit.

Recently, we met Philadelphia-based ceramicist Claire Resnick, the artist behind the hand-sculpted buckles of the ISLA Belt—Merlette’s newest statement accessory. Inspired by the organic forms of Toshiko Takaezu and crafted with intention, each buckle is a wearable sculpture, marrying function and form.

We had the honor of capturing Claire in the studio and in Merlette’s Pre-Fall collection. Read more on the journal to explore how her practice with clay is rooted in intuition, texture, and tactile joy.

Can you tell us a bit about your background and what led you to working with clay?

Clay first came to me as a hobby - it was a way to push myself to try something new. I was working in marketing and found that working in the ceramic studio allowed me to release a lot of my stress while encouraging patience and growth. As time passed and the pandemic happened, I tried to spend more time following the joy that I had in the studio. Slowly, I decided to decrease my freelance work and increase my ceramic work. I focused on my happiness which led me to being a full-time ceramicist, something I could only ever dream would be possible.

What was it about ceramics that first drew you in—and what keeps you connected to the practice today?

Ceramics is a very humbling medium, it has taught me to embrace failure as a pathway for growth. There will always be more to learn and challenges to meet, which I find exciting. When I am creating with clay I am fully present in the moment, it is a way for me to enter a flow state. 

Your pieces are richly textural and embrace organic, imperfect form. How do you approach surface and shape in your work?

My forms and surfaces come from celebrating the process of making itself. Each piece is intuitively made, highlighting the techniques I've learned, the state the clay is in, my own anatomy, and the reactions to work I have previously made. Much of the pattern making that I pinch into the pieces represents the paths we dream of, the paths we follow, the paths of our past, and how they interweave while staying enraptured on the form that birthed them. The form itself provides the stability and trust we have in ourselves for these paths to be ever-changing and reactive.

Toshiko Takaezu is an inspiration for Merlette’s Pre-Fall collection. Has her work influenced you, or do you find connection to her philosophy in your own practice?

Toshiko’s work is magnificent and aspirational to me. Her ability to create rhythm in her work is very inspiring, as is her celebration of the mediums themselves. The clay, oxides, and fire all come together to form one complete piece. In her glazing, she highlights her involvement in the process as you see her pours or brush marks, while also celebrating chance.

What was your starting point for designing the ceramic belt buckles for the collection?

There was a clear need for balance between functionality and design for the buckles, so I aimed to create a softness in the shape and edges to feel nice on our stomachs. We collaborated on colorways that called to Toshiko’s work and aligned with Merlette’s pieces. I used the same techniques from my more typical work to create texture with pinching, but in a way that would allow for it to be wearable.

Merlette values craftsmanship, subtle detail, and timeless design. How do those values align with your process?

I am constantly thinking about the timeless nature of my designs and where they fit against the history that clay holds. There is a balance that I am still working towards and honestly won't know until time has passed to understand the visual longevity of the work I am making right now. I do not want or need to be making work that is specifically trendy - there is waste that comes with that and I know this medium has an especially long lifetime we need to consider.

How do natural materials and the hands-on nature of clay shape your creativity?

There is an intuitive nature to clay that most people understand when they touch it - it is a material we understand basically right away. Mastery of the material, firing process, and glazing takes time, but I believe we all have a natural enjoyment in squishing clay around to make things.

There’s a sense of freedom and spontaneity in your forms. How do you balance intuition with structure?

I actually think I am inherently quite a structured person, so that comes out even when I'm spontaneous. Working with clay has been what opened me up to more spontaneity and freedom in my life, so it's exciting to me that you see that in my work!

How did collaborating with Merlette inform or inspire your perspective as a maker?

The textures Merlette highlights have been super inspiring. I have been looking at the pleating, smocking, and seams as pattern references for designs to pinch out, which has led to some exciting motifs. I look to patterns in all mediums and throughout nature so it was exciting to have textures that I can translate into my work. There is more of an exactness in the smocking of Merlette garments that has been pushing me to create more intentional patterns in my work.

How would you describe your personal style, and what kinds of pieces do you find yourself returning to in everyday life?

As a full time artist, a lot of my wardrobe has drifted towards prioritizing comfort on the day to day. Comfort for me requires natural fabrics and loose fits that still look good. I love wearing pieces that are handmade and I shop pretty exclusively with brands that I align morally with, alongside secondhand. My standard outfit is denim and a pretty blouse on top - I’m adding in some Merlette beauties to the rotation - and on days I know I will be getting extra dirty, it's a vintage t-shirt.

Photo Credit: Izzi Tognini-Kirby