Anne Mette Hjortshøj considers one of her trademark oval baking dishes. She describes the construction of this simple cylinder, the decoration and how the two applied slips react in the salt kiln to give interesting results.
In this short film Anne Mette Hjortshøj gives a detailed description of how she constructs, decorates and fires her hand built plates. She discusses the important role that wood firing has when it works with her applied decoration resulting in unique pieces that still work together to form a set.
Anne Mette Hjortshøj looks at one of her trademark square bottles and reveals the surprising way they are constructed. She talks about the importance of getting away from the wheel and how these bottles serve as a canvas for decoration and experimentation.
Anne Mette Hjortshøj describes a lidded jar, a relatively new form in her repertoire. She reveals the Korean inspiration for the glaze colour that she achieves using local materials that she collects herself from the Bornholm countryside.
Anne Mette Hjortshøj takes a simple functional object, a colander, and demonstrates how stacking in the kiln impacts on the colour and textural effects the potter can achieve on the glaze surface in a salt kiln.
Danish potter Anne Mette Hjortshøj examines the surface of one of her jugs and describes the process of the body, glaze and slip meeting and developing in the wood kiln and her delight in her secret kaolin supply on her Bornholm island home.
Anne Mette Hjortshøj shows us one of her typical salt glaze teapots and considers the importance of decoration – a little bit of something to tease the imagination leaving the viewer to complete the story.
Anne Mette Hjortshøj shows us one of her porcelain oval teapots and discusses the different glaze surfaces that develop in the two separate chambers of her kiln. She also touches on the collaboration between herself and the basket maker who makes her willow teapot handles.
Danish potter Anne Mette Hjortshøj talks about the making of her oval teapots and being curious and asking “What if ?” She discusses the important balancing act of form and function and the use of stamp design as texture with salt glaze.
Bornholm potter Anne Mette Hjortshøj explains how her trademark oval dishes were born and discusses the use of texture and stamp decoration with salt-glaze ware.
Danish potter Anne Mette Hjortshøj reveals the inspiration behind her incredible bird bath constructed vessels and describes the depth achieved when layering glazes in a second firing.
