swanceramics.com

Sakura in Kyoto

swanica — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 04:46:59 +0000

I am back in the US after 51/2 weeks in Japan.

I had a great exhibition. A lot of friends and people came all interested in my Kamakura-Red ceramic art. I had some good talks. Also, the Mashiko charity display got quite some attention and had some good results in donations for the Sankokan.(Read about it in the previous posting).

The weekend before I left we attended a wedding of a daughter of a very good Japanese friend in Kyoto. Minako-san and Niki-san looked gorgeous and the whole event was for me a wonderful first time Japanese wedding experience.

After the wedding we went into the garden of the Heian Shrine, which was open during the evening because of the 300 “Sakura” Cherry blossom lit up trees accompanied by cello music. It was really relaxing to walk around. Then a classical guitar concert started in the tea house situated in the middle of the pond. Just all very perfect. Enjoy the little movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOHN5TTCr4c

This path is called “The Philosopher’s walk” and is like 2 miles long aligned with Sakura trees. Just phenomenal!

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Mashiko donation display

swanica — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 14:05:49 +0000

Mashiko is still in a difficult situation because of the earthquake. A lot of the noborigamas, anagamas and other kilns are still broken and also the “Sankokan”, Reference Museum of Hamada Shoji, a National Living Treasure of Mashiko who made Mashiko famous, is in big disrepair. The customers can make donations by putting money in the pot or by buying cups donated by the grandson of Hamada Shoji, Hamada Tomoo and Matsuzaki Ken and Baba Yuchiko. This is my donation display in my Kamakura-Red “Sakura” exhibition.

The Kamakura-Red Sakura Exhibition

swanica — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:14:53 +0000

Today, my Kamakura-Red “Sakura” exhibition opened. It was a good day. Some people came in to browse, others to talk and some other ones who bought some work. They are always amazed by this red color. And some think it is the Kamakura Bori wood art. And then of course the communication is sometimes hand and foot work because of the language. It can be frustrating but we also laugh a lot. Then I have some artworks from some famous Mashiko potters: Hamada Tomoo, Matsuzaki Ken and Baba Yuchiko. The money of the sale of their cups will be a donation for the Reference Museum, the Sankokan which is in big disrepair because of the earthquake and of course just donations can be given. Please, enjoy the movie I took today from my show: http://youtu.be/XbedWBfxLQ4

Return to Mashiko

swanica — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:53:13 +0000

Finally, I made it back to Mashiko. It was wonderful to see the rebuilt kilns from Matsuzaki Ken-san’s Anagama http://youtu.be/2lDZDtb1KEM plus Noborigama
http://youtu.be/DiGyWzCUmu8

and Hamada Tomoo-san’s Noborigama http://youtu.be/kUlcquYxWkQ and Salt Kiln
http://youtu.be/TngMuz6ljkQ.

So, things are getting better in Mashiko, but it is still very difficult for all the people to survive. Some Japanese tourists are coming and buying pottery, but the foreign tourists stay away. Please, donate to Mashiko for further rebuilding of this beautiful, historical pottery town.

Matsuzaki-san, Hamada-san and Yuchiko Baba-san donated cups to my “Sakura” exhibition for next week in Kamakura where customers can buy the cups as donation or give donations for the “Sankokan”, the Reference Museum of Hamada Shoji which still needs to be repaired from the damage of the earthquake.

I stayed at the Minshuku of Furuki-san from the Tao Art Clay Center while I was in Mashiko: http://youtu.be/vSl5J9Tgg8o He did a wonderful job renovating and rebuilding the whole Minshuku.
The next video shows the progress he made in repairing his wood fire kiln site of anagamas:
http://youtu.be/5AdbErcf9Mc.

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SAKURA Exhibition March 29 – April 3, 2012

swanica — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 05:57:49 +0000

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Flower of Life Design in Herod’s Palace

swanica — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 05:45:36 +0000

In February in between treatments I was in Japan for 2 1/2 weeks. It was not easy to go back, but when I was there I felt completely at home again and it was 100% alright. I was very busy: administration, financing, preparing my show for the end of March, arranging a treatment for March in Japan and of course meeting lots of friends and going to galleries.

I still want to show you a beautiful design of the Flower of Life what I saw in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. This mosaic floor comes from one of Herod’s palaces the Herodium, south of Jerusalem. It is square with the geometric shape of the Flower of Life in its center decorated with palmettes and pomegranates decorated in the corners. This was made 2000 years ago! Just astonishing.

These geometrical forms are said to act as a template from which all life springs. See also my blog from Friday August 5, 2011:
http://swanceramics.com/2011/08/05/flower-of-life-decorations/

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Taking of my hat! :) :)

swanica — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:56:14 +0000

Thanks to all my family and friends for their help and support during the last couple of months!

I am taking off my hat for you all! My hair is growing back all curly!

We had a wonderful time in Israel. Really an incredible country with so much history. Very, very interesting!

This is a picture of a view from Jerusalem taken from the Mount of Olives. You can clearly see the Shrine of the Mount of the Rock with the golden dome located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. The sights significance stems from religious traditions regarding the rock, know as the Foundation Stone, at its heart.

Here Adriaan and I are standing on Masada with a view behind us of the Dead Sea and Jordan. Masada “fortress” is the name of a site of ancient palaces of Herod and fortifications on top of an isolated rock plateau. So incredible!
Of course, we also swam/drifted in the Dead Sea. Amazing!

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A good start of the New Year

swanica — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 06:18:57 +0000

First, I would like to wish every body who reads my website/blog a very happy and healthy New Year 2012 with hope for lots of new possibilities and adventures!

It has been exactly a month ago that I wrote a blog. Too long, but lots happened.
Of course, the holidays and we went to Hawaii with the whole family (almost). Unfortunately, the girlfriend of my oldest could not come, because her Grandma was very terribly ill. Luckily, it seems she is somewhat better now.
We had a nice time and some of us did some diving; we all snorkeled with the Manta Rays!; we did some deep sea fishing and caught a tuna!; we traveled some around the island; had a wonderful Luau dinner and relaxed near the pool and the sea with lots of snorkeling. We saw also dolphins and some turtles! How lucky can you get!

After the New Year I went finally back into my workshop after 3 1/2 months. I tried during and after the radiation period, but somehow I was quite tired. Not that I did not do anything (I did go to Holland), but I got another breast infection and having two antibiotics is tiring your body.
I started first with spraying some small works and checking if it still all worked and that the kiln was working properly. Then I sprayed 2 big plates (17.75″ x 19″ x 1″ or 45cm x 48 cm x 2.5cm) for an order and today they choose one of them and will hang it on their wall. It turned out very well. The plate is called “Schellen” (Shell) plate. Their last name starts with schellen, so, it is a very appropriate plate!!!

A wonderful start!!!!

My life is still planned around my Herceptin treatments. They go all fine and you kind of get in the habit of going to the hospital. They know you by now and it is a welcoming place in the sense that they are there to help you. It feels to me like that. I understand that for others it may and will be completely different. Again, I just feel very lucky and thankful.

Next week, I will go to Israel for a week with Adriaan. Can you believe that? It is just wonderful. It is my birthday next week and he has a boardmeeting there and I don’t want to be by myself, so, we make it a little vacation. We are looking into this already for some time but every time there was something else and the company is about to be sold or they are working on it and the temperature is very nice now. So, it seemed like the right time before the chance is gone.

I will keep you posted!

Mashiko Exhibition in the Netherlands 2

swanica — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 04:01:32 +0000

Last week I was in Holland. It was wonderful to be with my family especially after such a long time.
On Friday December the 9th I went to the Opening reception of the Japanese Exhibition of 15 Mashiko potters at the Tiendschuur Museum in the city Tegelen. It was organized to help Mashiko, to give them recognition in the world and a way to sell their work outside of Mashiko. The city was devastated after the earthquake of March 11, 2011.

I made some movies:
- http://youtu.be/FkhGZV_EPwc About the exhibition.
- http://youtu.be/_F4vxCZ_DNQ About the historical surroundings of the show.

- http://www.flickr.com/photos/swanica/sets/72157628372545471/ A slideshow of the exhibition and the surroundings.

Tegelen is a village in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands. It was an independent municipality until 2001, when it was merged into the municipality of Venlo.
The name of the glacial era of Tiglian (part of the Pleistocene) is derived from Tegelen because of the many fossils found there from this era in the local clay.
During excavations in Tegelen Roman pottery and tile ovens were found. The Sint-Martinus church is mentioned in diocesan and monasterial archives dating back to the year 800. Because of its strategic location, various castles and reinforced farms were soon established. The most important of these were the Castle of Holtmühle (with the barn Tiendschuur) and the Munt. During the Middle Ages, there were several battles in and around Tegelen, because of its proximity to the walled city of Venlo.
Early in the 19th century Tegelen developed into a regional centre of industry. At first, tile and pottery factories were established, and later that century, metallurgy and tobacco factories. After 1900 agriculture was added to the mix. Pottery and related industries were very successful in Tegelen from 1750 until World War II. They specialized mainly in the low fire red earthenware with a lead glaze. The pots were decorated with slips in many colors and engraved.

The centuries old expertise in ceramics and pottery is kept alive by courses held in the ceramic center of Tiendschuur.

Mashiko Exhibition in the Netherlands 1

swanica — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 05:41:46 +0000

On March 11, 2011, Japan was hit by a significant earthquake.
The world-famous pottery village, Mashiko, about 90km northeast from Tokyo was also heavily hit and the potters’ houses, kilns, workshops and their works were severely damaged. Mashiko has a 10,000 year old pottery tradition, in this highly regarded pottery village in Japan.
Ceramics Center Tiendschuur Museum in the Netherlands is 75 years and treats its visitors on an exhibition of ceramics of 15 potters from this village from a country par excellence: Japan!
The Tiendschuur shows the finest ceramics in the world and supports its creators.
The proceeds from these exhibition sales go to the potters in Mashiko and the Mashiko pottery fund.

This Saturday I will go to Holland to be at the opening of the Exhibition of 15 Mashiko Potters in the Tiendschuur Ceramics Museum in Tegelen in the Netherlands. Through the hard work of quite some people it was made possible. But money is still very much needed. Please, find it in your heart to donate to this fund to save the village of Mashiko. I know it is not an easy time for everybody and it is present giving time. Please, see what you can do and look at the information for donations on the bank info picture.

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