Tone Von Krogh’s new collection of domestic ceramics takes inspiration from memories of snow-covered landscapes in her native Norway. Her focus is on form and utilising the softness of clay, and the process of throwing to express the frozen movement found in snow drifts and the softened, white landscape.
An Arts Council England development grant in 2021 has given Tone time to develop larger exhibition pieces. The technical and physical challenges around upscaling her design ideas have been many, while she remains focused on keeping clear forms with similar expressions to her earlier and smaller pieces. The group of snow drift vases are the most recent pieces where Tone feels she has achieved this narrative. The trio express calm movement and tactility within themselves whilst the varying scale also adds a dynamic.
Tone throws her pieces on a potter’s wheel, deliberately leaving soft throwing lines. The largest pieces are thrown in sections. They are trimmed while the clay is still damp and manipulated into non-circular shapes, showcasing the softness of clay as well as giving forms that express both movement and calm. Getting the consistency right is critical for these large pieces. They need to be firm enough not to collapse yet soft enough to be able to distort.
Tone develops her own glazes to reflect shades of snow and ice, tones and textures of snow-covered landscapes and winter skies. While each piece has its own presence and can stand alone, Tone loves the stronger dynamic that emerges when her works are displayed in small groups. The difference in size between pieces hints at perspective in a landscape, with snowdrift beyond snowdrift.
Tone is based in Greater Manchester and has been a ceramicist since graduating from Manchester School of Art in 1995. Of Swiss-Norwegian heritage, she is a keen skier and particularly likes the landscape away from the groomed slopes. Snow drifts and snow-covered landscapes continue to be an inspiration for her work. Form and function have always been the main focus in Tone’s designs. However, her large pieces move away from the domestic function remit and take a more playful approach with the vessel as a form.
Pieces for Sale:
Snowdrift Trio (1), 2024, W 35cm x H 56cm x D 18cm, glazed stoneware
Snowdrift Trio (2), 2024, glazed stoneware
Snowdrift Trio (3), 2024, glazed stoneware
Snowdrift Trio (all three pieces) £2850. Individual pieces POA.
Email Tone: tonevonkrogh@yahoo.com