Gurli Elbækgaard

Ceramicist | Copenhagen, Denmark

A glaze a day

Gurli creates tableware and one-off art pieces
She fell in love with clay as a teenager
Glazes and nature are her endless sources of inspiration

The best place to be for Gurli Elbækgaard is in her studio surrounded by fresh clay and new glaze experiments. Functional objects and one-of-a-kind pieces are her two parallel paths. Nature is Gurli's primary source of inspiration for the shapes she creates, the colours she chooses, the textured surfaces she produces. She has a never-ending fascination for the chemical interactions of glazes on her objects. "I prefer an edgy nature-like glaze over beauty any day," says Gurli. Her studio and shop are one and the same, and lie in the fabulous neighbourhood of Islands Brygge in Copenhagen.

Interview

©OleAkhøj

©Ole Akhøj

When did you get acquainted with ceramics?: I fell in love with the smell of fresh clay during a college stay on the island of Bornholm. I have always been stubborn and idle, and dreaming of living off ceramics put me on that path. I eventually trained as a potter and later applied to the Design School in Kolding.
Why is nature such a great inspiration to you?: I discovered that the shapes and surfaces of nature kept my curiosity awake, and I always seek to interpret nature's force and hues in my work. In my process, I photograph, draw and do experiments that bring me to new places.
How do you manage to work both creatively and commercially?: I always enjoy making both functional objects and one-off pieces. My small tableware series focus on simple shapes and sensual glazes. I want to create functional objects that you want to touch. In my one-off pieces, I tend to work on a theme.
What is it about glazes that fascinates you?: The glaze is my great interest and an inexhaustible source of inspiration. I am always developing yet another glaze sample. It intrigues me that mixing the same raw materials in different measurements can create so much variety in colour and tactility.

Gurli Elbækgaard is a master artisan: she began her career in 2000 and she started teaching in 2007