I was born and raised just outside of Oslo, on the southern coast of Norway, and my work is deeply influenced by the natural surroundings of my childhood. The sea, the mountains, and the forest contain life that have become vessels for my expression throughout my artistic career. The birds, the fish, and the animals move fast, light-footed, upward, outward, sometimes right off the pot. The bright colors and the light weight and simple lines of the pots themselves complete the picture of the joy I feel about the world around me, wherever I am.
POTTERY PROCESS:
All my pots are wheel-thrown by me. I use white stoneware clay. After throwing 20-30 pieces including spouts and lids, I allow them to dry to the leather hard stage, at which point I can trim the feet (bottoms) and attach spouts and handles. I then let the pieces dry completely (bone dry), so that I can start painting them with slips (liquid clay) with added ceramic stains for color. I also often use wax resist and needle tools in the process.
When this stage is done, they go into the kiln for a first firing (bisque), which prepares them for glaze application. This firing takes about 7 hours and goes up to about 1800°F. It takes at least that long to cool the kiln enough to take the pieces out for glazing.
After brushing, wiping, and waxing the bottoms on every piece, I apply the clear glaze by dipping or pouring.
The glaze fire takes about 14 hours and goes up to 2200°F.
THE TEXTILE ADVENTURE:
About 12 years ago I started thinking about how my designs would look on fabric products, like pillows, shower curtains, duvet covers … I started researching the possibilities. At the time, there really wasn't a lot of affordable options for short run fabrics, but over the last decade or so, things have fallen into place one by one because of new technology and new companies that offered what I was looking for. Lots of research and trial and error have gone into it, and I had just about given up because there was no time left for the actual design work. But now I think I have landed on a great solution with Nature City, a small company in Florida that I am collaborating with. Through them my designs are printed and sewn into different kinds of products and shipped straight from the manufacturer, on demand. The whole process is much more streamlined, and I will be able to update with new designs much more frequently. And that is exciting!
BACKGROUND:
Growing up, I spent much of my time outdoors, fishing, swimming, hiking, and skiing. Nature was a part of life, and I continue to look for it wherever I am. I came to the United States as a college student in Iowa, went to grad school and worked in other parts of the Midwest, before I moved back to Iowa. Here I have a second-story studio with a view to the beautiful Upper Iowa River and the valley it runs through.