“Happymaker” was started to bring people together with special interests in the art and bringing this art in all kind of representations, into the local community to be enjoyed and experienced by young and old: “making everybody Happy”! I had an exhibition during this festival in 2009.  Look in my archives for the Month of July, 2009.

I wish all the organizers and artists a wonderful exhibition and time together and I hope to join again next time. I miss it, but I am there in spirit.

I start losing my hair now. I know of course, this was going to happen and actually, I don’t really care so much. I have easy hair: short, a little wavy, just wash it and comb it and it looks fine. But still, it is a shock when you just can pull at your hair and it comes out with a hand full. I don’t have the courage yet to shave it all off and to avoid a mess with all hair around. Perhaps, after tonight if really my whole pillow will be full. Well, I am ready for it with my scarfs and hats and a wig!! Or just nothing if I can get use to it!

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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New set of “Angel” Kamakura-Red teapots.

“Ripples” Kamakura-Red Plate.

“Rolling Wave”

“Flowing River”

“Chrysantheum Box”

“Toward the Middle”









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“Reaching for the stars”










“Flying high”



























“Flying towards  the Sun”












“Swooping”





Sorry, have to go. Some more later. Watch for the videos!!

Ceramic Horsehair and Kamakura-Red Exhibition: “Wings: love is a bird, she needs to fly”

Toko gallery

postcode 321-4218, Jonaizaka 2, Mashiko-machi, Haga-gun, Tochigi

The dates of the show:Saturday November 27 – Thursday December 9.

Opening hours:10-6pm.Last day till 5pm.Closed on Friday December 3rd.

Reception on Saturday November 27 from 6-9pm.

With performance of a dance by KAN-ICHI-san (Segawa)

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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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It was held in the museum “Het Valkhof” in the city Nijmegen. This museum houses a major collection of Roman antiquities, old masters, and modern art. It is located at the edge of the historic Valkhof Park, which was once the site of a Roman encampment and, many centuries later the residence of Charlemagne. Today, you will find an excitingly modern structure for art and archeology. A long glass gallery with its undulating ceiling offers a panoramic —-My uncle busy in his workshop.—– view of the grand river landscape beyond.

My father was also born in the city Nijmegen and as young as 18 years old and later becoming a historian, he was already a tour guide for the “Valkhof Park”. And now I have some of my work in the museum!

For five generations we have artists in the family and it started with my great-grandfather Herman Arens, who was a photographer and art drawing teacher and his brother Arnold Arens, who moved to Antwerpen (Belgium). He invented and had a patent on a machine for a copperplate press for decorations.






The 3 sons of my great-grandfather worked together in a guild of the “Brothers Arens”. My grandfather, Rudolphus, was the oldest, Albert was the painter and drew a lot of the designs and Johan, also a goldsmith, was the youngest. They made a lot of art for churches of which you can see a photo in my blog of February 2, 2010.

A special necklace made for the mayor of the city Huissen in 1948 by the “Brothers Arens”.

My uncle and godfather, Rudie Arens, who is born in 1918, and the 5th child out of 6, first wanted to become a doctor, but then chose to follow in his dad’s footsteps. He went to the appropriate art schools and had practical experience with a lot of artists. He also became an art teacher and in his workshop he taught over 80 students for their practical year. Some of his work:

A silver seahorse on precious stone.

He crafted lots of sigilla/signs for university student organizations.

The design of a commemorative “Spoon” for the birth of “Prins Bernard”, one of the sons of Princess Margriet, sister of Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands.

Of course, I have to show you this swan, which he crafted beautifully on top of a leftover medieval staff.

This is another drawing of some fine jewelry, so beautiful that it almost looks real.

The granddaughter, Charlotte Rombouts Arens, the fifth generation, will continue the goldsmithing art.

My brother Ruud-Jan Kokke, who is a designer, my sister Alida Kokke, who is a floral artist and I are the fourth generation participating in this exhibition.

My sister Alida with “Primula” flower prints surrounded by “email” (color glaze) floral primula jewelry of uncle Rudie.

The cane and stool are designed by my brother Ruud-Jan and acquired, shown and sold in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Then my work: the “Angle” Kamakura Red Teapot and cup, the “Toward the middle” plate and an engraved white slip plate.

The front of the Gallery First Light.

Looking through the small window into the gallery.

The URL of the gallery is: http://firstlight.web.infoseek.co.jp/

Also, I put a movie on YOU TUBE!!! Please, watch. Thank you.