Studio Visit: Mette Maya Gregersen, Silkeborg, Denmark

Just the Facts

Clay
porcelain (china clay), stoneware with grog, paper clay

Primary forming methods
slab building, press molding, combining organic structures with wet clay

Primary firing temperature
bisque firing to 1832°F (1000°C)
glaze firing to 2309°F (1265°C)

Favorite surface treatment
painting with slips, creating textures with wet slip

Favorite tools
my hands, a knife, cutting thread, and brushes

Studio

My studio is out in the countryside, between a lake and a forest. It is an extension of my house. I love being right in nature where it’s quiet and dark at night. The countryside allows me to reflect and be in my own thoughts, to disappear into another world. This is where all of my impressions from traveling around the world settle and become new inspiration and ideas. Part of my studio (1238 square feet) is under my house, so it feels like a cave, and the other part (431 square feet) is a built-on extension with lots of light from windows on all sides and a glass door. It reflects my mood, and the space has a cozy atmosphere.

My favorite aspect of the studio is that it has so many rooms; it’s like a house in itself. It has a kiln room, a glaze room, a workspace, a drawing room, a kitchen, bathroom, etc. And because we built it ourselves, it is made to fit an artist. The floor is painted blue, like the ocean. Aside from my three electric kilns, I have a wood stove to keep it warm.

In my main workroom, I have a large table and a slab roller. There is a good workflow between those two areas. In the middle, I have managed to squeeze in a small office area with lots of books. While it may not be very practical, it is an important area for reflection and contemplation. All my wooden boxes—which hold my tools, knives, hammers, a heat gun, slips, brushes, etc.—are on wheels so that it is easy to move them around, as my floor is also a work area for mixing paper clay.

I have open studio days throughout the year, where everyone is welcome to visit; otherwise it’s just me in the studio. As I travel often, my days are never the same, so it is not possible to have daily open hours. When I am not traveling, I am in my studio every single day. There is always something to do, and I love being there.

Paying Dues (and Bills)

When I was 16 years old, I finished school and started as a pottery apprentice to Viggo Hummel at Røgen Pottery in Denmark, throwing pots on a kick wheel. After my time as an apprentice, in 1989, I set up my own studio in the South of France where I worked for several years, selling pots to buy bricks for the house we were building. Then, in 1994, I moved to Aldeburgh, Suffolk County, in the UK to work for a ceramic artist, Gary Wornell, who encouraged me to study ceramics in London. At that time, I had already been traveling and working with clay for 7 years, so I hadn’t thought about going to school but deciding to do so was one of the best things I ever did. I moved to London to study in 1995. I now have a bachelor’s degree in ceramics from Camberwell College of Arts in London, England (1994–1999), as well as a diploma in arts and design and a master’s degree in art and psychotherapy from the University of Sheffield in England (2001–2003).

I form clay, but clay has really formed my life, too. I have followed many opportunities where it was possible to teach, learn, and explore. Clay and ceramics have led me all over the world. I have had residencies and participated in symposiums at the Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute in China; the Kecskemet International Ceramic Studio in Hungary; The Place on PCH in Oceano, California; the Yingge Ceramic Museum, New Taipei City, Taiwan, as part of the assembly with International Academy of Ceramics; San Cataldo Monestary, Amalfi Coast, Italy; Thalassa Museum, Cypress; and St. Peters School, York, UK. I have also traveled for workshops and lectures, including to Laguna Clay in Los Angeles, California; CSU Long Beach in California; Arizona State University in Phoenix; and Leeds University in the UK. It has really been in the interactions with other people and cultures that I have learned the most. When traveling, I never return the same. The big world of wonder and the discovery of different interactions between people in creative processes open me up to how I (and others) see and perceive things. When working in China, everybody did everything together, working and socializing, but back home we tend to work alone more often. The collaborations have taught me to share and engage myself more openly and wholeheartedly. Knowing I can work all over the world makes me realize that I am never really alone.

It’s out in different realities—cultural and natural environments—that I grow and learn. When I come home, I unravel and digest. And then I can make work that reflect on these experiences.

When sometimes in doubt of your own practice, it helps to know there are so many ways of working, there is no right or wrong way. It helps to understand yourself in relation to others, and the other way around. Clay is just a piece of mud, but it communicates beyond words and the boundaries of language.

I normally spend 10 hours a day in the studio. I used to teach and run workshops, but have now dedicated my time to developing new work. My studio is always open for pottery tours and Christmas sales. I regularly participate in group shows as well as selling online.

Marketing

You either love or hate my work—it’s not mainstream. My buyers are private collectors and people who just love ceramics. I often get invited back to people’s homes, to see where the piece ends up. I really like that. Because the making process is so long, I feel like I live with them.

I am based in Denmark, but exhibit mainly in other parts of Europe. Thanks to my website, I am able to reach out and expand my network across the world. I try to update my website regularly, and also promote it on Instagram.

I also work with architects and interior designers. This network was established while doing exhibitions or fairs. For many years, I participated in Ceramic Art London, and I still work with many of the interior designers whom I met back then. Mostly my work is sold through galleries; normally one exhibition leads to another.

The digital world is far from my material-based work. I find it difficult to promote with words on social media and to show the work in a two-dimensional frame.

Mind

I think I have approximately 500 books, and I am constantly reading. Mainly the topics I read cover art, nature, and philosophy. Reading helps me relax. I love the world of words. In my world, I communicate through shapes and structure, so literature is a way to expand that communication. Or a way to understand it better.

For inspiration, I travel. Different places and cultures open up new ways of looking. I am drawn to nature, vast landscapes, oceans, and mountains. I have several unpacked fragments from previous travels, still waiting to be explored, so ideas are always contiguous. I collect a lot of seaweed, stones, and leaves and bring these back in my suitcases so that I can make plaster casts of the findings. I always bring ink and paper on my travels to draw my views and surroundings. And besides, there is always so much to do.

I try to go for a walk every day unless I’m tangled up in structure and pattern formation on a piece of work. My life is a mix of traveling and then investigating back in my studio. I draw a lot to work out ideas.

Most Important Lesson

The most important lesson I have learned was about the photographer Arno Rafael Minkkinen’s “Helsinki Bus Station Theory.” He posits that what makes the difference between success or failure is sticking with something, and explains it using the Helsinki, Finland, bus system as a metaphor. He explains that buses in Helsinki all stay on the same line for a short distance, with the same stops, before diverging onto separate routes. Relating this to the beginning of a creative career, he says that an artist’s work may not look much different from others at first (the stops, which equate to years of an artist’s career, are the same for everyone). Rather than getting discouraged about this initial lack of differentiation in individual development, Minkkinen advises artists to “stay on the f--king bus!” to the chosen destination rather than jumping off of the bus and going back to the station to try another route (or another style of artwork), as that starts the discovery process over again, delaying the artist from getting to a breakthrough once the routes diverge. In our line of work, it is so easy to doubt, to change direction, because it is an uncertain business. I have learned that I will get there if I carry on.

To me this is the best job ever. There’s never a dull day at the office. Clay rocks!

I can work with this wonderful material all over the world; it’s a universal language. It communicates and it connects. It has healing properties and endless opportunities. It can reflect thoughts and cultures. It’s functional and abstract. It’s so touchable. And it has no boundaries, in a world with so many borders.

Back to the earth.

www.mettemaya.com

Facebook: @Mette.Maya

Instagram: @mette_maya