Happy One Year Blogging !!!!

It has been a year since I started blogging... It began with my thought of sharing with others my journey as a potter. without planning it turned out to be an important tool, helping me to view my work, my rhythm and my deeper thoughts about pottery. Hearing some of your voices and comments throughout this year has given me great joy.

It is not always easy juggling between the importance of being in the moment with your work at the studio and between stopping, arranging and taking a photograph of it for others to share, but I am full of motivation to carry on some more...

These are days of celebration for many people around the world. For us, today is the first day of chanuka and we will be lighting the first candle.

May all your days be happy and filled with light and love ...

Hand Building

Some small hand built plates, I'm thinking some glass combined with the glaze.

Testing

Some more test tiles, stoneware and porcelain, waiting for the next firing.

Working Small

I have noticed that when I began my pottery studies I was working with little clay creating naturally only small pots as a beginner. With time the pieces have grown gradually, but as they did I stopped making small ones. last week I decided to go back and make some small boxes made out of 200-500 grams. It was a good experience and I now understand I should play more with different sizes creating a variety of small, medium and large pieces.

Timing

So far it has been a warm and sunny winter with very little rain. A batch of mug handles has dried up too fast, by the time I began attaching them it was too late, I had to start again and make a fresh batch - timing is important.

Another Raku Firing

This tuseday another Raku firing at Amnon Israeli's studio together with Leonid Gosin.
Some spiral bowls of Leonid, some beutifull bottels of Amnon and some testers and tea cups of mine.

Turning Bat

Instead of turning the pot strait on the wheel and holding it with lumps of clay, you can stick a flat sponge on a bat and turn strait on it, it saves time and you can easily pick up the pot to check during the turning.

A Safe Working Environment

As my studio was built on rented land, we had an agreement with our landlady that no permanent floor be put in. So up to now I have been using mats as the floor to the studio and I could not truly clean it as good as it should be, taking in account the danger of breathing the dust of a pottery. So yet another investment was put in a pvc plastic mat that I could just hose down. I'm aware that pvc has its problems but for now it is a definite improvement in my work space. these are before and after pictures of the studio...

Space Management

I found out with time that maneging the space you work in is an important part of being a potter. These last days I've been busy reorganizing the studio: putting up more selves, cutting the table in half in order to fit in a second wheel, and generally creating more space in the studio. One of the things I'm exited about is taking all my glaze tests down from the shelves and hanging them up - they now take less shelf space they are even aesthetic to look at, and if you move them they even make a nice sound.

A Gift From Japan

Last week I was not feeling so well, I think it has to do with the circle of seasons, the circle of creating and my inner rhythm. Some times they are not synchronized and I just fall and have to stop. So It made me so happy getting a parcel from Japan sent by my friend Yoshiko. They are cocoon dolls hand made from paper, and they have a heavy center of gravity so they don't fall!! I tried pushing them down but they just kept coming back up! It's a good reminder in times of weakness... as soon as I'll get my center stronger I will just pop back up - Thanks again Yoshiko, and also for the Japanese sweets (picture of boxes) -to remind me how sweet life can be....

Show Room

This week Meir and I finished building an attachment to the studio (just before the rains started...). It's planned to be a show room displaying my work, apart from the work displayed at the store and in fairs. It feels so natural having my work close to me in the surroundings of the studio where they were created. I think they look their best here. If any one is in the area your welcome to come.

My next project for the coming months is to reorganize the studio and buy another wheel so I can start teaching. Those of you who contacted me for lessons, please be patient just a while more, I hope to contact you soon, and if someone knows of a second hand wheel I could buy please let me know - thanks!

Buckets

I've finally invested in new buckets - 18 litter with fitting lids. It should upgrade my working environment, make glazing larger pots easier and with the fitting lids help keep the glazing results more consistent, preventing the evaporation of the water from the glaze.
The picture at the bottom shows the buckets I use today with their lids - can't wait to start changing them.
You can purchase 18 litter plastic buckets with lids at Ein Hachoresh www.pachmas.co.il/

Evolution

I found this picture in Terry Davies's website http://www.terrydavies.it/ . I Loved it and thought to share it with you.

Improvisation

One of the lids on my containers had a problem fitting on exactly, so instead, I found a bark cork lid and added a wooden bead to match. I recommend having a selection of corks in different sizes so that occasionally could be matched to a pot, giving it a bit of a twist.

Tea Cups

One of the most enjoyable forms for me to through lately. They are actually small bowls with a dimple. The dimple makes holding them more comfortable.

New Idea

I have this constant feeling I have to come up with new, refreshing and different pots. I'm not sure what I think of this, is this good? is this progress? or whether I should stay and go in deeper into shapes and glazes i already found?Anyway, to make things a little more interesting I decided to play with the shino and temmoku glazes - in and out of a bowl. Here is the result.

White Shino

This bowl is glazed with Malcom's shino without the 6% red art clay, its affect is a white glossy shino with carbon traps.

Kfar Vradim Fair

We are coming towards the end of our holiday season which started with the New Year and the fast of Kippur ,followed by Succot and tomorrow Simchat Tora. It is a time of family and many dinners, Autumn rain and fairs. This year I participated for the first time in the 'Kfar Vradim' ceramic fair in the north of the country. It was a pleasure meeting up with the different potters and ceramic artists. A pleasure seeing Aileen Lev and Noa Segal from Yodfat, standing next to the wonderful Ida Michaeli, Dalia Oz and Rachel Stoller, chatting with Meir Mohavan, Marcel Klein, Lori and Sharon, choosing one of my tea cups for Ronit Zur, meeting new and old customers and having the support and company of my dear family. I am beginning the season of winter feeling blessed, full of new ideas and joy - thanks to all of you.

Happy New Year

Tomorrow we will be celebrating the Jewish new year. It has been a year of hard work and progress, of new lessons and new friends. May you all have a good and sweet year, a year filled with joy and fulfilment.

Plate of Glazes

Here is a colection of glazes I use. from left to right:
top row: yellow salt, yellow seto, white shino
middle row: ash , Tom's temmoku, Malcom's shino
bottem row: mamo, ash, Harris blue

Hands At Work

Some pictures my friend Orly took.

Window Display At 'Cadim' Gallery

'Cadim' gallery in the center of Jerusalem is a cooperative of 15 local potters. every month we rotate our place of display so that every one gets a fair exposure. This month is my turn displaying my pots in the window. Hope to have good sales - you are all invited.

Raku Firing

Yesterday on a very hot day, along with two friends - a raku firing. I managed to test only three out of the five glazes I planned. It was a really hot day and a day of much learning. I get reminded that every small detail is important - the height of the shelf in the kiln, the angle of the burner, the amount of oxygen coming in, and the importance of a full gas tank. It's a very intense and powerful experience. Yesterday evening I was sure that my appetite for raku was satisfied for many months, this morning I'm already planning the next firing...

Here are some results:

'gold raku' was the last batch to be fired and an interesting result.

'Dalya's raku' which was applied a bit too thick and did not reach the optimal temperature.

pink raku' that also did not reach the right temperature and did not fully open.

Raku Glazes

Pots glazed in five different Raku glazes - large crackles, small crackles, gold, pink and clear pink - waiting to be fired...

Assembling

Different parts - body, lid, spout, handles - thrown on the wheel, measured, joined together, trimmed and altered - are assembled to create a complete teapot.

Pitcher & Mugs

Ash glazed pitcher and mugs.

Bread & Butter

A set of 4 small saucers is my 'best seller' these days.

Hard Work

While working in the studio, I couldn't resist capturing our dog's (Bez'a) wise choice of passing the hot summer days.