The theatre of everyday
- Thuridur has worked with clay all her life
- She uses natural colours and simple forms
- Having her work in people’s home is a joy
Thuridur Osk Smaradottir began her ceramic journey in Denmark at the young age of five years old. When she relocated to Iceland, she attended the Reykjavík School of Visual Arts alongside regular school. At the age of 20, she received a scholarship to study in the United States at Gonzaga University. Using the skills she has gathered, she walks the thin line between having control on the wheel and losing it, pushing the limits of the clay. She creates humble functional ceramic ware that embodies the energy of the volatile Icelandic weather. For her, the weather holds emotion, she expresses this through her use of colour and form, making pieces which understand the theatre of everyday experiences.
INTERVIEW
In kindergarten, for Easter, all of us kids had to make a coil-built jar in the shape of a bird with its beak wide open. I was mesmerised by the process, and seeing the piece come out of the kiln with a bright glossy yellow glaze was thrilling.
Clay grounds me and connects me to the earth. When I am on the potter’s wheel working, there is nothing else. Its transformation from unfired to fired, draws me in. After firing, the clay can never return to its original form. It is final, and demands my focus.
It means that the maker has a good understanding and knowledge of the material they work with; they have a strong technical skill. They understand when to use certain materials for specific purposes. But then, break the rules, leaving us all in awe.
One memory is early after graduating, when I was working really hard to support myself as a potter far away from home, I realised that it is possible for to make a living doing what I absolutely love. I still feel that sense of delight and luck today.
