Where you creative from a young age?
Yes, I remember in school, age 12, we drew big images using charcoal which were exhibited on the walls of the school. My mum’s friend saw my pictures and encouraged my mother to send me to Reykjavík School of Art – which she did a year later.
Where did you study after school?
I went to the Icelandic Academy of Arts, then I studied ceramics and glass in Denmark at Skolen For Brugskunst. I was the first student to graduate from two departments simultaneously and received an award from Queen Margarethe for my graduation project.
©Ivar Eythorsson
What attracts you to working with clay?
I love working with porcelain, stoneware, cement, glass – but clay for me is especially charming. Turning something so soft into a solid object, the chemical reaction during the firing, the spirals on the wheel and the touch of the brush when painting on it.
Can you tell us a memorable moment in your professional life?
In 2007, I got a mysterious call asking me to bring my biggest pieces to Reykjavík Harbour “to meet someone very special.” For security reasons they couldn’t reveal the identity of the person. It turned out to be Sir Elton John, he wanted to meet me and buy some of my pieces for his art collection.