By Page leggett

Artist Debra Aase-Farnum’s goal for her Creative Renewal Fellowship, courtesy of ASC, is as simple and as grand as this: She wants to connect her art to her heritage.

Her father, now 81 and one of eight children, was born in Norway, and she was raised with a strong sense of her cultural identity. “Norwegians stay pretty true to their values, which are based in nature,” she said. “Although I think it’s an innovative country, the people are true to tradition.”

It’s that mix of old and new, tradition and innovation, that Aase-Farnum wants to explore – and incorporate into her own porcelain work. When she returns to her familial homeland – for the first time in 30 years – next June, she plans to keep a visual journal and launch her next collection based on what she calls “a trip of a lifetime.”

When asked if she could make a generalization about Norwegian pottery, she said, “It’s generally simple in form, but with a contemporary feel. They use a lot of not overly bright colors, warm colors.”  

That happens to match Aase-Farnum’s aesthetic.

The name of her business, Golden and Grey, spells out a frequent color palette. She uses grey and other “not overly bright” colors but often accents that neutral background with surprising gold accents. She adds gold luster in the third and final firing.

She has a kiln and studio in her detached garage that she calls her “own little sanctuary.” Indeed, she said, “I always return to the quiet stillness of my pottery studio for centering.

“I try to be in my studio three to four times a week at a minimum,” she said. “I usually spend at least one full day on the weekend in there.” Aase-Farnum is also a Realtor, so she has two jobs.

“Really three,” she corrects me. She also finds time to teach a survey art class at Northside Christian Academy in Charlotte.

As important to her hand-painted, wheel-thrown pottery as the color scheme is the visual narrative. (She studied bookmaking and illustration before becoming a potter.)

“Each piece tells a story,” she said. “I love the idea of work telling a story without the artist explaining it. I love to draw pieces that feel like they’re inviting someone in. Typically, I do a lot of work with creatures that have eyes – whales, seagulls, seahorses. I love that the eye has so much personality. It draws a viewer in.”

The functionality of porcelain adds a layer of intimacy to her work, Aase-Farnum said. Patrons don’t just admire it from afar. They interact with her mugs, plates, serving pieces and jewelry daily.

Aase-Farnum loves selling her work at fairs, festivals and pop-up shops that allow her to meet her patrons in person.

“A lot of times, people will pick up my work and tell me it is speaking to them,” she said. “They’ll tell me the story of what they’re getting from it, which I love. It’s so much better than me saying, ‘My intention was this.’ I like to hear what story people are receiving from the piece.”

When she travels to Norway courtesy of the $15,000 ASC fellowship, she plans to ask other potters about their stories. She looks forward to meeting with artists in their studios and going to galleries and museums. She already has a list of artists and places she wants to learn from, including Arne Åse (no relation) Ceramics, Edel Åse (her cousin – who works in stoneware), Elisa Helland-Hansen, Figgjo Norway Porcelain and The Norwegian National Museum.

“Each studio and artist has a very different approach to clay arts,” she said. “I admire the light-hearted folk art figures on some of Figgjo Studio’s work, the rustic boldness of Elisa Helland-Hansen and the intricate surface texture and delicate nature of Arne Åse’s work.

It’s not just artistic style she’ll be studying. It’s the landscape and the natural wonders in this land of Vikings she plans to incorporate into her work. She hopes patrons will be able to see the Nordic influence in her new work.

“Norway is rich in art and history,” she said. “The Vigeland sculpture park is one of the most inspirational places I have ever been. I look forward to returning with a new perspective. As important as the artists and museums are, the experience of the natural landscape and fjords are unlike any I have come across anywhere. I will document these connections and experiences with photos, my sketchbook and written journal entries to pore over in my studio upon my return.

“My Norwegian heritage is an extension of me in the same way that art is,” she added. “I identify as Norwegian and as an artist. I seek to merge these two identities even further through this immersive experience.”

Like the Vikings before her, Aase-Farnum is setting out on a voyage of discovery. “I want that deeper wisdom,” she said. “What are the things that I have grown so accustomed to doing that I do not even consider a different way? I want to be awakened professionally to that which I do not even know I do not know.”