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!

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.

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.

Some years ago Bob showed and taught me how to throw big, but when I read he and his wife were doing this workshop together, I was ready again to learn from this amazing knowledgeable couple. The workshop was at the Junior Museum and Zoo in Palo Alto and it was so fun to go there, because I have been there a lot with my boys when they were small. They were set up in the Clayroom. It was great to see them and meet some other friends.

Bob talked about the clay, the throwing techniques and the position of his body and his hands. Here he is centering the clay.




Opening up the centered clay.

Pulling up the clay.

Putting slip on the outside and then decorating the slip with any kind of object which can make a mark like a piece of a comb.



Expending the cylinder which makes the decoration very interesting.

Sandy uses an already leather-hard decorated slab to make a vase.

She is tracing the shape of a vase and cutting it out.

Scoring the borders and putting slip before putting the two slabs together.

When the piece is assembled there is still a lot of finishing work left to close the seams properly so it won’t leak and the make some repairs in the decoration at the borders.



Thank you for the wonderful day!

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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!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnyUNEK90Ls

A movie made of my show by Steve Tootell, Head of Creative and Performing Arts at the Sacred Heart International School in Tokyo:

http://gallery.me.com/s.tootell#100330

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The Kamakura-Red “Japonica” Vase standing in the Kamakura “Sagami” Bay.

On the 28th we first went to Ge Jun Pottery Arts Center. Mr. Ge Jun is a researcher and the director of the Yixing Ceramic Research Center of Chinese Culture, especially for the Purple Teapot. He was one of the sponsors of the event. All our teapots were exhibited in his Arts Center. The exhibition holds pots from 100 potters from 100 countries of five continents around the world.  It is impossible to show all the pots on my blog. They published a catalogue and I will show you just a few.

The white pots are from Antonella Cimatti, Italy; the blue and red teapots are from Christina Wiese, Austria; and the lower teapots are from Evgenija Portnoj Kostic, Serbia. A YOU TUBE movie from the exhibition.

Standing with Evgenija in front of Ge Jun’s Art Center.









Then we had the opening ceremony in the morning. To the left is the curator of the Shanghai Arts and Crafts Museum; in the middle is Mr. Ge Jun; and to the right is Linda, the translator. A YOU TUBE movie from part of the opening.

Two ladies were showing how to make a Yixing Purple teapot. It is incredibly precise and fine and perfect work and takes a couple of hours to make and all by hand. A YOU TUBE movie of a little part of the making of such a teapot.

In the afternoon we went to the Shanghai Arts and Crafts Museum which is a model of the architectural style of the Renaissance of France. The museum has some beautiful art and artisans show how it is made.





A group picture in front of the Shanghai Arts and Crafts Museum.

Next day we went on a bus all the way to Yixing city. We started to get to know each other better, had some interesting discussions and sang songs together. Watch the YOU TUBE movie.




Yixing is China’s pottery capital. The Yixing clay dates back to the Song Dynasty (960 – 1279) when purple clay was first mined around Lake Taihu in China. The finished stoneware, which is used for teaware and other small items, are usually red or brown in color. The clays are very cohesive and can be formed by slip molding, coil forming, or most commonly, slab forming. They are known as Purple Sand ware, and are typically unglazed. The most famous wares made for Yixing clay are the teapots.

First, we went to the China Ceramic Cultural Institute, Research Center for Purple Culture of the purple teapot. It was interesting with some beautiful work. We went to a factory and saw students working on their teapots.

Next, we saw the “Qianshu Dragon Kiln” in Qianshu village, Dingshu town, a state protected historic town. It is 43.3 meters long, 1.55 meters high, 3 meters wide outside and 2.3 meters wide inside. The kiln was built in the Ming Dynasty (1400 AD) and is being used since then. Coal is the most common fuel being used for firing this kiln.

After that we investigated a four-story building what will become the new “Pot” Museum. Ge Jun had put a lot of his sculptures and from his students on the first floor. Quite interesting.





The last outing for the day was the Yixing Ceramics Museum. It is the first ceramic museum established in China and has an abundant collection of exhibits. Fully revealing Yixing’s long history of pottery production and splendid pottery culture for more then 7000 years from the middle of Neolithic Age up to the present time.

A Celadon Vase. The production of Celadon in Yixing began in the West Zhou Dynasty 11 Centuries BC. The textures of Yixing Celadons is fine, its glaze is crystal clear like ice and green with blue tint like jade. Their shapes are elegant and the decoration is grand.

The last day, we first went to the Shanghai Museum with some beautiful nice and interesting arts.

Then we went to the Bund of Shanghai, an old part of the city with wonderful old architecture and their famous roof architecture and of course now many shops and eateries for tourists. Also, some performers like on the YOU TUBE movie.

After this visit we returned to Ge Jun Pottery Art Center for a last look at the show and the presentation of the Award and catalogue.

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