Mirabel primarily works in clay. She is also a weaver with a floor loom at home and dabbles in printmaking, mostly relief block prints, but also some silkscreen. She utilizes silkscreened underglaze transfers in her ceramic work that she makes herself. She joined RWS in January 2021. She feels most like herself when she is creating. When she was younger she experienced a lot of social anxiety. Solitude and being in the art room brought her comfort, “I didn’t have to worry about what I was doing or what others might think of me. That was where I belonged. And I just love it, I really like making things, not even for the finished product but the act of making and channeling my creativity in that way. It is very meditative for me. I’ve always known that I need to do something creative.” Mirabel’s work is inspired by botanical illustrations. She likes to focus on the small details that make nature beautiful, “I’ve always really liked just being outside and I’m an observant person. I am always amazed with simple things, like fruit and flowers or a leaf, and wonder how something so beautiful can exist.” Her designs include a lot of florals and leaves and some food botanicals like lemons and oranges inspired by scientific drawings, “I really like illustration, so with my ceramics I do a lot of surface decoration.” Mirabel uses a technique called “Mishima” with a needle tool, also known as a pin tool, to create the surface designs on her ceramics. Her needle tool is the tool she uses most in her work, “I use it in almost every part of my process with ceramics...it’s almost like a pencil for my clay. I couldn’t live without it.”
Mirabel is mostly drawn to ceramics because it is functional, “I am attracted to handmade objects you can use in your home. Using handmade things and having them in your space can enhance your everyday experiences. I think that also comes from my history with anxiety and depression. I’ve learned to be mindful and grateful for the objects in my life that have provided me joy and comfort. I am most comfortable in my own space so I want everything to be curated and I want to provide that kind of accessible experience for other people, to be able to have an object that holds some greater significance or meaning than an ordinary mug, for example, that you could find at a big store.” Mirabel likes to appreciate the small moments, like the first sip of your Monday morning coffee. She adds, “You don’t have to be in a museum to appreciate the beauty that is around us at all times.” However, seeing each brushstroke in Van Gogh’s paintings in real life at the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam summoned a visceral reaction in Mirabel, “...the texture was so alive." It was his Sunflowers* painting, specifically, that created that memorable moment for Mirabel. Experience Mirabel’s work via Instagram @art.by.mirabel or at her Etsy shop, ArtbyMirabel. She can be reached at mirabelkermond@gmail.com. Her website is slated to launch later this month. *Van Gogh's sunflowers were a series of paintings that communicated gratitude. Source: https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/collection/s0031V1962.