In Elisa Helland-Hansen's home, the kitchen serves as the central gathering point. The open kitchen zone overlooks the fjord and the garden, with shelves brimming with ceramics. Cups, teapots, jugs, plates, bowls, and dishes made by friends and colleagues from around the world blend seamlessly with a significant collection of her own designs. One wall features an enormous photo album displaying pictures of family and friends, and here, in the kitchen, the essence of activity and life resonates. The atmosphere is light, instantly making visitors feel at home. For Elisa Helland-Hansen, the defining word for home is "safety".

Safety is closely tied to the kitchen and cooking as a vital thread in Elisa Helland-Hansen's life, stemming from her upbringing, where life was synonymous with togetherness around the dining table. Her American mother brought a warm and generous attitude toward gatherings to Norway, often inviting newly met acquaintances over for a meal. This spirit of hospitality is deeply ingrained in Elisa Helland-Hansen's genetics. You feel this warmth immediately when you meet her or visit her Instagram account, which has over a hundred thousand followers. Joy and energy radiate from her eyes and face, both in person and online.

‘Home is safety. When you are in a safe place, you gain strength, energy, and a desire to work — free from worry. You can use your energy more effectively in your work and towards others when you feel safe. In my home, I surround myself with things made by people I love. It means a lot to me and embodies the essence of my home.’

Being with Elisa Helland-Hansen can be both invigorating and inspiring, as her activity level often exceeds that of most people’s. It’s summer, and I have journeyed through mountains and fjords to reach Rosendal, about two-and-a-half hours outside Bergen. Here, the ceramicist lives with her husband, Svein, who is also a keen craftsman and nature lover. In this enchanting place, she creates her functional ceramics, admired by fans worldwide. Together with Svein, she fishes, grows vegetables, prepares homemade meals, crafts basketry, hikes in the mountains, and swims in the fjord throughout the year. But even though Elisa Helland-Hansen’s and her husband Svein's life seems overly joyful and enviable, they have also had their share of hardships and losses in their long-lived lives. That may be why she and her husband insist on living to the fullest.

Food and ceramics
Elisa Helland-Hansen has been a ceramicist for over 50 years. While many of her contemporary colleagues, such as Torbjørn Kvasbø, Marit Tingleff, and Nina Malterud have moved toward more artistic expressions, practical ceramics have remained the sole medium Elisa Helland-Hansen has ever wanted to work with. Perhaps this dedication arises from the intrinsic connection between a cup, jug, or dish and the meal itself — like a hand in a glove or a spoon in the mouth, representing a dialogue that brings out the best in both parties. She often contemplates how a particular dish will turn out in the bowl she is shaping; her creations must have a purpose and enhance the meal, ultimately fostering meaningful symbiosis.

‘The combination of food and ceramics is natural. My pieces reach their full potential when used. Utility is the starting point; aesthetics come second. It's about a teapot that pours properly and a cup that fits well in the hand. Both the functional and sensual aspects are essential.’

The ceramicist acknowledges that in recent years, she has realised she shares a similar work ethic with her architect father, Peter Helland-Hansen (1917-1984). ‘My father engaged in tradition by combining older building parts with modern editions, always honouring good craftmanship. I approach my work in a similar manner being inspired by tradition and well-crafted objects but also searching for a contemporary expression.

Everyday life and exhibitions
The two main paths in the Norwegian ceramist's long career revolve around the dynamics of production and exhibition. Great joy comes from selling her work at markets like the Villvin craft fair in Risør, where her loyal clientele often queues up in front of her booth. When she exhibits in a gallery context, functionality is still characteristic of her work, but she seeks to present something different and new as a way of pushing the boundaries of her practice and its language form.

‘The large solo exhibitions have been important, such as the one I held at Kunstnerforbundet in Oslo in 2024.¹ Additionally, the 15 exhibitions I created with my sister, who is a textile artist, have also been vital to my practice. It's beneficial to step out of my comfort zone and challenge myself, whether that means creating oversize ceramic formats or focusing artistically and practically on something less tangible, like the concept of weight.’

Weight is an intriguing detail to explore because it reveals much about Elisa Helland-Hansen and her deep roots in craftsmanship and functionality. The weight of a cup or plate significantly influences our experience of it, whether it feels too light, too heavy, or just right. Helland-Hansen continuously examines the balance between proportions, weight, and harmonious shapes, as these elements are crucial to the final product. This is as vital as the sensory experience we have when we drink from the cup: feeling it in our hands, the sensation of the lip meeting the edge as we sip, and the tactility of the cup's surface. These small, individual details coalesce to create a convincing whole that resonates when it’s well crafted. Weight becomes an often invisible factor that draws attention when it’s not right.

Ultimately, the two paths in Elisa Helland-Hansen's practice — everyday production and the artistic approach for her exhibitions — are both grounded in functionality. It’s the interplay between the routine of working at the wheel and the more reflective, artistic process that she immerses herself in when preparing for an exhibition that appeals to her.

In summary, Helland-Hansen's drive revolves around repetition, but it does not become compulsion. Freedom is essential — the freedom to shape and create what resides in her mind, to explore what emerges each day at the wheel. If a customer requests a specific object with a particular glaze, she feels unfree and the restraint takes away some of the joy of creating. In recent years, she has become aware of this phenomenon. Consequently, she declines commissioned work but maintains a small notebook containing the client's wishes. If an object she creates resembles something from her book, a customer may have the chance to obtain it, but only occasionally. Clarity comes with experience.

Wood and cups
For 25 years, Elisa Helland-Hansen fired her pots in a wood-fired kiln that she built with her former workshop colleague, ceramic artist Gunnar Thorsen. When that kiln was worn out, she had to adjust to an electric kiln. This transition impacted her work and brought about new aesthetic expressions. When moving from Bergen to Rosendal in 2012, she brought her newly acquired gas kiln and tried to obtain similar effects attained in a wood kiln. However, she has not entirely abandoned wood-fired pottery; she still visits another colleague and friend, Magni Jensen, twice a year, bringing along a car full of bisque-fired pots that need wood-firing. The wood-firing process is close to her heart and runs deep in her ceramic DNA — the smell of smoke and fire, the practical and arduous labour, the focused attention required to feed the kiln, and the passionate community surrounding this firing method. The result, after the natural firing concludes, is that her cups, jugs, and bowls acquire magical hues and decorations born from the unpredictable flames and ashes in the kiln.

Just as Elisa Helland-Hansen immerses herself in the process of wood-firing with all its practical and physical tasks, she'll never tire of throwing cups. The seemingly endless language of the small vessel that holds preferably hot substances transforms in Helland-Hansen’s hands into a variety of shapes, sizes, glazes, textures, and colours. Throughout her career, the cup has been her most significant symbol in her alphabet, an archetypal element that embodies her very essence. In her studio, in the library section, a tray nestles on a small table by the panoramic window, filled with a collection of cups that she has made during her long career, on residencies in the United States, Tasmania, Denmark, and elsewhere. The collection of cups is not for sale, but is a treasure of a long-lived and dedicated career in ceramics. Occasionally, she gives one away – lucky me – I got one as a present that I cherish every day. The passion for cups states, at least to me as a visitor and ceramics-lover, that Elisa Helland-Hansen lives and breathes with her work and that we breathe with it in our daily lives, making use of them.

In her newly published book Pleasure and Use, she describes the cup:

‘The cup is my pet child, the basis of my repertoire. It is intimate and personal, something casual, something to wrap your hands around and drink from. I have never let go of this useful item. At the wheel, I try to be in a state between rest and alert presence. So as not to lose concentration, I rarely throw more than twelve cups at a time. It sometimes happens that the first ones are so unfocused that I must destroy them, until the memory in my hands is awakened. Small nuances can be developed: a changed speed of the wheel, a slower or faster movement in the pull-up, traces of fingers or rib, a changed curve or direction, a different distribution of mass, a stronger handle or perhaps a thinner lip, decisions about decoration, glaze, and firing technique. Repetition makes me see more clearly the small changes that make a difference. The rhythmic nature of process is fuel for my inner engine.’²

The workshop – building new
When Elisa Helland-Hansen moved to Rosendal, she needed to find a new workshop. The idea of building her own in the garden soon emerged, and everything began to fall into place. Her architect brother-in-law, Helge Schjelderup, designed the space according to her wishes, resulting in a beautiful wooden house with a stunning view of the fjord. Today, this studio is not just the ceramicists second home; it integrates her life and work into a harmonious whole — her "worklife". She moves seamlessly between the house and workshop, always feeling at home. Being in touch with her energy and creative self allows the two locations to merge into one, becoming two sides of the same coin. In addition to realising her dream for a new workshop, this venture was an opportunity for a fresh start. Elisa Helland-Hansen promised herself that it would be tidier than her previous studio, where she often struggled to find her things. She made it a point always to leave the large worktable clean when she finished working.

The studio is divided into three zones: an office, a workshop area, and a tiny “shop". The office, or library, overlooks the fjord. It’s here that Helland-Hansen wrote her book, and this space also welcomes guests for coffee and conversation, as she enjoys getting to know her customers. The working area includes a potter’s wheel, shelves, a sink, and a worktable. It’s simple but designed to be functional and flexible. The shop, or outlet, serves as a dynamic podium where items flow through in a gentle stream, regardless of the season. The atmosphere in the workshop is vibrant and homely; it feels safe and inviting, and its organised messiness encourages exploration with both hands and eyes.

Elisa Helland-Hansen states, ‘The studio and house are completely integrated, and I move in and out of work like breathing. I can stay in the studio until 11pm or even beyond midnight if I have an upcoming exhibition, and it’s rewarding. Living in a good place inspires me and gives me the energy I need. Currently, I can work in a flow that allows for longer hours than before, as I can return to the workshop after a nap or dinner if I choose to do so. I want to work as long as I can, and my high level of activity reflects that I feel good.’

Norwegian nature
Norwegian nature serves as a healing sanctuary for Elisa Helland-Hansen, or an extended home. She spends considerable hours outdoors, exploring her garden, the mountains, and the fjords. Although she holds dual citizenship and feels at home in the United States, along with her extensive network of friends and professional relationships, Norway remains her anchor.

‘I am profoundly content living in Norway. The mountains and fjords are not just a backdrop; they are intrinsic to my lifestyle and passions. I draw inspiration and strength from Norwegian nature; it resonates deeply with my sense of home.’

For those who follow Elisa Helland-Hansen's journey on Instagram, her gratifying adventures in the mountains and fjords are a source of inspiration. We watch enviously as she and her husband reel in big, delicious fish, pick berries for jam in their garden, and carry planks filled with ceramics to the kiln — activities that Helland-Hansen captures with her eager and trained eye. With a natural talent for photography and communication, she documents her experiences and surroundings, offering a unique way of seeing and being in the world. This perspective inspired her to make the book Pleasure and Use, which helped her reflect on and better understand her work.

The book took three years to complete, beginning with a year of research followed by the writing process. The cover features her favourite colour, orange, and the images convey themes of process, family, and nature. Furthermore, the book offers a comprehensive overview of her various ceramic typologies, including cups, jugs, bowls, plates, and teapots. With 50 years of experience, she continues to enjoy creating these items, incorporating subtle shifts and variations in form, texture, weight, and glaze, driven by her moods and interests.

‘It is the greatest delight for me to make things. A teapot is the most complicated utility item you can create: it has a body, a handle, a spout, and a lid — all parts must work aesthetically, functionally, and dimensionally.’

Elisa Helland-Hansens repertoire of teapots, cups, bowls, kimchi jars, jugs, plates, and serving platters collectively captures the essence of her long and fruitful career in ceramics. Her generous, curious, and open-minded personality resonates with her admirers, leaving them eager for her next creation. As she continues to draw inspiration from Norwegian nature and everyday life in all its ebbs and flows, her work remains a testament to the simple beauty that arises from the union of functionality and skilled craftsmanship.