Turid Haye

Norwegian
handcrafted
ceramics

Movable materials

I live by the ocean and find my inspiration in this uneasy element and its eternal motion. The flow of nature is seen along a distant horizon, in the meeting of the sea and the land, and in the water streaming past stones in the sand.

My work is an enquiry into formal relationships, as seen in clearly defined forms such as boxes, vessels, tiles and tablets, all of which are archaic shapes in the history of clay. I organize various visual techniques on the clay surface to create contrast, tension and interplay among planes, curves, volume and form. To capture the flows and eddies of nature within the simplicity of form is an ongoing conversation between the strength and vulnerability of the material and my personal artistic goals.

Carefully crafted

My ceramic objects are hand built and sculpted in porcelain or stoneware or in a mix of the two. I use various building and forming methods such as slabs, coiling, press moulding and pinching. The clay surface is treated with various oxides, colour slips, wax resist, imprints or sgraffito. I sometimes burnish parts of the surface with a smooth stone. When dry, the pieces are bisque fired to 800°C, then sanded and partly glazed before they are fired again to 1260°C. It is a long and slow process, and every piece becomes unique.

Carefully crafted

My ceramic objects are hand built and sculpted in porcelain or stoneware or in a mix of the two. I use various building and forming methods such as slabs, coiling, press moulding and pinching. The clay surface is treated with various oxides, colour slips, wax resist, imprints or sgraffito. I sometimes burnish parts of the surface with a smooth stone. When dry, the pieces are bisque fired to 800°C, then sanded and partly glazed before they are fired again to 1260°C. It is a long and slow process, and every piece becomes unique.

About the artist

Drawing on 40 years of experience and tacit knowledge of the physical properties of clay materials, Turid´s work explores issues of fragility and strength, personal experience and memory. Her artistic process combines academic research, material exploration, and aesthetic result.

Turid graduated from Bergen College of Art and Design in 1974, after which she studied under George Kokis at the University of Oregon Graduate program in Ceramics. She also holds a Master´s Degree in Art History from the University of Oslo, with a thesis on Norwegian Ceramic Art.

Throughout her career, Turid has had numerous public commissions, and held exhibitions at both national and international venues. She has received several artist scholarships and grants, and her work has been purchased by public and private collections in Norway and abroad.

She has held elective office in the arts, among others as member of the National Jury for The Norwegian Association of Arts and Crafts Annual Exhibition, as well as board member of art centers, art commissions, and galleries.

Turid´s studio is located in the village of Selje, where her work is inspired by the flow of nature along the mountainous coast of western Norway.