swanceramics.com » Ceramics Swan USA

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 could 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!

Flower of Life Engravings

swanica — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 04:09:09 +0000

Today, (Monday, August the 1st) I had my 3rd chemo. Everything went well. You are there the whole day, but they take good care of you. The medications also keeps you going. So, I quickly want to show you some pictures of the decorations I finished on 3 big plates. They are still green ware, not fired yet. The clay has a red color and on the 3rd plate you see it is still drying. The 1st and 2nd plate I already put the black slip on (a liquid paint able clay which you have to put on before the 1st firing).

19.75″ x 2.5″; 50cm x 6cm

It is already Friday. I didn’t succeed to put on the pictures. The chemo got to me, especially yesterday and today. Tomorrow, may be better.

21.25″ x 2.75″; 53,5cm x 7cm

The engravings on the plates are inspired by the Flower of Life symbol, which dates to at least 400AD, and is possibly much older that that. Throughout human history, philosophers, artists, and architects around the world have known the Flower of Life for its perfect form, proportion, and harmony. It is considered to be a symbol of sacred geometry, depicting the fundamental forms of space and time. It is the form beneath our being and points to a divine order in our reality. It is a visual expression of the connections life weaves through all mankind. A Flower of Life pattern can be constructed with a pen, compass and paper, by creating multiple series of interlinking circles. The Flower of Life can be found in the temples, art, and manuscripts of cultures all over the world.

21″ x 6,5″ ; 53cm x 16,5cm

1st Chemo

swanica — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 03:17:31 +0000

This is the view from my potter’s wheel when I open the garage door. I feel so lucky. The parking space is a beautiful dance floor for some exercise.
When I look out the window of our kitchen/shower the bunnies are hopping around and yesterday, I saw a hare running like crazy through the yard. In the backyard, a deer with two little fawns scurried away when I approached from my hike and in the valley next to our house, two hawks often fly high in the sky and soar on the wind. They have a nest across the valley in a big tree.

This big plate I threw on the wheel on the 3rd day after the 1st chemo treatment. I had some energy, but then after it I was completely exhausted and could hardly lift my hand or fingers to type on the computer.

It is all a very weird experience and you don’t know what to expect. It went actually all very well.
They accessed the mediport just by icing it and after the examination of the blood draw and consultation with the oncologist that everything was well, they started the infusion. In the meantime, we had quite some waiting in between, but still we were out of there by 4pm.
I have not been nauseated or sick at all. The day before already I started some and the day off I got quite some anti-nausea medication. Also, the day after, but then I stopped taking it. And I was really surprised by not being nauseated. Although, I felt crappy and tired, dizzy and a metallic taste in my mouth. I don’t have much appetite and have an aversion for certain foods, but I have enough other little goodies.

My immune system will be the lowest between the 7th and 10th day and then I hope that the level of red and white blood cell will go back up again to be ready for the next round on July the 11th!

Alexander Salazar Fine Art Gallery

swanica — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 03:29:51 +0000

Alexander Salazar has his fine arts gallery in downtown San Diego. He liked my Kamakura-Red glaze so much, that he asked me to make some work. So, when I went down to San Diego from San Francisco to help my oldest son with his conference, I brought a big red plate to the gallery and my husband had already taken in the overhead bin of the airplane from Japan the big Japonica Kamakura-Red Vase.

This “Encircled Line” Kamakura-red Plate was sold within 3 days!

Opening Gala of Exhibition at SDAI

swanica — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:50:14 +0000

The opening reception gala of the 50st International Exhibition at the San Diego Art Institute was on March the 20st.
My husband, Adriaan, son, Arjan, and I drove down from the Bay Area. We stopped at Arjan’s dorm house in Los Angeles. They drove all the way and it took us about 8 hours. It was quite a drive, but we made it on time. And there we met up with our other son, Roland, who lives in San Diego. We always stay over at his place. So, with still some other friends we all went to the reception together.

The museum in situated in the famous Balboa Park, which is a 1,200 acre (4.9 km²) urban cultural park named after the Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa. It is one of the oldest sites in the United States dedicated to public recreational usage in 1835. Balboa Park was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1977. Many of the park’s attractions are along El Prado, a long, wide promenade running through the center of the park. Most of the buildings lining this street are in the Spanish Revival style, a richly ornamented eclectic mixture of Spanish and Latin American architecture. Along this boulevard are many of the park’s cultural attractions and museums like “The Museum of the Living Artist at the San Diego Art Institute”.

The exhibition is a mixed media show. There were two ceramics works, one sculpture and one fabric artwork and lots of 2D works in all kinds of media.
This is my “Golden Lotus Horsehair Vessel”.

My work surrounded by beautiful other artworks.

There were so many more interesting works, but it is impossible to show them all.

So, if you are in the neighborhood, please, make a stop and go see this wonderful exhibition, which is until May the 10th, 2009.

International 50st Award Exhibition at SDAI

swanica — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 05:56:41 +0000

I received the news that my “Golden Lotus Horsehair Vessel” is accepted by the San Diego Art Institute: Museum of the Living Artist in their 50^th International Juried Awards Exhibition. The exhibition is from March 20 – May 10, 2009.

International Teapot Exhibition

swanica — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 08:23:53 +0000

Today, I received the wonderful notice that my “RED TEAPOT” is accepted in the International Contemporary Teapot Exhibition with the title: “Beyond the Function”.

The description of this show is to be an exhibition interested in the exploration of new developments in teapots worldwide during the birth of the 21st century.

There were hundreds of entries from five countries and 26 pieces were selected for this show. The curator and exhibition contact is Guangzhen Po Zhou.

The exhibition dates are from April 6 – 12, 2009 in the French Designer Gallery of French Thompson in Scottsdale, Arizona and concurrent with the NCECA (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts) conference to be held in Phoenix from 8 – 11 April, 2009.

Holiday Show at Gallery House

swanica — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 04:08:53 +0000

Last Friday was the reception of the opening of the Holiday Show at the Gallery House. The show looks great and I made some new 2D Horsehair Wall Art. I had fun making the “Flying High Wings”. They are made from one plate.

Some red war in the front room of the gallery.

My cubby with the horsehair ware and red ceramic ware.

California Clay ’08 Exhibition

swanica — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 22:38:29 +0000

Yesterday, I went to Fresno with Yonsoo Chung to go to the reception of the California Clay ’08 exhibition with selected works from the Association of Clay and Glass Artists at the Fresno City College in the Art Space Gallery. They used my horsehair plate for the invitation.

It was quite a long drive of 6 hours forth and back, but being in each others company, sharing the driving and a good dinner, the time passed by quickly.

The exhibition was in a nice building and it was set-up beautifully.

Yonsoo’s artwork was hanging directly on the wall when you enter the gallery.

And my artwork was standing in the back on a table: a beautiful spot.

Some other artwork. Sorry, I don’t know all the names of the artists.

Fred Yokel

Cynthia Siegel

The exhibition was beautiful. Thanks to Edward Lund and Bob Kizziar.

Yonsoo and Swanica.

Horsehair- and Red Ware Sept. 08

swanica — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 12:06:08 +0000

I made some new Horsehair- and Red Ware during my weeks in the US in August and September.

A lot happened. I went to San Diego to visit my oldest son Roland and celebrate his 1/4 of century birthday and to watch my youngest son, Arjan, play water polo in the USC team. He is a senior already and he is amazed about it himself. The USC team is still no.1 of the US and they are working and winning hard at it. It is always a competition between the four colleges of USC, Stanford, UCLA and CAL.
Then my sister came all the way driving down from Vancouver with her husband. We had some fun days together.
And then of course my meeting with Kusakabe-san and Marc Lancet. I told about it in the 2 former blogs.

So, some of my work.

Off-center Dot.Com Horsehair Plate

Off-center Feather Horsehair Plate

Pentagram Horsehair Vessel

Star Horsehair Vessel

Great, incredibly beautiful for candle flame reflection in water horsehair plate.

Two handle red Teapot

Male and Female cups

Tokkuri (sake bottle), 2 guinomi and 1 ochokko