Swedish born Australian artist Ulrica Trulsson creates beautifully crafted pots with intriguing glazed surfaces in shifting colours and textures. In 2012-13 she undertook the Associate Training Program at JamFactory Contemporary Craft and Design in Adelaide, where she received mentoring by renowned ceramicists Prue Venables and Kirsten Coelho. Now living in Brisbane Ulrica makes work from her home studio for exhibitions across Australia. Most recently Ulrica presented her latest solo exhibition ‘Close to Earth’ at Beaver Galleries in Canberra, and exhibited with Bruce Heiser Projects at Spring 1883 Art Fair, forced online due to the latest lockdown. The artist is also represented by Sabbia Gallery in Sydney and Skepsi Gallery in Melbourne.
Visit Ulrica Trulsson’s website and Instagram page.
Featured work
Selected works, 2016-2021
Close to Earth, 2021
Ulrica Trulsson’s elegant stoneware draws its inspiration from her everyday encounters with the natural world. The pared back simplicity of shifting shapes and the interplay of surface textures and tone in her work create alluring individual pieces and compositions. These unique effects come from closely observing details found in the earth and landscape – from the patterns and textures of a bush path, to the leaves fallen from trees onto the suburban footpath. It is the intriguing nature of the surface textures and tones she finds in the landscape that imbues her works with a sense of wonder. Her lidded canisters and geometric vessels echo nature’s earthy tones, surface texture and undulating forms. Reflecting on the materiality of her practice, Ulrica remarks how her use of clay enables her to feel connected to the natural world. For Ulrica, this connection is best expressed by the Swedish word ‘jordnära’ which translates to ‘close to earth’.
