BORN IN A BOURGEOIS FAMILY HE DISLIKED, JACQUES RUELLAND WAS A GRADUATE FROM THE SCHOOL OF BEAUX-ARTS IN PARIS IN THE LATE 1940S. IN 1950, HE AND HIS WIFE, DANIELLE, VISITED VALLAURIS IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE; THIS STAY CONFIRMED THEIR DESIRE TO WORK WITH CERAMICS.

THEY STARTED FROM SCRATCH IN A CELLAR IN VERSAILLES, THEN MOVED TO A WORKSHOP RUE DE BUCI IN PARIS. THE COUPLE LEARNED CERAMICS, AS JACQUES RUELLAND WORKED ON TERRA COTTA UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF OTHER ARTS LIKE PAINTNIG OR THEATER. BETWEEN THE 1950S AND THE LATE 1970S, JACQUES AND DANIELLE ACHIEVED A NUMBER OF CERAMIC CONTAINERS LIKE PITCHERS, BOWLS, GOBLETS, VASES, JACQUES WAS MANUFACTURING THE EXACT PIECES DANIELLE HAD IMAGINED. 

THEIR CREATIONS WERE COLORFUL, USING VIVID COLORS LIKE ORANGE, YELLOW, OCEAN BLUE, CORAL RED, BRIGHT GREEN OR BLACK. IN THE 1970S, THE COUPLE SETTLED FOR GOOD IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE IN THE LITTLE TOWN OF LES ANGLES, WHERE THEY EXPERIMENTED NEW CERAMIC TECHNIQUES AND PROMOTED THIS MATERIAL.