Kristine Thenman
Kristine Thenman creates stories with clay that have their origin in nature. Her idiom and strong illustrative manner with organic patterns associates both Art Nouveau and folklore.
Surrounded by the Värmland forest in Edane outside Arvika in Sweden, where she grew up, Kristine carries out her work with clay. In her family, the forest has always been a natural part of everyday life and has stood for permanence and security. With a deep anchoring in the material and the place, Kristine creates something familiar and safe in her ceramics, while the process is playful and free. One thing leads to another, and with inspiration from art nouveau and folklore, the forms of nature and the decorative are drawn out of the clay. The recognizability and warm tones of the earthenware connect to the local pottery tradition that is there as a backbone to lean on. At the same time, in Kristine’s work there is always a renewal that sharpens the viewer’s gaze on the domestic and makes the forest appear in new forms.
Thenman was educated in Bergen and at HDK in Gothenburg. Through several solo shows and participation in a large number of group exhibitions, she has continued exploring different environments and enchanting the contemporary art scene as well as the world of crafts with her curious shapes.
For Fine Little Day, she has also made patterns for textiles, vases, trays and other products.
Q: What does your work process look like in general?
A: The process is free and playful. If someone were to look into my studio when I work, they would probably perceive it as chaotic. I have a lot going on at the same time, it's an atmosphere filled with activity, shapes and materials.I often begin with a word or a form as a starting point, and then model intuitively based on that. One leads to the other. In parallel, I sketch with pen and paper but also by photographing. In this way, I build up a layer of shapes that I can pick from. A leftover shape from a previous project can get a new life and be completed in the encounter with something else. In this way, the projects overlap and slide into each other. I often start at one point and end up somewhere completely different.
Q: Which part of the process is most enjoyable?
A: I love to shape, that's definitely what drives me! In the moment I disconnect the brain and let my hands and intuition take control. The clay is a direct material and I can produce shapes that I did not know I had inside me.
Q: What would an ultimate work situation look like for you?
A: Completely undisturbed time in the studio and a deadline or exhibition well in advance. I need a goal with my work, or else nothing will be done.
Q: If you would change roads (other than ceramics today, where would you go?
A: It would be exciting to work as a set designer, to work in large spaces and build scenery.
Q: What part would you say is most challenging with your work?
A: Getting it together financially is clearly the most difficult thing. At times I doubt whether what I do is important to anyone other than myself. In those moments, I usually think of myself as part of something bigger, a link in a chain, someone who carries on the tradition and the craft. Then it feels a little easier.
Q: Would you advise your children to follow your career path? Why?
A: Absolutely! My parents have never questioned my choices but supported me. I will do the same with my children, whether they want to become ceramic artists or something else.
Q: If you could meet any artist / role model, dead or alive - who would it be and why?
A: I would like to travel back more than a hundred years in time and meet some of the strong women we remember today: Karin Larsson, Maja Fjeastad and Märta Måås-Fjetterström. To experience the time around the turn of the century and talk to them about their driving force and creativity would be super exciting.
The vase KROKUS, exclusively designed for Fine Little Day, is a poetic and organic bell-shaped sculpture, where Kristine Thenman connects her various art-making skills together.
KROKUS is made of earthenware and is available in four sizes and three colors. With or without flowers in it, it captures the attention in the room. The pointed leaf-shaped edge allows for compositions where stems can rest between the leaves. Arrange it in a group with several sizes or place a solitaire on the table. The vase is molded and glazed in a handcrafted way. The presence of the hand is always present in the end product, a feature that we love, as it tells the story of how the product is made.
"I love to model. To let my hand work intuitively and find shapes in the lump of clay. The vase came about when I needed some small vases for the children's first spring bouquets, the ones without leaves and not so much stalk for that matter either. The crocus is a favorite when it appears as a splash of color in the gray-beige last year's grass, in early spring."
