Please note that we still have local problems, and that the page has suffered from this over a longer period.

 

All rights belong to the artist and BONO in Norway. Or concerning the Gemunden, Linz, Wien, Graz , the Austrian  links ( ORF), Tanja Esterman (AT). Austria. In Milan , Italy( IT),  the photos are linked.

And yes that is me in one of the old working suits found in our old fish reception building going back to the 80thiees. I have cut off the sleves and later on the leggs , but I use them all the time at work. In China I had to give some away to the Swedes, as a souvenir from Øygarden in Norway. Very sweet. Now I have only a very few left. One my swedish ceramic artist friends also have an interior given from ABBA and the Polar Studio  :) . I think that make sense to me. Him walking around in all his ABBA stuff in a dress with H- 77 from this place in Øygarden in Norway.

Some of our cats can even " sing" to ABBA songs. 

On the back it is written a very important code.

H - 77. Made by nature. The Perfect size of exporting mackerel.

A pelagic fish I often freedive among. I only have a few dresses left from that time to work in.

I hope they can come up with some more. The fish is in itself is a beauty, and one of a preferable fishmeals to us and the cats.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sadly this page has had several breaks during 2017-2018-2019 because of the experiences we have had where we have worked and lived for  18 years. It has been restored many times. Therfore photos are not presentet like they used to. Lost in backups. After 16 years of serving as my professional page showing work nationally and internationally. Projects have been interupted and destroyed as a direct result of this situation by these people and their connetions with events going back in time to when we moved here in 2003.

The page will be updated up on events in Norway and abroad . Work will take place and be updated within the media forum of that particular project.

Projects prepared for this place have been taken off earlier years as a direct result. Cancelled projects are many up until now, in addition to invitationals from Norway and abroad,  and in different ways caused by these connections of families,buisness partners, "rough" reale estate developers, builders,former local politicians connected to these. Ploughing their fields for a joint adventure :(

. Many rightfully appoints,who will cower the costs and damages. The loss of time can not be restored . These matters have developed and increased in recent years. Perhaps caused by the change of inhabitants into the area, with connections and developing projects . My work and effort until now through 18 years, has often been in spite of, not a because of.

But things may now take a new turn and change it seems.

Up dates will come.

 

Welcome to the ceramic art of

HELENE KORTNER

Nautilus

KRAFT Gallery, Bergen 2017.

Porcelain

ART LIVE

LIVE ART

Art Happens

 

Almost like a ship with with a strange museum collection of fish and nautiluses as a cargo .

The Vessel Collection 2017.

 

And then they have moved into

The Fish Bazar

THE LIVE ART COLLECTION

2021

 

Nautiluses and the kissing fishes.

La Perla Barocca 2017, and sadly the first project that suffered from our unhappy events. The clay hides it`s behavior until the second fire. So the clay body separated  inside during the drying process, and then it appared in the second fire after glazing. This clay needs to be built in a special way. No pauses, but I had to build a fence outside my own old studio, to prevent intruders on to our windows again and to cower up the insight in that working area. These were meant for the larger room at KRAFT 2017 and more works in several pieces.

PROJECT :

FA VEDERE.

Fa vedere , meaning make visible

This photo is cut.

While working and taking pictures outside my studio close to the wall, 2 legs of a man appeared before the camera,  standing above me, refusing to leave not answering or greeting. This is from an other angle, but I even have the feet on an other photo.My husband had to be called. This is during a deadline and straight into our house and my work.

And of course those people appeared again.

The rampant lions 2019, now only exist on my photos on this page and is my copy right. I had to grind away and paint them over because of these horrible local people ( families,with their connections). How sad. They were only made as a rather quickly out door mural indicating the entrance to the plans of our show room - gallery. Our working place.

A photo from Gmunden as a jurymember of the Symposium.

The Czech participant have had to be faded a bit, since I have not asked about photo permission .

But this has been important places to make my work. Still being inspiered by my feeling of impressions, coming from my working journeys to the centre of Europe and Italy.

As a cultural meeting point coming from the surroundings of the north, the east, the south and the west. Most of my work after this trip has it`s soursce coming from  these travels in some way. And is added to my Italian style or the freediving trips to Egypt. Bordering Italy, Germany , Bohemia , Hungary, Slavic countries etc.

i can connect all this into projects. Even my oceanic fabels, being inspired by the museum collections that precents them in a manner that enhance the expressions I search for. Though I myself live directly near the sea. It cicks back into the natural world I am surrounded by where I work.Like fairytalelike fables with poetic connections.

 

My studio and showroom that I cleaned up, sadly now without its` rampant lions, that obviously became to much for someone. in Bergen I had seahorses as an entrance without any problems.

This is Fabula. Project 2015.

A baroque vessel project. With coral jars, seadragons and octopussy jars, and rampant lions.

 

We Wish You All a

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2021

Shapes celebrating and having a New Year`s disco party in my studio wishing you all a NEW and HAPPY YEAR for the future to come.

Hand built stoneware for little Uredd ( Ulysses or Ulrikk, his name has not been conclusively decided )to sleep and play in and among.

 

Our wonderful Norwegian Forest Cat kitty boy at almost  5 1/5 months, (N) Myrtekransen`s Uredd NFO n 23 and all dressed up and he WISHES YOU ALL A MERRY CHRISTMAS

PEDIGREE

And, YES he`s a bit old fashioned in type when it comes to the the cat`s catwalk. Just  read his pedigree.

We ADORE HIM

Not a nice day for making Christmas kitty photos and WITH A HAT ON, no way . Faboluos kitty Uredd.

Just a short while ago, being born on the 14 th July, having been this gorgeous little kitty boy.

Our  wonderful kitty boy Uredd. Already doing gymnastics around and into my ceramic shapes, or he sleeps inside of them.

Fiorenza and the snowflakes

 

Slode catching snow flakes

Gregorius catching and eating snowflakes

Gmunden. Austria

Sadly I  cannot find my photos from China Fuping Art Village, Xian and Beijing, from the first time in Gmunden, Linz or Wien in Austria, South Bohemia with Pilzen, nor Italy / Milan.

But at least some from my other working periods in Austria

But mean time I found some other pics to put in now and then.

Our big guy, silver tiger Maximus with Huriel flirting 2013.

 

This catrun that I built in  2012, is no longer, the hurricane Nina blew it off, and I had do recycle and build an other version.

I have pics of that. Looked like it had been bombed. Sadly Maximus was found hit by a car in 2014 when the hurricane stared. So these are

strange and sad memories of our last days late November in the first snow 2013. We have always wondered, he was found in his " male " dipers.

His large silversmoke panther dad Gregorius

at 6 years sunbathing in his cat`s cafe summer 2016

purring beauties

And Gregorius grandson by Mouna, the nephew of Maximus, Little Tarjei as a velvety thick little baby at one week June 2017.

  

A very young Tarjei as a youngster 2017

Tarjei loves to go fishing and to eat raw fish straight out of the sea when I catch them.

Tarjei`s daddy Isak, much perfer a warm soft place. Soft stuffed animals are nice or a sheeps fleece.

Fish please

One of my favorite flowers. Øygarden, outside Bergen.

I have just received a new

Art Scholarship 2020, from the new muncipality of Øygarden.

That will be part of a new kiln and is great news.

It makes me proud to be one of the first ones to receive this new scholarship of art within the new muncipality.

and

I`ve attended the Art Festival

B-OPEN , Bergen Open 2020

for the FIRST time.

 

 

On my way to Vealøs while doing the In Spe exhibition. A wonderful favorite riding and hiking area in my hometown Skien for many years since childhood.

Beautiful Porsgrunn,where I was born, and have been to  like my hometown.

 

Eidanger, Telemark. Vissvaag. A special place. Our mothers old family background. Now at the delight of

others.

 

Eidanger

  

And Kapfenberg, Graz and Wien

Hiking in Schlossberg in Kapfenberg , a path that was acctually closed due to the weather of the season.

 

A strange fellow turning up in Graz, keeping me company. They are well known and quite old I think.

This venetian mask, was once in Wien, but is now in fact on my studio wall in Øygarden,  Norway.

 

These Viennese African big cats, are still in Wien though. I have my own in a more suitable size. Different colors and patterns.

I did not meet her on my way up Schlossberg

Funny figure stuck in the window frame. Maybe a turkish solder,Janissary?, from the Great Turkish War.

Schlossburg Kapfenberg. Sports Hotel and the Burg.

One of my favorite flowers from the area. Angels Trumpets. I saw them everywhere in Tsjekkia also. And Graz finnishing a great autumn festival.

Classic situation this one. I met them again and again around Graz.

On the other side of the bay, a favorite place to go for a walk when I went to Grenland Folk High School, studing ceramics and drawing in 1983.

 

Gmunden. Austria.

 

This fantastic boat also with a lion`s coat of arms on it, I am proud to have been test driving in the rough seas of the west coast. This is upon arrival and finally at it`s destination and new home some years ago. Having been tested by us through a storm down along the coast line from Bergen.                  

 

Goldner Brunnen. Gmunden . AT.

Seit 1545

 

 

 

 

B - OPEN 2020 

 

Some older sketches  and a background on the wall before the lions came into shape. This is just for fun and a reminder and falling a part being chipboard.

Atelier as

VISP Bergen

 

I had a test of opening the studio area placing some figures around. Sadly I have lost the photos during downloading, so new pics had to be taken. But the wather is not that nice. So fewer photos.

The some fish and nautilus went back into where they were bulit in 2017.

No travels, but a mini market with plastic boxes used for fish and shells that I have found in the house. They make out a mini market cafè.

The show room with a mixture of many things and figures.

Some older pics. The dragon jars.

A special glazing of a mask from earlier works. Refound pics to put in now and then or move about

depending on themes.

Wien

 

The Fools at play 2012

Masks, hearts turning into coral.

A bit harry potter this, an old sadle and velvet. Making interesting reflections. We`ll see if it can be used

in some way as a backdrop.

Coeur de Lion , Gmunden. AT.

The Mermaid`s Coral Bezoar.  Collection for Milan 2013.

Milano . Photo Giacomo Marcetti

What a view

                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Strange old stuff

The making of dragons

COMING UP

 

Link

B-OPEN 2020

 

Photo owner of the linked gallery is Tanja Esterman ( AT ).

http://www.w-f-k.info/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=3279

Yes , my two Austrian lions. Made without inner support. Built and shaped by the construction of one clay lump connected

to an other. Great fun, a lot of work, and a wonderful workshop.

There are 2 at least. They may be visited in museums in Gmunden. Austria.

 

Click on the photo. It is directly linked to Werkstatt fuer Keramik Gmunden in Austria.

All photos taken by Tanja Estermann.

 

Dear silver smoke Tarjei has a favorite thing to do. Waiting while I do the fishing, and sometimes it ends up

with him having the catch of the day. As one can see by the end of this series. His tummy filled up and

parts of it on to his face. I do a precise  and quick jobb, since I prefer tho see my fish friends alive beyond the surface.

The last time I made my own hand quite blue as well. But this kitty boy loves his fresly caught fish straight out of the salty waters.

And yes he has gorgeous emerald green eyes. And some very furry eartuffs that makes him look like a jungle monkey.

 

 

These pics are from a journey my works did. Crossing the Alps after a show in Milan, Italy. 2014.

 

This is NOT Norway, but the works being transported by my husband. I love it when they cross the Alps :). With him. Or preferably the both of us. ( by that meaning also an old cat with a passport, which in fact is 2 +++++...)

 

 

 

COMING UP :)

Some older " artifacts" . The first one along with a beautiful diploma, gave me my rowing boat with an outboard motor

and a boat trailer. The rowing boat we still have, it only need new rowing oars  to replace those damaged in a storm.

But I love these medals. When I received the first one and my first price in senior class ,though I could have been in the junior at the time, it felt like when I did

competetive gymnastics as a child. I never thought I would receive one for my art :) .

I got two of them, since I won a second time as well, but that was a different price having allready been given one :).

But I have those 2 reminders.

 

COMING UP :

 

Pop up studio and a small show widow

Evening in Piccola Venezia

And a third beautiful diploma, with a crest and a rampant lion from Styria on it.

I have 2 more. One is the price I won in Norway, but the lions presented on that

diploma, I happened to have made myself. That is a large diploma, and I think it will fill the window space

:).

An other little gift which I like very much. A porcelain spoon from Saltzkammergut shaped like Austria. Given after an ended workshop in Gmunden.

It comes with a lovely recipe, and this is of course from an area with fossile remains of the old ocean, and where salt was priced like gold. Hence the word salary.

We have salty water in the area with lovely fish and seafood.

 

 

IMAGES of FORMER WORKS

Please note that images are lost in backups and has not been able to be replaced after all the trouble we have had.

 

An example of this is the Artemisa 2018-19 porcelain module sculpture installation project. Handbuilt porcelain in 3-4 parts slow art version. I only had to finnish the animal portrait details and ornaments on the clay body surface.

Local intruders or what ever the police prefer to call THEM, came on to our home again etc etc. I had to run after them, and of course in doing so, like domino parts the sculptures fell to the ground. These photos are of the reassebled more or less in shape versions after the fall. With their damaged parts to be used as documentation ahead.Now they have been crusched into bits and pieces, to be recycled into new coils of porcelain. It is all put into large fish buckets in my old studio, locking like a cemetary of broken sculptures. Not easy to mend as a happening. So, yes a horrible result of this VERY local harassment. Among many things they even tried a break in of some sort into our old car. We do know the origin of these people and different events connected to this.

In fact just a week ago, some of these connections came on to us while talking outside our house, and even broke the rules of the corona law. NOT keeping a distance, is in itself a police matter.

Artemisa 2018-19, destroyed unfinnished porcelain project due to this very local harassement. Many months of work, priceless ......... .

Not rebuilt.

Sadly recycling one of the many cracked and destroyed parts that was dried before crushing them into pieces to be recyceled.

Older works

 

 

Springtime is here with variations of weather.

This is an odd pic. Some years ago by the end of september we had a hurricane, that twisted our placewindow inside it`s frame.So we have tried to put it back inside on it`s place. But now the wind came strongly from the same direction along with a rise and fall in temperature. With both snow and rain, and it went straight down to the ground and broke on top of my old elephant. Made as a rough quickly modelled sketch in autumn 1993. The clay is made of Borgestad X-Masse, burnt solid with some oxydes to the surface to develope shades. We use it as a door holder so that the door does not slam when windy. It has been " guarding " the entrances to this place since 2003. The city centre of Bergen before that. So this old figure survived the blast of heavy glass, and is still on it`s place outside. Today without snow on it`s back, but keeping it`s greenery of moss and gras that covers the surface.

We need to mend the wall though.

Tough elephant made of though clay.

No sunshine, but beautiful buds though.

 

And we have a wonderful aquatic friend that owns this territory.

Has done so for ever maybe.

One of the worlds best freedivers. He or she or both, appear and

do gymnastics in the wather if one is lucky. They are buddies with our cats.

So, worth waiting for.

One of them even did a playfull watershow under the

light of the silver moon and the blinking stars. The cats amazed of course.

No pics of that, but what a memory.

 

Prepare to DIVE

This is from a test drive on the west coast, some years

ago. I`m driving parts of it. Sletta and Lista.

And then southwards along the coast, while taking photos.

Passing " Sletta " West Coast. Diving into waves.

This is not the horizon. It`s walls of waves down in the valley of waves.

A test drive of a fast rescue boat into slightly troubled waters before delivered to it`s rightful owners as an active working boat further down south looking after costal boarders.

 

 

    

Seadragons 2015

 

 

2018  and 2019. 5 x 70 cm. large porcelain pieces in three parts had to be destroyed to be recycled this time. They were ment for exhibtions. So 15 pices of handbuilt sculptured work into the trashcan.Thanks to bad experiences in the place we live in.

A rather expencive loss.Again.

Up in the air and into the trashcan 2018 .Oyster cup ,bottom part, dockside in the air on its way to being reshaped in the future .

Handbuilt sculptured porcelain piece from destroyed module project 2018. Sculptured instalation of 6 larger pieces,where 1 assembeled piece were consisting of shapes divided into 3  moduled parts. There were 6 of these assembled sculptures , sculptured into eachother balancing in 3 moduled parts.

Works and title will be resurrected like a phoenix, with documentation, it`s history and happenings attached to it.

2018

These works are a result of falling to the ground like dominos during a chase after intruders to get info for the police.

Most of the porcelain in 15 parts can be recyceled, though the works were impossible to repair. Apart from 1 large fish bucket with porcelain that

was given different impurities, it will be recyceled into new works. A lot of work, effort and months /time destroyed and lost.

2017

2017 Flower gift at the KRAFT Exhibition

KRAFT Gallery Bergen 2017 . One remaining intact shape coming out of this period of harassement, causing so much trouble and destruction.

They had inner fractures due to the working situation, that appear during high firing A beautiful and very special clay. To late to recycle.

Yes we have our own versions of peping toms and a flash light man around our house and working place.

This is only one of many times and snow prints :) .

2018

Unfinished Nautilus and fish jars broken up and into the sea, caused by the destructive situation we`ve had.  These " smaller " figures were " heavily disturbed " during the working process.

Knowing how this clay is sensitive and it`s tecnknical behavior, they became part of a process for documentation only, and not given their final shape with details and glaze. Now they are lost time and a sad memory.

An other lost project.

 

Well, we`ve had a lot of harassment, and among it a break in by a " guy" on his black motorcross bike without a car sign in his black outfit, and we + know who. His buddy in a " white outfit on his way to my space. So ....... , and there is more to it. Police matters.

Late summer 2018.

UPCOMING :

Korall Sommer 2019- Coral summer, Cor-rallo

The working title is not yet set.

-

AND ........ I may start taking up painting again.

Not on the walls inside or around our house, but on canvas. I have built myself an easel to draw and paint on since my last one was stolen in Bergen during translocation.

2018 , preparing to clean up the showroom and photo room.

Starting to think about building myself a new easel, and preparing to make canvaces again.

 

Singing Coral shape

 

Cor-rallo Free Diving Club

Outside the new showroom. I have made the cats Art Cafe with some of my old lights, my old travel pallets and my ceramic dwars some times take part.

 

 

Our rather " famous" chatty Kolya ( MiniMini) is a real welcoming kitty boy, he is a bit like Puss in Boots in character.

And in 2015 I made fairytale hats for the cats to put them into pictures. Now they also have these little houses to charme visitors.

This is Kolya`s grandmother Calamity. Sadly she is no longer with us, but in loving memory.

For ever loved Santa Calamity Giovanna.

She had a special condition. We had hoped she`d live forever.Here she is dressed up adorned by 2 hussars I met in Graz 2013 and some nice

bling  objects from vienna

Here Kolya is again, a bit flirty with his girlfriend Huriel. I`ve started sketching fairytale cats while thinking.

Hot spicy sausage or gulash out in the fresh winter  air

Diana and the moon at ArtCafe. Diana has gone back to being a " godess of the forest and it`s animals" , she was a great hunter. And used to hunt among the deers in her forest. She passed the rainbow the 3 of August 2018 , and now make long giant leaps where ever she pleases.

 

Since the great cleaning up of the new showroom, small scale exhibitions of collections have been shown to invited persons /groups. Not for sale.

The room is a cool show room, needs electricity, a bit more work on it and more stuff to go out. But as a start up, quite inspiring for my work to come.

This is a showroom , and a studio to present or test out projects.

 

The table to the left has actually been on tour all around Norway. In a different color and many years ago, along with it`s second part.  Specially made

to present Il Piccolo Theatro, but now in a different setting.

The outdoor place is a nice way to get a break into fresh air during work, and it fits the new showroom as a meeting place  to invitet persons.

These little houses from eoropallets are for the cats mainly, but it keeps the rain /snow out of the cappuccino-tea or a snack.

 

  more to come

 

To be continued .......

 

My new very rough photo and project room

and

 

my old tea breake  place now changed

My working studio for almost 17 years now.

This is in 2015, like it has been for many years depending on how many

old light chains I have. Some go back to my old home and studio in Dragesmuget ( Dragons alley).

But ZWISHHHH ZWISHHH !!!! Because of trespassing and more, that had to change.

This is almost second floor,on our rooftop. But intruders have been

chaugt sighted in several ways.

2019 Now it has been turned into a sheltered place to work in peace.

My tea/ coffe/ fresh air place and the entrance to my " new " project room.

Roof has to be mended, being open and very nice to stargaze from on evenings, and it has a

nice light to photo shoot in during daytime.

 

This was in 2015 but had to be changed. Used to be a nice spot to look down into the sea, with fish and otters among the great emerald green sea colors and

ocean bed habitat.

This was my/our first place to take tea / coffe breaks and barbecue when we moved here in 2003. Many of my aquatic inspirations have its source coming

from looking down into the water life from this spot.

And there is sometimes a huge flame like from a fairytale dragon :) . If one is lucky, the otter appears doing water gymnastics tummy up in circles under the stars, the moon and the glowing flame.

 

New project 2020

A special event passing my workshop view.

 

Though working under horrible local working conditions, works are being made .

   

     

 

 

 

Corallo 2019

My pop up working place directly over the aquatic life

that I work with, and have worked with since at least the 90 thiees. Sadly the exhibiting plans for this room had to be put down because of our situation. But a lot of porcelain works have been made here.

Silver smoke panther Tarjei 2 years old poping up of  the german soda / beer bicyle basket, he loves to have

a snack in my pop up studio when I work there, he loves crabs and has no patience.

New showroom 2019 with the visiting white cat

 

 

 

Some of the earlier projects can be found under the

Images file.