Varda Sharon Kramer - Walking beyond

2012-01-22T13:35:00.001+02:00

Paris Series

from Paris Series 6/16 21x15 cm each,
acrylic and oil on paper

Paris Series 5/16

It is too cold to work with clay, and too risky to turn on the kiln (because of thunderstorms), so I started to document and make inventory of the thousands paintings and drawings I have in the studio.

As a "serial" painter, I always paint more than one painting at a time, whether it is on canvases or paper. When it is on canvas it is very easy of course to track them, and put them together, but when papers involved, I find it very difficult to keep series together all the time. They tend to get lost between drawers, and some times even get lost completely. Probably because I have sold them and could not remember, or gave them as presents, or God knows where they are hiding.

Paris Series 2/16

Paris Series 1/16

Inventory could be a good solution, and also a good way to spend the time in a cold day.

Paris Series 4/16

Paris Series 15/16

Mean while the new jars are already dry enough to upload them as soon as the storm stops.

Winter time

2011-12-30T15:48:00.001+02:00

leather hard stage

Ididn't write for ages, but I did work a lot in all kind of techniques

painting

sgrafito

mixing glazes

Before and After

I am acctually in the mood of BIG things, thus I am putting more and more clay on my throwing-wheel,so my dishes become wider, and higher.

in process

Winter is here

it's already cold and windy outside I hope the rain will come too

Spring is in the air

2011-04-16T15:38:00.004+03:00

spring is in the air

Time passes so quickly; the spring is already here; each day brings different weather; one day is cold, one day is hot, one day is cloudy, and the other day is hazy;

all of these changes are very similar to my mood which gets high and creative one day, or low and sad in the next, nevertheless, the spring also brings with it so many colors; the new growth of the fields, the countless flowers and the tiny little buds which all of them have enormous affect on me…

sgraffito

My father, who is in his 90th year, and is very ill, wants "more years to live", but I do not think he is really enjoys his days anymore. That makes me wonder about the gift called life, and the surprise that is waiting under the next layer.

sgraffito

Each day I attend my studio with enough strength to create new things. It goes a bit slower than I used to, but I still have made many new works.

mishima

I am trying to cope with taking photos of the works, at least for a memoire; but sometimes they're being bought before, and that's makes me very happy, but then I do not have any remembrance of them.

playing with glazes

Still have a lot to learn

2011-01-20T12:14:00.001+02:00

slip with 3% cobalt oxide

I started with tiles so I can do some ceramic work, even when I am tired. I thought it is like painting which is my second nature, and therefore it must be easy for me.

Well, it isn't exactly like painting, and what's came out of the kiln, wasn't exactly what I have expected.

I guess that like other things, there are no shortcuts, and I have to learn about layers, about the quality of the lines, about the different colors, and what's happening to them during the fire.

slip with different oxides

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

2010-12-31T23:48:00.004+02:00

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

2010-10-14T13:18:00.002+02:00

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

2010-07-03T18:17:00.004+03:00

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

2010-05-29T16:31:00.007+03:00

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.

Maya and Adi, two of my three daughters

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

2010-04-26T23:04:00.005+03:00

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

2010-04-05T14:08:00.004+03:00

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

Kiln 1/ or Lots of surprises

2010-03-27T21:48:00.006+03:00

What a joy to open the kiln; I was very anxious to see the results that's why I couldn't wait till it got to 100 degrees, and therefore, I can still hearing a voice of cracking…

The glaze of this one is still cracking

these ones looks like summer plates, I like them.

Val's turquoise on these plates, came out really beautiful

Rosenrot and WB

Karenstarshine aqua, Rendy's blue, with metal black on top

Rendy's Blue around and

Saphire green on the bottom (which I got by avoiding the cobalt from the Saphire blue recipe

80% came out better than my expectations, the few that didn't will probably go to the smashing box.

*****

During the coming days, I will load 2-3 more kilns, because there are so many new bowls waiting

Painting glazes or playing with glazes III

2010-03-27T00:33:00.003+03:00

After a week in Netherlands, for a short vacation I am back at the studio making new experiments with glazes.

Although the vacation passed so quickly, (like vacations always do) I did managed to see a little bit of art, with the help of my beloved cousins Dori and Bert. First we went to the north, to see Makkum http://www.royaltichelaar.com/ , where traditional pottery and modern are meeting and melting into each other. I was so relieved to see that even great master's pottery works are not always perfect in shape and quality; I even bought one that was lying on the "damaged" table but still cost like fortune.

The next day we went to see the Textile museum http://www.textielmuseum.nl/ and the Contemporary museum in Tilburg ( De Pont Foundation for Contemporary Art www.ivarhagendoorn.com/.../de-pont-foundation-for-contemporary-art ) which was very inspiring and made me missing painting so much till it hurt my bones.

That's why I didn't wait much and immediately start painting with brushes on the pots I have already ready for dipping in glaze.

As in previous experiments, it looks so beautiful before firing, but I have no clue about the results…

The kiln is already working from 10:00 o'clock this morning and I am eager to see how the dishes will look, after being heated in 1800 Celsius degree.

I really hope they won't stick to the kiln shelves…

Way of doing

2010-03-05T23:58:00.002+02:00

There are many ways to make a sgraffito decoration. ( http://www.answers.com/topic/sgraffito), mine is very simple; I use engobes in a few different colors, to cover the leather-hard bowls, let it dry a bit, and then start cutting, usually from the center to the edges.

The tools I use are scalpels, and round edges etching tools.

This is a time consuming work, but sometimes, it is also like a meditation for me. I embroider my thoughts, into the patterns, one round after the other, till it becomes complete.

Sometimes a bowl takes 2 hours, sometimes 4 or even more, depends on the size of it, and the density of the decoration.

I love to do this kind of work, in painting too, a little different, but still the same in a way.

Playing with glazes II

2010-02-15T20:18:00.002+02:00

Painting with engobe, and glazes on Black Mountain clay.

Something is very wrong with the weather here. It is the middle of February, and instead of rains we are having a heat wave. The nature got confused; trees and flowers are blooming early; it seems like nature thinks it is already spring.

I am confused too. I thought brushing glazes on pottery would be fun, and how could it be that potters out there didn't think about it…

mmm, the process itself was really fun. I enjoyed it very much, but the results…

It seems that painting with glazes isn't that simple, or at least, the results are not as I thought they would be.

Maybe, I have to find the right way to paint with glazes, there must be a way to do it right, and as I know myself, I'll work hard to find the way.

The other bowls, which I worked on with sgraffito technique, came out very beautiful, although distorted a little, and do not look as perfect rounding, probably because the technique which needs me to hold the bowl in my lap, while cutting inside.

Playing with Glazes

2010-02-08T00:08:00.001+02:00

As I was testing glazes on those little tiny bowls, I have also played with a few glazes, painting them on some bowls with a brush. Although I had no clue about the results, it was a real fun. I used the Saphire Blue glaze, Randy's blue, Karen Starshine aqua, and Val Turqiose.

The combination is so colorful, and vibrant; the Randy' blue glaze looks like lavender on the b-mix, and the Saphire blue looks like viridian.

From a close looking, the drippings look like abstract paintings…

A day for snuggling in bed

2010-02-04T15:16:00.003+02:00

Robin Egg Blue Glaze &

Black Tenmoku on brown, b-mix, and white clay.

It is cold, stormy and grey outside. In a day like this I don't feel like driving to my studio in a village on the top of the Carmel Mountain. and working with the cold clay especially when I have to begin a new series of pots. It must be around +4 Celsius, there. I know that for the most of you it is relatively warm weather, but for me it is really very cold.

Val's Turqoise &

Raw Siena (Mastering Cone 6) on red clay.

Variation of Blue Hares on b-mix.

Licorice (MC6) on white clay.

Yesterday I unloaded the kiln. The results were thrilling; so many beautiful new glazes.

Now I have to decide which of them are going to be mixed in large batches. It is very difficult decision for me. I love colors, and I still forget that pottery is not like painting, and there is a limit to the amount of colors a potter can use…

Waterful Brown (MC6) &

Vegas Red (that came out not acctually red) on red clay.

Revised Xaviar's Warm Jade Green on white clay.

Falls Creek Shino on white clay.

Karen Starshine Aqua &

PTR on red clay.

Raspberry (MC6) on red clay.

Raspberry (MC6) on white clay.

Saphire Blue (RR) &

GB Turqiose on red clay.

Karen Starshine Aqua on B-mix.

Randy's Blue & Revised Xaviar Jade green on red clay.

Vegas Red which isn't red, but so beautiful with the Faux Celadon on the red clay.

Licorice & Rosenrot Red on B-mix

Tr Blue & Falls Creek Shino on red clay.

Golden Fake Ash & Glossy Base Glaze 1-Clear Powder Blue (MC6) on red clay.

Randy's Blue & Jen's Juicy Fruit on White clay.

Bach's Blue Green & Waxing Brown (MC6)

on white clay.

Golden Fake Ash & Black Tenmoku on white clay.

Faux Celadon & GB Turqiose on B-mix.

Raw Siena (MC6) &

Waxing Brown (MC6)

on b-mix

Licorice on white clay.

Frustration

2010-01-31T19:08:00.001+02:00

Cleaning greenware is absolutely a risk to anyone who puts so much effort in decorating.

Especially when working with such a delicate clay as the B-mix. This time, I have broken "only" one bowl out of 24, so although my frustration and curses, it is a bit of a progress for me.

Apart from cleaning and breaking bowls, I have also loaded a kiln of many tiny pots, with many new glazes I have mixed for a trial. With them, I colored some bowls I made of left over clays, with the new glazes, using brush. I don't know what and how it is going to look like, but it is surely reminds me of painting.

Memento for prints

2010-01-28T20:34:00.000+02:00

On the last 4 bowls, I brushed black slip. From the first carve I had a feeling as if I was carving a wood cut. Although, cutting a wood has a very special effect that depends on the pressure, and the deepness of the cut.

Flamingo, wood cut

detail

Now, I am waiting eagerly to see the results after firing the bowls. Would it look like wood cut, or the "unclean" surface, that has such a beautiful value in a print, will look just unclean on a ceramic bowl.

All the other bowls are ready for the cleaning process before the bisque firing.

Now, I am looking for a way to clean the little clay crumbles that remained from the cutting process, without damaging the delicate powdery slip.

When is the right time to stop

2010-01-17T21:44:00.002+02:00

When is the right time to stop…?

Although the plastic bags, the new bowls are becoming too dry for the sgraffito work, but I do not want to give it up, so I work and work and work.

The same old problem I have encountered while painting popped up now; when is the right time to stop?

First stage, the 3 engobes mixed on the bowl:

Is it enough like this?

No, I must continue...

Sometimes I start with an idea that changes through working:

Sometimes I succeed with the decision to work only on the inside:

In many of the bowls I've put almost the same emphasis on both sides:

But most of the time I forget all about it

There are still many bowls on the shelves, I just hope they will be wet enough when I come back ...

The Red Clay Bowls

2010-01-17T21:00:00.001+02:00

From a letter to my artist friend Barbara http://www.lidforsbarbara.com/

"For me the process of creation is completely different. My mind is like a food-processor. I see things and absorb the images through it. I even do not pay attention when it comes out, or to the fact of what had influenced me. The other day I went to visit my parents, and looked in my mother's crochet books. She then gave them to me, because she cannot do any hand works anymore. After a few days she called me and said that the latest ceramic red clay bowls I did, look like the crochet diagrams in that books… funny, but surely it shows you how my creativity works".

When the bowls came out from the kiln, they where no more so colorful as they were in the stage of the bone dry, but I still like the color of the engobe, (Vince Pitelka slip recipe)

mass production

2010-01-15T14:55:00.003+02:00

In my first career as a professional fashion designer I used to work in a factory which specialized in mass production. Since then, I can't do one thing at a time. In almost every aspect of my life series are often appearing. It is always 2-3 cakes, and never one cake; it is never one type of food, it is always many choices; it is never one book that I read, it is always a few together; it is never one painting that I paint, it is always a series of paintings that I work simultaneously.

Now, it is the same, with pottery. At the beginning of the week, I threw 24 bowls, one after the other till my breath went away. I meant to decorate them with engobes, and sgraffito. But the problem is that the weather here is like an early spring, dry, warm, and bright. Even the trees are confused and started to flourish.

Covering the bowls with plastic begs helps, but still they dry very quickly, so I found myself working days and nights to complete the decoration before they will turn completely dry. I have already done 10, which means, still 14 to go.

I took Kitty Shepherd and Jim gottuso's advice, to decorate the lower bowls only in the inside, and the higher ones also on the outside, and also to put more energy on decorations I really like to do. therefore, I put much more time on each bowl, so I could be honest with my nature to do the best I can, no matter the price.

one view of my studio

Between like to do, and must do

2009-12-16T19:38:00.003+02:00

It is cold here, not as cold as "cold" means, but fairly cold for us; +8, +10 Celsius during the day is too cold for me for working with the wet, freezing clay. Nevertheless I tried today to do maintain works like cleaning, and putting things into place and taking pictures. I have also mixed some new glazes for trial in the few coming kilns.

The view from my studio in a rainy day

I was not happy with the bowls I did last time. Although deliberately, I reduced the time and effort I put in every bowl's decoration, the results seem to me dull and less than I hoped for.

The inside of the bowls, being glazed with clear glaze only, look uninteresting.

I must find a way to decorate, like I would like, but still spending less time with each bowl so I could sell it cheaper. Or, I could decide to do what I like best- that means putting a lot of time in each piece, and then sell it for a lot of money. It is complicated; no one here pays so much for ceramic. Maybe the wiser approach should be looking for places which might buy expensive ceramics.

Looking for the right way, I found myself decorating more bowls made of brown clay, combining the two sides of the bowl by decorate the inside as well.

While the kiln works

2009-12-08T18:35:00.002+02:00

Part of the new bowls are already in the kiln. Mean while, I have many thoughts whether to glaze them with clear glaze only, so that the inside of the bowl remains white, in order to give more impact to the sgraffito outside. Or should I glaze the inside with colored glaze. but then I had a technical problem, how to glaze the inside of the bowl without staining the carved engobes in the outer side.

I also thought about brushing some colored glaze in the inside, and then cover it with clear glaze, like I did with the small bowls following...

In the end, I was too scared to destroy the work of the sgraffito, so to be on the safe side, I used the clear glaze only, maybe next time I'll be braver.

Meantime, some more photos of the previous kiln products, made out of Black Mountain Clay, as well as Laguna wc403, and wc429.

2009-12-04T21:20:00.000+02:00

Last week, I came to the studio anxious to open the kiln to see the results of painting with white slip over colored engobes that I made myself…

It was disaster, the deep blue engobe swallowed completely the white slip; all the rims were ugly; very bad experience. I couldn't start working again, I just sat there, disappointed looking at the pots till I knew exactly what I should do:

After that, I could have started again, with new heavy big babies, and with a new aspiration to see them soon, coming out of the kiln beautifully and successfully decorated and glazed.

My first Pottery selling

2009-12-04T21:16:00.002+02:00

I was nervous last night; it was raining which isn't a good sign for sale- event, but a very blessed occurrence here.

We all, worked so hard for the selling day; there was the girl who weaves baskets, another one who makes dresses, one that makes metal tea pots, one who makes knitted jewelry, and me with my ceramic pots.

The house where we showed our works is a beautiful house, and each of us got a nice corner. People arrived little by little, not as many as we expected but they eventually came willing to buy our products.

I have sold all the personal - quiche dishes, and a few bowls. It seems that people here like Rutile green glaze and White glaze, although I am sure that one sale event, does not necessarily a solid proof to what people really like.

All these plates were glazed with Rutile Green Glaze on top of self made black-gold engobe .

these ones, were glazed with val Cushing's white matte glaze.

all of them were sold, now i have only photos.

Still looking for my way

2009-11-27T23:11:00.004+02:00

I am still looking for a way to express my skills as a painter through my ceramic works.

Although it is so different, especially because I am most of the time preoccupied with the actual technique of creating the pots, finding the right slip, or the right glaze.

When I paint, I could see the results immediately, therefore, could alternate one color with another, add white to reduce dark color, or add some other colors to increase shadows and mystery. Most of my painting process is done by "thinking and visualization", thus my hands act as if they were a light tool or a brush of the mind.

In the pottery realm, my hands are like hard workers. They work, as does my whole body, in full power; my mind is busy thinking mathematically. How to do this or that correctly, how the glaze will come out of the kiln, what color would it be?

(all drawings are from a series called "The Book of Cells")

In the last few weeks I had the flu, like many others all over the world, but now I am back ready to learn and experiment again. Next week I have my first "selling" event. I am very excited. Especially because I am anxious to hear people's response to my work as a potter, for the first time…

Here are some pots from last month works:

Sgrafito technique, on Weiser Honey's Glaze mugs.

Egg Shell Glaze mugs made from buff clay.

Dark Brown (Laguna wc 391) clay bowls, decorated with white slip (Val Cushing's recipe)

experiments

2009-10-12T20:51:00.001+02:00

Glazes; a new world of colors and surprises.

When I started with pottery, I have immediately fallen in love with making glazes.

I love to look for recipes, to read the comments and to decide on which glaze to test.

I love to mix the ingredients, I feel like a chemist, but since I am not, I sometimes make mistakes. Till today, my mistakes are not as bad as could be in real chemistry, only changes in colors, or texture.

To the Goodrich Honey Green glaze, I add 10 times cobalt oxide… it became a very nice dark blue, somewhat "inkish".

The original Goodrich Honey Green is a real honey green.

To the Ron Roy's Nutmeg glaze, I added 10 times Rio, it came out silky matte, dark brown, not so bad either…

The original glaze is different than it should be, because I fire up to 1180 Celsius. It is dry, sandy, and beautiful.

Some experiments with black gold slip, under Alisa's Silky White glaze:

and under VC "71" glaze

2009-10-07T19:22:00.003+02:00

I think I am lazy photographer, (not to say lousy), every day I want to take photos of my new works, and every same day I postponed it for another day... so I am way behind with photos.

As a potter, I am not so bad. There are many new pots, and bowls, with new glaze experiments, and some different new clay I have been trying.

The summer is fading away here, and although it is still relatively hot and humid (around 24-29 Celsius), I can smell the autumn's winds coming from the west.

Last Saturday, I took the dogs, and the camera, for a walk. There are so many signs of the late summer outside.

I also did some drawing afterwards...

Actually these bowls were done during the summer, but I put them here next to the photos and drawings of the late summer.

They meant to be one thing, but after firing them, became another thing. I still have to figure out how to keep the slip's line clear and steady even after glazing, and firing.

Jars etc

2009-09-20T11:22:00.001+03:00

Lately I have begun doing some jars with lids. The surface was cut and then colored with different oxides.

Very qiuckly I realized which oxides are a mess, and which of them came out beautifuly.

ochre and red iron oxide under Eggshell Glaze.

rutile green under val Cushing Silky White

copper and cobalt oxide under Rutile Green Glaze, and Cream of Mushroom glaze of Clayart.

Into a new path

2009-09-19T10:58:00.009+03:00

After so many years of painting; piles of works in the draowers, lines of canvases leanning against the walls, and doing nothing about selling... I have decided to change my route.

I always loved pottery, and always thought about the possibility to adopt my painting techniques into a clay work, so becoming a potter looked as a natural shift.

I took some technical lessons, but being so independent and autodidact, very soon I've found myself experimenting alone, by trail and error. I am only at the beggining of a long new way, I know, therefore I have made some initial rules and decissions; in my age I'll probably won't become a master in the technical aspects, but I hope that my paintings and decorations will cover the imperfections.

There is still the same problem I have encountered with my paintings: I have no idea how, or any ability to sell my works. maybe i should go and learn marketing...

I started with sgrafito. it is fascinating technique but a time consuming work, so very quickly I felt the need of other methods to experiment;

other methods like painting with slips, and underglazes under Tony Hensen Clear glaze.

experiments were not enough for me, as an artist who deals so many years with colors, mediums, and all sorts of paintings' techniques i need the excitement of finding new ways, and my own uniqueness. I started to learn about glazes from the internet, from books, and from Jacob, my local materials' supplier http://www.ceramiccon.co.il/

My adventure had just begun, I am in heaven of testing glazes, mixing my own colors, trying new shapes, and using different kinds of clay...

Rutile Green glaze and Variegtad Blue glaze

with Black Gold slip painting under.

Val Cushing "71" glaze

Ron Roy's Nutmeg and Weiser' Honey glaze with Black Gold slip under

In the last couple of months, I bought a kiln, a potter's wheel, and a few tens of raw materials for the glazes, and engobs. Although it is so different from painting, I am very happy.

Painting is something that demands a lot of spirtual concentration, pottery requires another kind of concentration, especially when mixing and fixing new glazes...

I have already made some wonderful mistakes... that sometimes lead to beautiful new surprises, but sometimes lead to disasters...

well, this is what a new path means, isn't it?

I must go all the way to beyond the fear of loosing

2007-06-26T23:17:00.000+03:00

When to stop the stream of shapes and colors; when a painting is ready to be finished and untouched?
Did I go too far, and destroy the initial freshness of it?

Back into work

2007-06-09T14:27:00.000+03:00

Painting regularly is like playing the piano. Each day I start with "etudes" which are little paintings. I move my fingers; I move my arms, until I feel the flexibility, the smooth lines, and the confidence.
Listening to music helps me to put a border-line between the life outside, and the life inside the studio. I start with classical music, and very soon get into the mood of electronic/dance/trance music. The repetitive beat gives me a perfect surrounding.

pics from the exhibition

2007-04-04T21:03:00.000+03:00

The Furth Exhibition

2007-04-04T20:45:00.000+03:00

The exhibition opend on March 11

2007-02-24T00:09:00.000+02:00

Hopes

Every day I am planting another hope.

Thousands of ideas are darting in my head, thousands of pictures are sparkling in my mind; flashing and dazzling like fireworks in the night of Independence Day, as if they were a colorful, breathtaking, and magical spectacle that bursts onto the dark infinite sky; scenes in which the past blends with the present; torn fragments of unforgotten memories float over in bizarre, odd combinations; unfinished paragraphs and broken sentences mingle with images and metaphors; memorable scents and familiar perfumes are echoed by a loud and vibrant sound.
For a moment I feel my body thrill; the silence freezes my mind, congeals old memories, and then thaws the old horrors.

oil on paper, 34x45 cm each

getting ready for the new exhibition

2007-01-27T14:41:00.001+02:00

from the Exile serie, 2007, Acrylic and oil on paper, 42x45 cm each.

There are so many paintings in my studio, and it is hard to make a selection. I usually paint on topographical maps which always trigger my imagination. I still remember those geographical large maps that were hung on top of the blackboard at school; I used to think about them as if they were a container, asking for some content. I wondered how rich and intensive they are; a piece of paper, called a map, that has an enormous amount of two-dimensional signs and symbols that should stand for the richness of the earth. I could have spent hours dreaming in front of those maps, waiting for the trapped images I could see inside, to stand up at my command. Then, I would redraw the maps in my mind, using the lines and signs to interweave my creatures back into the maps.

The New Beginning Series

2007-01-26T10:46:00.000+02:00

Beginning 2, 2006, Acrylic and oil on heavy paper, 58x76 cm.
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Beginning 3, 2006, Acrylic and oil on heavy paper, 76x58 cm.
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Beginning 4, 2006, Acrylic and oil on heavy paper, 76x58 cm.

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2007-01-26T10:09:00.001+02:00

this blog is about a life of an artist, and about painting.

I am an artist since many years. I am also a mother to three beautiful girls, 4 dogs, 2 cats, and one finchi bird.

I live in the northern part of Israel, near the city of Haifa, and

have located my studio in a Druze minority village, a minority that lives in cooperation with the Israelis. They have the same duties and rights but have kept their closed mystic tradition and religion for hundreds of years.

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when people ask me what is my "style" in painting, I always find it hard to explain because paintings is a kind of a language for me. I see painting as a process of recollecting memories. These memories are being revived from an existential and infinite collection of memories that represents the relations and the struggles between my inner world, and the outer world, between my personal past, and my parents’ past; between my internal world, my everyday physical and mental life, and what is happening in the external world; between my individual history, and the communal, political history of the place I am living in —a place, which is saturated with wars, grief, and bereavement