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©Thuridur Smaradottir
©Thuridur Smaradottir
©Björg Pálsdóttir

Thuridur Osk Smaradottir

  • Ceramicist
  • Kópavogur, Iceland
  • Master Artisan
Thuridur Osk Smaradottir Ceramicist
Contact
Icelandic, Danish, English
Hours:
By appointment only
Phone:
+354 6973762
©Thuridur Smaradottir

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.

Read the full interview

Works

  • ©Thuridur Smaradottir
  • ©Thuridur Smaradottir
  • ©Thuridur Smaradottir
  • ©Oddvar Hjartarsson
Photo: ©Thuridur Smaradottir
Three green vases

These three, glazed green stoneware vases, vary in height from 28 to 36cm. They have a narrow bottom, a broad shoulder and an uneven lip that resembles a mountain line. They are thrown and trimmed on a potter’s wheel with a smooth surface. The vases are glazed with a combination of matt and glossy glazes forming a lively surface unique to each piece.

Height 36 cm
Height 30 cm
Height 28 cm

Photo: ©Thuridur Smaradottir
Porcelain cups

These two porcelain cups are decorated with black and white glazes that overlap in the centre vertically. The cylindrical shaped cups are shaped on a potter’s wheel. They are thrown until very thin, leaving marks that emphasise the soft quality of porcelain. The handle is very small and situated on the lower half of the cup for an unusual balance. The result is a dotted grey-brown tone evocative of a seal.

Height 6 cm
Width 5.5 cm

Photo: ©Thuridur Smaradottir
Set of bowls

This set of three nesting bowls is made from porcelain and thrown on the potter’s wheel. The bowls have been decorated with black and white glazes that overlap in the middle horizontally. The bowls are cylindrical in shape with a flat bottom and a smooth flat surface. When the black and white glaze overlap, they create a grey-brown tone with dots evocative of a seal.

Height 9 cm
Width 20 cm

Photo: ©Oddvar Hjartarsson
Bottles wood-fired

These three porcelain bottles were fired in a wood fire kiln and measure 30 to 35cm. They have a moderate belly on the lower half that builds to a narrow and long bottled neck. At the top of the bottles, the lip flares out a little. The bottles are thrown on the potter’s wheel and made from porcelain. They are unglazed and all the decoration is created by the flame, ashes and salt in the kiln.

Height 50 cm

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