In this final instalment of our series on making hollow dishes, Anne Mette works to shape the curve on the bottom section of the dish and find the desired symmetry that makes the dish appear to float. A stable foot is formed and an air hole is added to prevent explosions in the kiln. The following day, porcelain slip is applied with added minerals for a thick textured coat before glazing. Anne Mette finally shows us two finished dishes. She talks about how the different glazes, different clays and different firing positions change the look and feel of her signature form.
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Masterclass | Anne Mette Hjortshøj | Hollow Dishes | Part 2
‘You can do almost anything with this material but you have to do it well. Join Danish potter Anne Mette Hjortshøj in her Bornholm studio for the second part of the making of her signature hollow dishes. In this 10 minute film, she shares tips about sticking clay together. She talks about the memory of … Read more
Masterclass | Anne Mette Hjortshøj | Hollow Dishes | Part 1
Join Danish potter Anne Mette Hjortshøj in her Bornholm studio as she makes one of her signature hollow dishes. In this 20 minute film, she discusses the differences between thrown objects and press moulded ones and how this form is perfect to bring her glazes to life. She talks about wedging and the importance of … Read more
Rewilding Tradition
Anne Mette’s mission to unearth the hidden clays and minerals on the island of Bornholm shows that tradition need not be staid and sterile, writes Robin Holt. Anne Mette Hjortshøj’s originality is born from observing, remembering, and repeating tradition to a point where it becomes a unique and hard-won ‘giving over’ to what has gone … Read more
In Conversation | Anne Mette Hjortshøj | Part 3
Join Anne Mette Hjortshøj in the third and final instalment of our conversation with her on the tiny island of Bornholm off the coast of Denmark. She talks about her support network on the island and the ever-changing relationship between a potter and their kiln, with all the failures that go with it. She speaks of the importance of mentors and the deep satisfaction of making things. Also, we hear her surprise at the continued response to the documentary that brought her and her work international acclaim.
Documentary | Anne Mette Hjortshøj | Paying Honest Attention
Anne Mette Hjortshøj lives and works on the small Danish island of Bornholm situated in the Baltic Sea.
Our documentary gives a gentle and revealing insight into one of Denmark’s leading potters. It follows Hjortshøj’s daily life; collecting clay from the local beach for her glazes, throwing and making pots in her studio, and talking about the firing of her two chamber wood-fired salt kiln and its role in producing the decorative aspects of her work. We learn of her influences both within and outside of the Danish potting tradition and the inspiration she takes from the nature of the island.
Her pots are characterised by a quiet dignity, entirely in tune with her surroundings and demonstrate the greatest respect for both beauty and function.
Square Bottles by Anne Mette Hjortshøj
I don’t usually invent shapes or techniques: I like to understand those that people have made in generations before me. I think that’s what keeps me going, why I am still working as a potter. White slip landscapes of pillowy snow; dappled salt-glaze frostings on claret red fields; each square bottle by Anne Mette Hjortshøj … Read more
Masterclass | Anne Mette Hjortshøj | Teapots
Anne Mette Hjortshøj demonstrates how she makes one of her signature oval teapots. Working in her studio on the Danish island of Bornholm, she throws the body, lid and spout and makes two little handles for the handmade willow handle.
In Conversation | Anne Mette Hjortshøj
Join gallery owner Mike Goldmark in conversation with celebrated Danish potter Anne Mette Hjortshøj. Broadcasting live from the tiny island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea, Anne Mette Hjortshøj began her career in ceramics with a student apprenticeship to fellow potter Phil Rogers in 1998. Rogers has said that he was apprehensive before he met her; with her arrival, however, he knew instinctively that Anne Mette was not only humble and attentive but greatly talented, displaying inner strength and determination that will ensure a long and creative career.
Anne Mette talks about her first contact with Mike and Goldmark Gallery, her time with Phil Rogers and meeting the Queen of Denmark. She shares her philosophies on potting and the life of a potter and shows us some of her new work fresh from her wood fired kiln.
Exhibition Review | Anne Mette Hjortshøj at the Goldmark Gallery 2016
The reception of the November 2016 ceramics exhibition of work by Anne Mette Hjortshøj was overwhelming. Originally consisting of an astounding 380 pots – a number that could comfortably fill 2 independent shows – Goldmark sold over half the exhibition pots before we had even opened. Since then, more and more pieces have been flying … Read more