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.

At the moment, there is also the Toki Ichi, the yearly May Pottery Festival in Mashiko from about 400 potters. We were amazed to see luckily so many tourists visiting this festival. But they were mainly all Japanese; no blue-eyed people around.

First, we arrived at the Togei Arts Center from Furuki-san. He made beautiful renovations at the Minshuku which had fully survived the earthquake, but the kilns were all damaged. Euan’s kiln was already repaired so people can start firing, and next will be Kusakabe-san’s kiln. His anagama was completely destroyed.

We had some lunch and met with Euan Craig who was manning his booth. He will help me still with the tour and interviews on May the 19 and the 20st of the Dutch journalist/magazine writers Yna and Mels and consequently, an exhibition in the Netherlands. But after the earthquake it takes on a whole different meaning and we are looking for other possibilities to make people aware of what happened in Mashiko and how to help them survive and continue the legacy of this incredible potters community.

Then we met with Ken Matsuzaki-san. I introduced Adriaan and he explained his idea how to help Mashiko and bring them out into the world. Luckily, Koi-san and one of the students helped with the translation.
After that, we went to Hamada Tomoo, the grandson of Hamada Shoji, and explained the same idea. They are very supportive but have to get used to the ideas.

A big shard pile at Matsuzaki-san’s place.

In the meantime, we saw the destruction of the kilns. Some were already cleaned up, but there was so much damage. Hamada Tomoo showed us the devastation of the Reference Museum of Hamada Shoji. Some potters were cleaning the bricks of the broken-down Noborigamas. So, much to do and the rebuilding of the treasure houses. The whole walls shifted. And so many of Hamada’s pots broken. But they had that all cleaned up and refreshed with other works from Hamada Shoji and Tomoo-san also had repaired some important plates from the collections.

Tomoo-san’s damaged salt kiln is already all cleaned up. Ready to build a new one.

Today, we met Fujiwara-san, Baba Yuchiko-san, the mayor Ohtsuka-san, and of course, Tsukamoto-san from the Toko Gallery and some other friends. So, we had quite a lovely day. We returned with the bus to Utsunomiya. We caught at 3:15pm the 2pm bus! Traffic was completely blocked in Mashiko.  It was that busy. The weather became cloudy and everybody of course started to leave at the same time. We got of the train in Tokyo to stay with my friend Lara and her wonderful family.

It was wonderful again to be there and see all the autumn colors and yellow gingko leaves.

They had already prepared a spot where I could work with the necessary tools and Fujiwara-san and his assistants were working on their projects.
I saw the big Jaki all finished now with his natural glaze. He was laying down on pillows and ready to be shipped to the temple in Yokohama.

I also saw some work from his son Ajato-san, who I met and who will have a exhibition in the Art Museum of Roppongi, Tokyo, this December.



Some women whispering and giggling, a custom in Japan to hold your hand in front of your mouth.







And I was able to finish my sign. The cavities of the letters, lines and around the swan will be filled with glass.
This is
another creative way and recycling of TL-lights to use glass in all kind of ways from Fujiwara-san.
















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For 3 days I participated in The 10th World Art Educators’ Workshop featuring IKUZO FUJIWARA and coordinated by Steve Tootell, ceramic art and performance art director from the International School of The Sacred Heart in Tokyo and facilitated by Euan Craig, a Mashiko woodfire potter for 20 years. Please, see the following LINK.


Fijiwara-san sculpting on his “Jaki”.

It was such an interesting workshop. Seldom did I meet such a nice and interesting man. He is wonderfully creative and artistic in so many ways. He is a ceramic mural artist and the only one left in Japan in these difficult economic times. He also is a landscape artist and sculptor. Please, also see his website: www.ikuzo.com

His reputation is established with more than 500 installations in major buildings throughout Japan. They can be as high as 4 stories, colorful and creative and incredibly complicated in design. At a school he installed a multi-dimensional mural, which students can view from left, right and head-on. Each view presents a different picture.




Fujiwara-san overcame the challenge of creating landscape-scale ceramic artwork with scientifically developed techniques and clays that allow for exceptional strength, durability, and massive size. He has revolutionized the large art form with precision engineered plans and modern electric kilns. He has a great, big, well organized, clean, workshop and design studio. All is very impressive.




He uses a Japanese convection kiln, the ancient oven from the Nara period from 1500 years ago, stoked with wood, to fire his gargoyles or “Jakis”: spirits from the natural world, objects of fear and respect.








Fujiwara-san and a very big “Jaki”.

He lives in Mashiko, the pottery and ceramics town that was the focal point for the renaissance of Japanese folk art under the guidance and leadership of Hamada Shoji, one of Japan’s greatest ceramic artists.

So, it was great to be back in Mashiko and to stay at the Mashiko Ceramic Art Center of Furuki-san.

Please, watch the following movie made by Steve Tootell of the 3-day workshop!

Tomoko-san high fires her work in a gas kiln.

Vase with Mishima, stamp and slip, technique.








Some figurine statues.

And her daughter Nanako-san gave a performance with gitar playing and singing.



Watch the YOU TUBE movie!

The participants made their walk to the ceremony in the backyard by first passing a water basin to wash their hands for cleansing and purification. The garden around an official Japanese teahouse has a special design and architecture of trees and scrubs and a stone path meanders through the garden before you arrive at the water basin.

Kusakabe-san writes a greeting for the tea ceremony. In a teahouse you have a “Tokoname” alcove in which they have a scroll “takemono” hanging on the wall and a vase with a simple flower arrangement and an art object to admire.

Before pouring water in the “Chawan” with a ladle, Kusakabe-san puts in the matcha powder for the tea. Then he whips it up with a wisk.

On the table you see a simple flower arrangement from different grasses and one flower, a “Chaire”, tea caddy for the matcha tea and a “Mizusasashi”, water container.

Marc talks about the “Kiri” box, a container to put the wrapped chawan in. They had special boxes made for this show from cedar and they smelled wonderfully.

The exposition of Mazakazu Kusakabe-san and Marc Lancet.
Their pieces are fired in a wood-fired kiln. They are both experts in wood firing. Kusakabe-san is a master in designing kilns, especially at the moment the “Sasukenei” smokeless kiln. Please, see my former blogs and category of Kusakabe-san and kilns, and smokeless kiln.

Keeping track of the temperature.

No smoke at all from the biggest chimney! Smokeless!!!!

Finally, we add wood through the stoke holes for ash build-up and effects.
Unfortunately, I can not be there when they open the kiln, but I will post results as soon as I get some pictures.

We put straw on and around the
plate in the back. Straw has a
high silica content which will give a glassy line on the plate.

If you look close you will see the wads underneath the pots.

The closing of the kiln.

The door is pasted with paper clay and the fire starts in the ash box.

Kusakabe-san showed us how.

In the evening we enjoyed our last dinner together in a Balinese restaurant.

Milan, Ixchel, Euan, Jennifer, Helen, Catherine, Kasakabe-san, Steve, Micha and Titus.

Lisa, Laura, Marianne, Swanica, Heather, Rebecca, Debi, and Jennifer. Unfortunately, Amber is missing, but with her due date for her pregnancy almost being up, she always went home to rest after our full days.