New year, new look of the studio, and some new works

My daughter and some of her friends are celebrating the New Year eve in the dining room, and since I am "forced" to stay in my study room, I found it as a good opportunity to write a few words.

First of all, Thank you so much for your comments, and wishes. I feel much better now, and am ready for the new year.

I also would like to congratulate you all for the new coming year, may you all have a great creative year, lots of joy from your work, and lots of health.

For the last couple of weeks, I am working again; although not yet with a full engine, but a few hours a day. At first I reorganized the studio which looks now much more like a gallery.

Since people starting to come in, I must make as quickly as possible enough works, to fill again the shelves.

When I get tired I draw on tiles; not sure yet how they will look after firing them...

Recovering

I have been away from the studio for too long, not because of laziness, of course, but due to health problems. After almost 2 years of unbearable headaches, and many tests, I was diagnosed as having a tumor in the right frontal side of my head. On August 4th I had a surgery that called Craniotomy, it was successful, though a month later I suffered from a severe infection in the same place, and had to be operated again. On September 7th, the second operation took place, and another period of hilling had started again.

It was a tiring voyage, suddenly everything looked unimportant; studio, work, day life… I had many rethought about the way I have lived my life, and the way I wish to live in the future, I had many, too many days of being unable to do anything, but thinking, and crocheting (as a way of therapy). I had days in which I thought about leaving pottery; in fact, leaving everything that needs to be done out of home, but in other days, I was eager to get back to doing and living.

All the arrangements I had to do in the new apartment, pushed aside; although I did emptied the boxes, things are not in their place yet. (Talking about boxes, reminds me now, that there are still unpacked boxes in the studio from the last pottery exhibition in May…)

I have to start "doing"

Today, after visiting the surgeon, and getting a permission to get back to work, I have no more doubts; I want to be able to work as soon as possible. I am planning to start working a few hours a day, till I feel strong enough to work a whole day.



My new apartment

boxes all over

The project of moving to my new apartment in Haifa, on top of the Carmel mountain, was a huge effort in all aspects, and took almost a whole month. Because of the need to adapt everything to the new relatively smaller size of the apartment, it was harder than ever before. I had to get rid of furniture, and much other stuff which I've collected through the years. I had to give 2 of the 3 dogs I had in the yard, which means one dog and one cat are still with me.

Nana on the porch

The good side is the location of the apartment; the view is breath taking- I can see the sun rises every new day (if I could have woken up at this hour…). Since it is around 450 meters above sea level it isn't too hot and humid as it was on the sea shore where I used to live, and most of the time there is nice wind, which could  even be a little chilly at nights.

- Haifa Bay  view to west/north

Nazareth hills, the view to the east- over the vally of Izrael

Although not everything is ready yet, and there is so much to still do, I am going to start working again tomorrow; it really has been too long and I do miss my studio.

another view to the east Menashe hills

Pictures from the Ra'anana Pottery Fair

After many weeks of hard work, the potters' exhibition finally took place in a wonderful green park in the city of Ra'anana. It last 3 long days, from the noon to midnight.

It was the first time for me to participate in such a grand event. The challenge was exciting and so were the results. I got confident with each visitor who "only liked" the work, or loved it, or even bought it. I have got many new insights about colors, shapes, or kind of dishes people likes, or look for. With every bowl or other pots that were sold, I felt a mixture of happiness and sadness; after all, each of them is a precious piece of art for me, and like a painting I would like to know that they are going to a "good-house".

My sister Ilana tal, was responsible not only for the amazing table outfit, but also for the photos. Her support during the time of the exhibition, before and after is something I'd cherish forever.

To sum up, the fair was an amazing experience for me. I sold many of the pots, and that means lots of room for new comers. I am eager to start working again, but first I have to deal with moving to my new apartment in the city of Haifa on top of the Carmel mountain.

I take this opportunity to thanks all of you who took the time to congratulate me for the nomination of one of my plates, as the Plate #400 in Mignon's wonderful blog http://aplateaday.blogspot.com/

In Between

white stone with black engobe; sgraffito; leather hard stage

In between arranging the new apartment, and packing the rented house, I also try to work from time to time. The gaps are bad for my technique skills, especially when I have been trying to work with porcelain. It all began because of the bad weather in the States; there was No shipping of materials for a long time, and therefore no B-mix clay, and no raw materials like fritt 3134, or flint for mixing new glazes. I looked for white soft clay, in order to be able to continue with my decorations, but the only clay I could get here was white porcelain, which was too much for my abilities.

porcelaine- a trial

It is probably a good time to use all the stock of clays I  have already had, and also to get back to the regular white clay, till mid June, when a new shipment of B-mix arrives.

Laguna buff clay with colored engobe plates

white stone clay; black engobe; sgraffito; leather hard stage

The firing went better than last time, almost no cloudiness on the transparent glaze, as I fired with quicker cooling according to Kitty's advice. these bowls are fairly large size; between 25 cm to 40 cm. diameter.

The largest bowl (40 cm) that needed dubble dipping because of it's size

Turbidity

It is as if my bowls felt my ambiguity concerning them, thus the opening of my second kiln was a bit of a bad surprise. Many of the bowls came out foggy, or turbid. I used Hensen's Transparent Clear Glaze recipe, one that I am mixing and using always and somehow, this time it didn't work well. Although in other times I double dipped half and half of the bowl without any traces; this time it shows very unclear, where the layers were overlapped. Pottery work could be so frustrating sometimes.

My beautiful butterflies are drowning in a milky glaze

so much work, and such a big disapointment

at least on these ones the fogginess is all around

these are of the few that came out great, can't see why?

I did like the rest of the tests with the brushed glazes though. Especially the ones I brushed with Gold Tenmoku. It did make some craters holes, but it was only because it probably didn't work well with the turquoise glaze. The color itself, is very beautiful, I can't wait to see it on a whole pot.

these are the plates with the right recipe of Saphire Blue