After many years in the fashion industry, Rosanna wanted to follow her passion for ceramics and make it into more than a hobby. With a wish to start a new chapter with her husband and two daughters, Bornholm became the place to pursue her practice, where the unique nature and creative community serve as her source of inspiration. 

 

Since both my husband and I are from the island, it was obvious to move here. We have taken a lot of holidays on Bornholm since we moved from the island 20 years ago, and a lot has happened since then. It is an island with a lot of entrepreneurial spirits, and many interesting new initiatives have emerged. On Bornholm, we have beautiful nature, nice people, and a lot of opportunities. We were driven by that when we moved back, even though I felt it was a bit cliché to move to Bornholm and do ceramics. But on the other hand, there are so many people here working with clay, glass, etc. It is like a big creative community, which I love!

 

I get my inspiration from nature: forms, surfaces, colors, patterns, and the energy I get when I go for a walk along the coast just outside our front door. I also get inspired by all the creative people I meet here, whether they are running a restaurant, working with glass, or doing something completely different. It is all about having a passion for something - that gives me energy and influences my work and way of working.

 

Rosanna has always loved to create with her hands. She grew up in a creative home influenced by her parents, who encouraged her to take a hobby. She took on ceramics, where she found a creative process that was completely different from her job in the fashion industry.

 

I enjoy the craftsmanship in the creative process with clay. I don't draw anything from the beginning - I start with a lump of clay, and then my hands start to create.

You must respect the process. You cannot speed up the process - things take time, and you need to pay attention to every single part of the process, or your products turn out wrong. I love the peaceful moment when I sit on a chair with a lump of clay in front of me, with music in my ears, and then just let my hands start playing and immerse myself. I think of everything and nothing at the same time - it might sound strange, but it works and is an important part of my creative process. The best part is opening the kiln after glazing - it is like Christmas Eve, but it can also be the opposite if the glaze turns out completely wrong - so it can also be the worst part of working with clay…

 

She sees the growing popularity of ceramics comes from a collective fascination with crafts and the hand made. 

 

For me, it is about working with a concept and understating the craftsmanship, so you can see that it is made by hand and not by a machine. I think people appreciate that more than they did before. 

 

Rosanna’s first creative project as a full-time ceramicist was vases placed on pedestals in a pop-up shop in Nexø on Bornholm. Since then, she has made tableware for Restaurant Njôrd (@njord_restaurant) and just finished tableware for the Michelin Restaurant Alouette in Copenhagen.

 

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