Gudrun Halldorsdottir
Gudrun Halldorsdottir was born in Isafjordur, Iceland. She took her first pottery class in Boulder, Colorado in 1987, soon after her arrival to the U.S.A. She has spent the last decade experimenting with varieties of shapes and materials as well as glazing and firing techniques to perfect her art. Whether thrown or hand built, her ceramic art is sculptural in scope, unique in its creative vision and often uses unexpected materials and interesting Nordic motifs. Evoking both the geology of Iceland and the rich Viking history of this mysterious island in the North Atlantic, Gudrun's pieces seem to have been fashioned in Mother Nature's workshop.

Exhibitions:
One Person Show

• 2000 Gerdarsafin- Kopavogur Art Museum, Iceland
• 1999 Embassy of Iceland, Washington, DC
• 1995 Monmouth County Library, Middletown, NJ

Two Person Show

• 1999 Hrefna Jonsdottir Gallery, Lambertville, NJ
• 1998 Hrefna Jonsdottir Gallery, Lambertville, NJ

Three Person Show
1998 Slunkariki- Edinborg, Isafjordur, Iceland

Group Shows

• 2000 International Monetary Fund, Washington, DC
• 2000 Art Center of Northern New Jersey, New Milford, NJ
• 2000 Lafayette Art Assoc, LA, National Juried Exhibition- Special Awards for two sculptures
• 1999 The Gallery of Brookdale's Center for Visual Arts, Lincroft, NJ
• 1999 Monmouth Museum, Lincroft, NJ
• 1999 Urns & Vessels, Bristol, RI
• 1998 Zoller Gallery, School of Visual Arts, Penn state University, Philadelphia, PA
• 1997 Art Festival, Long Beach Island Foundation of Arts and Sciences, NJ
• 1997 It's About Excellence IV, Greenwich Village, New York, NY
• 1997 Christian Brothers Academy, Lincroft, NJ
• 1996 Juried Fine Arts & Crafts Festival, Morristown, NJ
• 1996 Monmouth Festival of Arts, Tinton Falls, NJ
• 1996 Christian Brothers Academy, Lincroft, NJ
• 1995 Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, NJ- Honorable Mention
• 1995 Christian Brothers Academy, Lincroft, NJ
• 1994 Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, NJ- Honorable Mention
• 1994 Monmouth University, West Long Branch, NJ>

Education and Workshops

• 1997 Associate in Arts, Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, NJ
• 1994-96 Special Projects, Independent Studies, Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, NJ
• 1991-94 Pottery Classes and Workshops, Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, NJ
• 1985-87 Isafjordur College, Isafjordur, Iceland
• 1987- Diversified workshops with various well- known potters

Galleries
1996-present Hrefna Jonsdottir Gallery, Lambertville, NJ

Studio

• 1995-present Gudrun Halldorsdottir, Ceramic Art Studio, Middletown, NJ
• 1994-95 Mud and Sunshine Studio, Colts Neck, NJ

Grant
1998 Verkalydsfelagid Baldur, Isafjordur, Iceland

Archives
1999 The National Museum of Women in the Arts

Artist's Statement

I grew up surrounded by high mountains and rough seas in Iceland, in a culture rooted in an ancient, Viking past. Iceland is not only a place of vivid landscape and strong contrast, but also a land of mystical, primal earth energy. I try to reclaim that energy and contrast in my work. Clay is the medium with which I bring together images, objects, ideas, and creative process. My pieces are hand built, often burnished and usually sawdust fired. The technical process is traditional, ancient and formed by the earth itself. It is as if the firing and burnishing creates its own artistic statement in collaboration with me.

While my work is rooted in my Icelandic past, its themes are universal: a celebration of nature, humanity, and most especially the essence of female creativity in all its forms. Art is made to look into as well as to look at. It should move one on a fundamental, visceral level to make a profound interior connection. This connection comes from the particular but speaks to that part of each of us that is eternal and timeless. My work tries to speak to each viewer with an individual voice maintaining separateness and uniqueness while uniting spirit and soul.