ABOUT US
OUR STORY
Grace Ceramics is a small Alsatian brand founded in 2023 by Salomé Fechter. Creative from an early age, Salomé, was still a student when she decided to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps. At 21, she opened her own small village business and launched her first ceramics company, handcrafting each piece with love.
Our ceramist draws inspiration from life’s moments, the simplicity of her daily life, the people around her, and what catches her eye to bring us unique collections that fit seamlessly into our daily routines.
Through her pieces and workshops, Salomé shares her profound kindness and sincerity while explaining her work methods.
Through these pages, you will discover her story, her universe, and her creations.
More Than Just a Passion
« Ever since she was a little girl, Salomé has been a whirlwind of creativity and inspiration. »
– Annie FREY
A passion since childhood
Salomé has always been fascinated by the world of art in all its forms. Her face would light up whenever she picked up a pencil, a paintbrush or color pencils in her hands. As a child, she took drawing and watercolor classes, which allowed her to escape her daily routine and take time for herself.
Her drawings often depicted birds perched on a branch, forest animals such as hedgehog hiding under autumn leaves, or sunflowers blooming in her grandmother’s garden — simply inspired by the beautiful things she saw while wandering around the meadows near her family’s home.
Shortly after discovering painting, Salomé began making polymer clay jewelry, which she carefully wrapped and gave to her loved ones. This experience with synthetic clay was the real first step in her new adventure as a ceramist.
Her beginning with ceramics
It was during the COVID-19 pandemic that Salomé really got into clay. After experimenting with self-hardening clay during the lockdown, she was determined to take ceramics classes once the restrictions were lifted. For her, ceramics is a way to combine her two great passions by creating tableware and everyday objects.
To ensure she never forgets what inspires her on a daily basis, she uses a small camera to capture special moments from her everyday life, as well as artistic images of her creations. She loves to play with light, angles and shadows to create visually stunning compositions.
Through her passions for art and photography, Salomé brings a touch of color and joy to every aspect of her life. She inspires those around her to embrace their own creativity.
Her boundless imagination is reflected in each of her artistic projects, as she loves experimenting with different techniques and materials, to create a unique blend of colors and shapes.
FROM RAW TO REFINED
The Manufacturing Process
In this section, explore the various stages of the ceramic creation process.
Modeling at the Workshop
Our ceramist creates her ceramics entirely by hand in her small workshop in Alsace. She uses the hand modeling technique to achieve unique pieces and a handcrafted look.
After shaping her pieces, she lets them air dry for a few days. Once dry, she carefully cleans them before placing them in the kiln for the first firing, known as the biscuit firing, at 980°C for 12 hours.
Glazing
After the biscuit firing, Salomé cleans the pieces again before glazing them.
Glaze, a composition of several elements, adds color to the piece. She uses the dipping technique, where each piece is clamped in a special handle before being dipped into a bucket of glaze.
Glaze Firing
The final step in the creation of a piece is the glaze firing, where the color of the piece is revealed. The piece is fired a second time in the kiln at 1280°C.
Over the course of 24 hours, the glaze and the piece gradually fuse as the temperature rises, resulting in a finished piece that gives Salomé great pleasure.
Note
Each piece created by our ceramist is unique, no two pieces are alike. That’s what gives this art its charm ♥