The meeting between culture and nature, I have always found interesting. In my works, this  can be seen in the organic forms with underlying tensions in the shape. Tensions which also could suggest an influence of an industrial component. The classic vessel is often the starting point even if the result is mostly to be seen as a sculptural object.

The clay is a mix of stoneware clays with additions of up to 60 % grog and sand. The works are handbuilt into a thin and delicate sculptural form.  Usually I refire 3-4 times to achieve the desired result.

As a ceramist, I am self-taught.  I was living in Brunei on Borneo when I made my first pots. Nature everywhere, mountains and tropical rain forests cover most of the island and small riverbanks reveal the fine white clay. The temptation was so great -  I soon found myself digging clay. There was no tradition of ceramics in Brunei and no other potters. "The Potter’s Dictionary of Materials and Techniques” by Frank Hamer and "Pioneer Pottery" by Michael Cardew were my two reference books and it was all learning by doing. In 1986 my relationship with the clay had become a serious one and I moved with the family back to Denmark to learn more. By then we had spent 12 years away from Denmark living in Oman, Sarawak and Brunei. In 1987 I established my first ceramic workshop in Denmark.

photos:       Labi, Brunei 1986  -   Oman 1974  -  Trelde 2011