Kristine Thenman

Ceramicist | Edane, Sweden

Infatuated with pottery

Kristine wants to add playfulness to the local ceramic tradition
A decorative aspect is always present in her work
She finds inspiration in nature, Art Nouveau and flea market finds

Kristine Thenman discovered clay at the age of 14, when she joined her sister on a pottery course. She became ecstatic about the material, its texture and mouldability, and still describes her relationship to it as an infatuation. Today, after a master's in ceramic art from the Academy of Art and Design in Gothenburg, she lives and works in the northern town of Arvika. Decoration is a central part of her work, and besides plates, bowls and candle holders, she makes clever and quirky pieces of ceramic wall decoration, clocks, lamps and edgings. The region around Arvika has a long tradition of ceramic craftsmanship. Kristine seeks inspiration in that tradition, as well as in nature, Art Nouveau and flea market finds, while always trying to inject a sense of playfulness.

Interview

Do you remember the first object you ever made?: On the course I took with my sister, I made a small box with a mermaid on its lid. My seven-year-old found it the other day and thought it was amazing. The decorative aspect has always been central to my work, although today in different ways.
What interests you about decoration?: I’ve always been interested in patterns. With my wall decorations, I wanted to let the pattern transcend from being a subordinate shape to a decorative element in itself. It proved quite difficult to make large-scale pieces, so I started with smaller ones and put them together.
And you sometimes add other materials?: Sometimes the ceramic piece is my starting point, sometimes it’s the other material. I constantly seek interesting shapes in my surroundings. It could be an egg cup or something I find at the flea market. It helps set the boundaries of the piece I’m making.
How do local ceramic traditions affect your work?: I want to keep the tradition in my rucksack, so to speak. But I don’t want the rucksack to become too heavy. I find inspiration in that tradition, but I also seek to develop it. I hope I’m adding a sense of playfulness.

Kristine Thenman is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2007