TECHNIQUE
" I achive my expression by working on very soft, rough clay with my fingers and a few tools. Glazes are often applied in several layers and fired several times. Instead of adding and building I usually remove and extract by carving and sculpturing. The pot is what remains after I have removed all unnecessary material.
SIMPLE AND STUBBORN
" I admire from a distance the stubborn pine on the cliff by the sea, or as it is settled down in the acidic bog where no one else dares to stand. Without flowers and any other attributes it expresses the simple man´s striving upward and forward. "
ESTABLISHED
Thor Holvila started making pots for his own trees. After he finished being an apprentice to Paula Lindfors, a Raku technique pioneer in Sweden, for two years he opened up his own studio in 2008 and became a professional bonsai potter in 2014. In 2017 Thor was invited to work side by side with japanese potter Hidemi "Shuho" Kataoka In Tokoname and there he received the honorary name Kumatani - "Valley Bear", wich marks Thor second generation pots.
Passionate about trees and Nordic history, Thor Holvila lives and work between the bustling city of Gothenburg and his cabin in the mountains of Dalarna.
FILM
" Even though my inpiration derives from nordic nature and norse mythology I also feel a strong kinship with japanese aesthetics. But most inspiration of all comes from a tree that is ready, and needs a pot. "
INSPIRATION
"As both a goldsmith and a judo instructor my father Berndt Thor Holvila has taught me about creativity, passion and patience. Growing up in a dojo with photos of the masters watching over me has had a great impact on my approach to work and life.
PHILOSOPHY
" I view the pot as a stronghold and a temple for the tree. It also symbolizes man with his imperfections in comparison to natures perfection, symbolized by the tree. Bonsai lays in the harmony in beetween them."