KATRÍN KARLSDÓTTIR

Ceramic Artist

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My name is Katrín Valgerður Karlsdóttir and Kvalka is the name of my ceramic studio.. "Kvalka" is my artistic name, composed of the first few letters of each of my names. My studio is located in my home in Kópavogur, Iceland. I´m the only one working there, doing all the work myself and enjoying it. I use open fire to give life to my work. It is a constant battlebetween survival and destruction. But when victory is wonthe result can be an astonishing beautiful tribute to life with all its colors.

I graduated from the Iceland Academy of the Arts in 2001 and was by then already turning forty. I took my time to get to the place where I belong, experienced a lot on the way, and have more to explore. As a young woman, I graduated from the Iceland University of Education and have been teaching 5-year-olds in preschool during the wintertime, along with making pottery in my studio. My pieces of art are one of a kind. Formed by my hands with great care and joy as a counterbalance to all the mass production in the world. I like it when "things" happen while I'm creating. Then a new idea can be born.