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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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

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This month I would have been on a visiting pottery tour in China organized by Guangzhen “Po” Zhou. Of course, I could not join, but Po Zhou was so wonderful to take pictures of my Kamakura-red Bamboo Teapot, which is permanently displayed in the exhibition hall for international teapots in the Yixing Ceramic Museum. Please, see the blog of July 8, 2010 and May 5, 2010.

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!

These are 3-in-1 Kamakura-Red “Sakura” boxes.
















The big Kamakura-Red “Sakura” Box.

The smallest of the three.

Big Kamakura-Red “Sakura” Plate.

Kamakura-Red “Sakura Branch” Platter.

Kamakura-Red “5-leaf Sakura” Platter.









Kamakura-Red “Small 5-leaf Sakura” Platter.

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

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- Yixing Ceramic Museum:
Today, I received the news from Guangzhen “Po” Zhou, that my Kamakura Red Teapot is received by the Yixing Ceramics Museum and permanently accepted in their special exhibition hall for international teapots! This is wonderful. Unfortunately, I could not be there. But I saw the museum last April. The Yixing Ceramic Museum  is the first one established in China and has an abundant collection of exhibits. See my blog of May 5, 2010.

- The Shanghai “Pot” Museum:
Another Kamakura Red Teapot was exhibited during the Shanghai exhibition, last April and will be in the permanent collection of the Shanghai “Pot Musuem”. See my blog of May 5, 2010.

-  The Jingdezhen Ceramic Museum:
Last year, “Po” Zhou brought my Kamakura Red “Peony” Vase to Jingdezhen for the 2009 International Contemporary Ceramics Exhibition. Afterward, the vase was accepted in the permanent collection of the Jingdezhen Ceramic Museum. Jingdezhen is known as the “Porcelain Capital”, because it has been producing quality porcelain pottery for 1700 years. See my blog of November 28, 2009.

It all started when Guangzhen “Po” Zhou chose my “Kamakura Red Teapot” for the “International Contemporary Teapot Exhibition with the title: “Beyond the function” in conjunction with the NCECA conference in April 2009. See my blog of January 14, 2009.

Then he made a poster of “100 Contemporary Teapots of West” selected from 6 exhibitions and my teapot is one of them. See my blog of April 13, 2009.

After that in July 2009, “Po” Zhou brought my “Peony Vase” to Jingdezhen and also my teapot to Yixing.
Thank you so much, “Po” Zhou!

Please, look on his website and read all about the trip he organized in China and all his accomplishments and beautiful artwork: www.chineseclayart.com

It was a challenge, because to throw the vase in one time with the clay I use is very difficult. So, it threw it in two and three parts and then when the clay was firmed up, you put the parts together.






After that, I continued shaping the form. And then I made my alterations when the clay was still soft leather hard.



I trimmed the foot after having it dried to a hard leather hard stage. It was possible to dry the vases in the open air (with no draft), because the temperature in Japan at the moment is hot and humid. So, it dries slowly.




After a slow bisque firing, I sprayed the glaze on the pot and then glaze-fired to cone 06 (1770 F/995 C).



I put the pot on stilts with metal points. I don’t have other ones. All-ceramic stilts, including the “points,” are preferable to metal-point stilts for heavier forms, because the ceramic “points” will not bend under extra weight. And so, this is exactly what happened. The points bent and the bigger vase didn’t fall against the wall, but against the other big vase! So, both were stuck together!! This was very, very unfortunate, because the color was exactly right.
I put them back into the kiln in a way so the big vase could fall back on the stilt when the glaze was melted enough. This was at 1500 F. The big one cracked “pang” when I opened the kiln, because of the thermal shock effect. The cold air going over the bigger vase was too much when I steadied it.

I had them cool down, but then I got my old problem with this glaze: the formation of craters. Sometimes they may be used to achieve textural emphasis on ware. Such glazes are usually produced by glaze compositi ons which liberate a gas during firing. As the gas bubbles reach the surface of the glaze, they may either break through to leave craters in the surface coating, or they may be trapped in the form of blisters. I don’t want those craters. I want a smooth red surface and for me it is a defect. A horizontal form, like a plate, is correctable, but a vertical shape is almost impossible, because the glaze flows down. The second time the craters were less and I tried a third time, but by now the red color had almost burnt out and disappeared and I had more craters!
A real bummer. It was an expensive lesson to learn by not using the right stilts.

So, here we go!

This teapot was inspired by the tea set of my grandfather (see the blog entry of February 2nd).

Kamakura-Red “Angel” Teapot, 18,5cm x 10cm x 15 cm high, 7,5″ x 4″ x 6″.




“Wave” Kamakura-Red Bowl, 12cm X 7cm high, 4,5″ x 2,5″.




“Toward the Middle” Kamakura Red Plate, 21cm x 5,5cm; 8,5″ x 2″.

“Four Season” Kamakura Red Vase, 10cm x 10cm; 4″ x 4″.

“Circle of Life” Kamakura Red teapot, 22cm x 12cm x 14cm high; 8,5″ x 4,75″ x 5,25″.

“Moving Line” Kamakura Red Cup, 7,5cm x 8,5cm; 3″ x 3,25″.

“Owl” Kamakura Red Vase, 7cm x 11cm high; 2,5″ x 4,5″.

“Abstract Line” Kamakura Red Cup, 9,5cm x 8cm; 4″ x 3″.

“Lucky #8″ Kamakura Red Plate, 20cm x 20cm; 8″ x 8″.

“Lucky #8″ Kamakura Red Chalice, 12cm x 12 cm x 14cm high; 4,5″ x 4,5″ x 5,25″.