I am part of the Holiday exposition at the Amstelland Museum in Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, Netherlands.
We’re open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 13/ 1pm to 16/4pm.
Please, come and enjoy the wonderful atmosphere of the museum and perhaps find some gifts for the Holidays!!! Thank you.
Amstelland Museum.
My Ceramics.
I am very happy that I can participate in an international exposition in Orleans, France, called: “Happiness reflected in Art”. The main organizer in Lou Smedts. It is from 13 to 21 November, 2021.
This is a postponed exposition because of the Covid pandemic. And still it is difficult to travel. Please, the people who can come, enjoy the exposition!!!
“In-Motion” Horsehair Raku Vases.
At the exhibition!
Today, I brought art works to be included in Gallery 8 Archer owned by Nadine Van Oost in the city of Tongeren, the first established town in Belgium. The Romans ran their road, towers and walls through the city. Hence they have a beautiful Gallo-Roman museum and a big statue of the brave Ambiorix who was prince of the Eburones, leader of a Belgic tribe of north-eastern Gaul and a Belgian national hero because of his resistance against Julius Caesar, as written in Caesar's Commentarii de Bello Gallico.
Nadine’s gallery is situated in the center in an old house which she is renovating and the gallery is beautiful!
Gallery 8 Archer in downtown Tongeren.
Kamakura-Red glaze, Horsehair Raku on glaze Chawans, Slipware colored Chawans (Japanes teabowls), Colored glazed bowls.
Cut+Paste plus Mishima plus Horsehair Raku with horsehair, sugar and fuming of ferric chloride artworks and other artists.
Nadine’s work to the left with porcelain and pewter. My works with the “Emotion” Vases and “Dance” sculptural Vases and other artists.
“Broken” Heart, “Empty” Heart, “Full-of-love” Heart Colored Slipware Vases and Colored Slipware “Dance” Sculptural Vases. Stained glass smiley face made by Nadine’s daughter.
Horsehair Raku Mishima works.
Red clay, white slip, engraved, colored glazes bowls.
Tomorrow, the exposition will finally open after the postponement of several months due to the Corona virus. The Dutch Ceramics Group NVK and the National Tree Museum Gimborn organize together for the 4th time a ceramic exposition in this beautiful tree garden of the museum from September 5 to October 25, 2020.
47 NVK-members show 70 pieces of work with the theme “Ode to Nature”.
It is a beautiful park and rich vegetation and especially now a good chance to be outdoors, enjoy nature and beautiful art!!!
There will be no opening reception.
I show my Horsehair Raku “Spread Your Wings” installation; The tallest/smallest wing is about 2 meters/ 6”8’ tall; the lowest/biggest wing is about 80 cm/2 feet tall.
https://www.swanceramics.com/#/installations/
Horsehair Raku “Spread your Wings”.
https://www.historischamstelland.nl/ontdekken/museum-ouder-amstel
Today, my exposition “Repair your soul” opened in the Amstelland Museum in Ouderkerk aan de Amstel in the Netherlands. It is a historical museum about the history of this village Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, which started in the year 1000, because of the important river the Amstel and river crossings. Those rivers were water ways carrying and moving people and freight in barges. The museum consist of 6 small Diaconie charity houses for elderly women and build by the Protestant Amstelkerk in 1733.
Jos Out https://www.outart.eu/en/ , a sculptor, is my partner in the exposition.
More information is on the exhibition page: https://www.swanceramics.com/exhibitions
The historical Amstelland Museum.
Entrance of the museum.
“Kintsugi” work: Repair your Soul.
“Caldera” Kintsugi Horsehair Plate: Repair your Soul.
“Spread your Wings”
“Spread your Wings”
“Spread your Wings”
“Mishima” and “In-Motion” Horsehair Work
“In-Motion” Horsehair Raku Vases
Winning ICAN NCECA Mishima Horsehair Raku Teapot
“In-Motion” Horsehair Raku Work.
Some beautiful sculptures from Jos Out.
Woman sculpture from Jos Out.
Yesterday, the blacksmith Jan Cuiper finished the supports for my horsehair raku wings for the exhibition at the National Tree Museum the Arboretum in Doorn , Netherlands organized by the NVK Nationale Vakgroep Keramisten, the Dutch Ceramics Organization.
Unfortunately, the exhibition got postponed to September 2020 due to the Corona virus and pandemie.
I put the wings in my backyard. The title “SPREAD YOUR WINGS” which I came up with was months ago and so depressing now that every one has to stay inside. But at the other hand it is a very uplifting metaphor for the future to take off again after such a difficult time in which many people lost their precious lives due to the virus. My sincere condolences.
The tallest with smallest wings in the back are 2.15 meter or 7 feet high. The smallest with biggest wings in the front are 1.45 meter or 4.75 feet high. It is like they are flying up and get smaller when higher up with the movement of the wings. Then the steel pole moves in the wind like the wing is flying.
Horsehair Raku “Spread your Wings” installation in my backyard. The tallest wing in the back is 2.15 meter or 7’; the smallest front wing is 1.45 meter or 4,5’.
The 2nd tallest wing.
I put the installation in my frontyard so the people passing my house can enjoy it.
Last Friday I went with 2 friends to the Princessehof National Museum of Ceramics in the city Leeuwarden, a 2-hour drive from Amsterdam. It is home to some of the world's most beautiful ceramics. From a world-renowned collection of Chinese porselain to the rich Art Nouveau ceramics collection, artists such as Karel Appel and Picasso and exciting exhibitions with contemporary art and design.
The museum is housed in the 18th-century palace of Marie Louise van Hessen-Kassel, Princess of Orange-Nassau.
Leeuwarden this year 2018 is the European Capital of Culture!
The museum is big and airy and beautiful!
Just look at the pictures!
A Dutch Friesian landscape painted with cobalt like the Delft Blue ware.
Some beautiful Japanese Satsuma Porcelain ware.
So many beautiful tiles and of course the Dutch ships are magnificent!
Some Friesian low fire red clay ware decorated with color slibs.
There was this special IN MOTION Exhibition. The HIGHLIGHT was the installation of Celeste Boursier-Mougenot. it was ASTOUNDING!! He plays on the senses with "Variations" installation, consisting of white porcelain bowls floating in a basin filled with intense blue water. It is a feast for the eyes and interplay of sounds like bells.
Just BEAUTIFUL!!! I forgot to take a picture, but please, watch and listen to this movie!!! https://youtu.be/KdIZDkuBey8
The city organized a farewell party for the mayor who governed the city of Ouderkerk aan de Amstel for 10 years. Artists who had exhibited in the town hall were asked to bring some works for the festivities.
"Star Galaxy" Raku Glazed Horsehair
My works in the second entrance to the party.
The Mayor saying good bye.
"The Birth of a Star" Raku Glazed Horsehair
The Mayor singing with the Sailors Choir.
Tomorrow will be the opening of my exposition at Galerie de Pomp, Dorpsstraat 38, 2361BE Warmond, Netherlands from December 7, 2017 till January 7, 2018.
We are four artists sharing the space in the beautiful house.
The gallery is in the old part of the village of Warmond in a very cozy neighborhood. It is attached to the old school house, which is now a great cafe restaurant and next to the old Town Hall, which is also an art gallery.
The Galerie de Pomp and the old school house.
The entrance by night.
My artworks in the gallery.
CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO THE RIGHT: it is a carousel of pictures!!!!
Two dear friends at the opening: Joke Mol and Marian Hoffer.
Marian van Tol-Vink playing during the reception! Thank you.
Clara Sikking the gallery owner and paintress Ingrid van Polen.
Thank you so much Clara!
Last Sunday was the opening of "the International Ceramic Tea Ware Expo" in Utrecht in the "Keramisch Atelier" of Brigitte Reuter in Utrecht. The Expo was curated by Lou Smedts and Brigitte had done a wonderful job with the creation of a wonderful exposition in her gallery.
Brigitte Reuter opened the exposition.
Lou Smedts opening the exposition.
Gilbert Ishin playing the lute at the opening of the exposition.
Some of the beautiful art works! Please, click on this carousel for more images!
Still quite some people came to the exposition. We had some good conversations and last exchanges.
It was wonderful to get to know so many artists from all over the world!!!
With Petra Lindenbauer from Austria.
One of my bottles.
The organizers of the exposition and conference: Lou Smedts, Gerda Genijn, Els Janssens, Chris Prinsen and Alvin Tan Teck Heng.
In the evening we had a farewell dinner. We had a wonderful time with some good food, music and songs!!
Song by Jan, Marta, Alvin and Miguel for Lou.
Marta Mugardes sings a song from Any Weinhaus.
Applauding for the performance.
All watching Jan play.
Jan singing and playing on the guitar.
I stayed in a Bed and Breakfast "De Dulle Koe". It was a wonderful new clean place and a very nice young couple Sybren and Celine taking care. Some animals roamed around on the farm and the mooing of the cow was my alarm clock in the morning!
The hen and her chicks just some hours old.
De Dulle Koe