In 1977 I started as a “Blue painter” (mussel painter) at The Royal Porcelain Factory of Denmark
By Lars Christian Kraemmer, June, 2019.
I had the pleasure of conducting an interview of the gifted porcelain painter and artmoney artist, Sussi Hauge. Here is a brief account of what she had to say.
In 1977 I started as a “Blue painter” (mussel painter) at The Royal Porcelain Factory of Denmark, which later became Royal Copenhagen and in 2012 was sold to the company, Fiskars. The education, which then lasted 1½ year, is no longer available as the production of the blue-painted porcelain moved to Thailand in 2012. Only the production of the most expensive porcelain, Flora Danica has been kept in Denmark (in the city of Glostrup).
I was so lucky, after 38 years as a blue painter, to get the job as "Writer" on the Flora Danica team in 2015, that is, that it is me who writes all the Latin flower names on the back of every part of the Flora Danica porcelain, an occupation I am very proud of, and which in addition involves many special tasks. I always liked to write and try to do it nicely. My sister inspired me when she started doing calligraphy many years ago.
My interest in drawing began in 2016, when I started drawing a lot, mostly on paper but also on Ipad with my ApplePencil, which gave me the opportunity to mix my drawings with each other and create some exciting pictures. Both my drawings and mixed pictures I sell as posters.
In the summer of 2018, I became aware of the Artmoney concept and became a registered Artmoney artist in September 2018. As I live in a small apartment, the size of Artmoney fits me well. They are easy to sit with and cozy to make. Drawing / painting Artmoney is a form of meditation for me where I can relax a bit. I don't really have any special theme in my Artmoney but like to make them different and try out different techniques. Through the Artmoney project I have made new friends on the Artmoney Facebook group, who share my interest in Artmoney, and it is always nice to get some response to the art you make. I have not tried to use my Artmoney in the stores (except for the purchase of some binders for my Artmoney), as I am a little too shy to contact the stores that way. However, I have sold some at my workplace.
Finally a little about myself. I am 59 years old, born in Copenhagen and have lived in Frederiksberg for the last 30 years. I love my work, my workplace and my good colleagues and would like to continue my work for many years, if only my eyesight permits me to do so. When I draw, I love the little details, which is also reflected in part of my Artmoney. It may be a little hard for the sight because of a building error in my eye I can only use one eye.
My advice to people who want to try to make Artmoney is to just go ahead and make them and to show them. Then there might be a reaction.