First, I would like to say how devastating the earthquake and tsunami is for Japan. I was at that moment home in California and am now in Chicago with my youngest son, Arjan. This was all already planned of course. But Adriaan was in our house in Kamakura and felt the biggest sho ... Continue Reading
On May 21, 2010, I gave a lecture at the Kamakura YMCA . This is an English Seminar. It is a group of people who is interested in continuing their knowledge of the English language. Almost everybody lived abroad for a while in an English speaking country of the world. They invit ... Continue Reading
On April 14 I went to Kusakabe-san’s place to fire a wood kiln together and at the end at high temperature we threw salt into the kiln and got some beautiful results. Quite a small effective kiln and hardly any smoke. The fire box. View of the glow of the fi ... Continue Reading
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 woodf ... Continue Reading
The last day we finished several projects and raku fired our glazed pots. Steve explains how the procedure goes. Steve starts the gas firing.The temperature will be at 900 Celsius in 1 hr. Almost ready for take out. Jennifer taking out pots. You put the pots in a trash can. ... Continue Reading
After returning to the International School of Sacred Heart we glazed bisques pots for the raku we would do the next, last day. Kusakabe-san showed us how. In the evening we enjoyed our last dinner together in a Balinese restaurant. Milan, Ixchel, Euan, Jennifer, Helen, Cat ... Continue Reading
Kusakabe-san showed us the next day how to trim Japanese tea bowls. Every tea bowl has its own characteristic foot “kodai”. He starts out trimming with a bamboo stick to make it even and to clearly mark the beginning of the bottom part of the bowl. And of cour ... Continue Reading
I am on my way back to the US and am in the train from Kamakura to Narita Airport what will take about 2 1/2 hours. A perfect time to continue my writing until the battery runs out. The 2nd day started out with a demonstration of Euan Craig to make different kinds of ceramic ware ... Continue Reading
The 9th World Art Educators’ Workshop in Tokyo, Japan started in the evening with a first meeting for signing in and dinner. But before that we prepared for the coming days. Steve Tootell was the organizer of the workshop. The two Master Potters were Euan Craig and Kasakab ... Continue Reading
Today, I gave a horsehair workshop at The International School of Sacred Heart in Tokyo organized by Steve Tootell, the Head of Creative and Performing Arts of the school. It was difficult for me to take pictures while working, but Steve made a video of it. Please, enjoy watching ... Continue Reading
