Life goes on.

I have to start this post by an apology. I had been neglectful in keeping you posted. but life interferes and this retirement thing turned out to be busier than expected.

3 times a week I walk to the Lake House at 6 in the morning to do my yoga. I also am improving my creative side taking acrylic and water color classes.  Still doing my pottery, turning more sculptural with an almost daunting learning curve, beading I enjoy immensely.

And of course Syria is on my mind, in my heart and on the news. every day more Syrians die ruthlessly, needlessly.

But even in Syria life goes on with people working, shopping, getting married and having babies. 

Serenity

My friend "Betsy Stryker" painted this beautiful painting:

I saw it on the wall in the art room and was so moved to write a little description:

"She sat there on her wall, reclining restfully, sensuously, Serenely in red. People think serenity is blue, but she proves them wrong , by half lying there listening to her own muses and music, playing slowly with her beads, surrendering to her inner being, basking in the scent of her orchid.
That flaming, Flamingo listening woman, is quietly in total oblivion to all but her music, her thoughts and her serenity ."

Being me I could not stop there, so I got permission and made "Serenity" in my favorite medium, clay, with mason stains and a clear glaze:

And of course I have to tell the world about it:)

Damascus. Dimashq

A view from the house I grew up in.

Oh Damascus;

My heart is aching and breaking. Although I left you a long time ago, you never left me. You are in my heart, how could you not be? for into your arms I was born one hot summer day.

You were the place that I took my first steps in and got my education. In you I first met my loving parents and wonderful family.

In you I was first introduced to democracy, working the polls for my mother the candidate; but democracy lasted for a year or two only, then came the heavy hand of El Baath.

For almost 50 years you survived by being your accommodating self, surviving wars, rebellions and mostly the harshness, corruption and ruthlessness of those that would suck the juice out of you pretending they are doing you a favor.

What fifty years? You survived eons by being you from the Romans to the Pharaohs, and even before to Timor lank that raped you and almost killed you, to the Crusaders, the Egyptian Mamelukes, the Ottomans, the French and what seems like a hundred and one Coup d’etat after independence all trying to rule you until the iron fist did just that for those last fifty years.

Oh Damascus with your Jasmine, citrus and roses, that fill your beautiful mild nights with heavenly smells. The dim lit streets that I walked with the love of my life inhaling your perfumes, your love and your culture.

Oh Damascus I did leave you, but forever are you in my heart, in the jasmine and citrus living beside me, in the memories inside me, and in my love standing beside me worrying about you just as much as I do.

Oh Damascus this night will end, and Dawn will come with the competing calls to prayers from  Minarets and bells from Steeples. May you always be your diverse, loving, historical self.

North Carolina Potters Conference

I was there when it happened, last weekend, my head is still being attacked with all I saw and tried to absorb.


 

 It was the 25th celebration so the idea was to invite 3 well established potters.

Jack Troy, Cynthia Bringle, and John Glick.

Who were asked to recommend a potter each that they think will be in their position in 25 years. So they respectively recommended.

Jake Johnson

 

Ronan Peterson

 


Martha Grover

 And what a conference resulted. Young and well established, Experienced and fresh, and just blow your mind wonderful.

For more pictures of Demos and works and some of Dwight Holland's magical house of pottery click on:

N C Potters Conference 2012

Carving, I mean Knitting

I wanted a fun small holder for my things when I don't leave the compound and just go to the Lake House (Community Center).
So out came the needles and yarn with a resulting owel.

                                      My purse owl
I liked it so I wore it everywhere.

Of course, when my grand children saw it they wanted creatures of their own.

 An owl for the 8 years old, as a basket for his bike

A flower for the 7 year old girl

 A ducky for the 5 year old

 A dragon Back pack for the 3 year old

 And a purple owl for a friend.

You notice I named them because I was afraid you will not recognize the creature unless I told you what it is:)
And now that I am on a roll, I wonder what I will do next, but until then there is writing to be done and pottery to be made and beads to be strung and food to be cooked.
This retirement thing is turning out to be a lot busier than I expected.

Carving my place

When we first moved into Sun City I joined everything art/craft with the intention of culling the chafe and keeping the grain but it turns out, all of it was grain to me, I even added the writers guild to my assortment of interest and found it to fit me perfectly.

I am finally getting into pottery seriously and am moving in different directions trying to find my new slower paced more thoughtful style, but I am not there yet.

My new friends in the pottery studio amaze me with their creativity, meticulous precision, persistence and thirst for knowledge.

I am home now, even in the pottery studio doing my work, making suggestions for improvement, passing on help I receive from Clayart, sharing whatever knowledge I have and even giving mini workshops on handling glaze, carving clay and, amazingly, even throwing on the wheel.

Kinan

To the Art House, an old flour mill turned into a hotel and gallery, my sister and I went to listen to a fiends son who has become an international Symphonic Clarinetist.

After a minute of silence for the fallen, he started his performance.
He made love to his clarinet and his audience, swaying gently,hypnotizing that imaginary snake, growing the music louder, softer, deeper, harsher always conjuring emotions eloquently, harmoniously, beautifully.

I have not seen him since he was a teen. I grew old and he grew to be famous. And although he lives, like me, in the US, I only managed to hear him in our birth country among faces unknown yet familiar for they are my origin.

Damascus.

I went on my yearly trek to visit my mother in Syria. This year I had no apprehensions, although everyone around me tried to dissuade me because of the news. but like I expected it was a wonderful trip.
I enjoyed seeing my mom and spending quality time with my sister and brother. and even the weather cooperated by being mostly nice.
For pictures and more description you can go to my last year post that was very detailed  .Last year Damascus

My February of fish

I had not meant to write about the fish anymore. One month of writing about fish on Face Book and Posterous. was enough but I told Paula I will have them on my blog so here they are.
And a link to the larger pictures with descriptions on Face Book

The Fish on Face Book

Settling in

Spent my day Jewelry making, Art in the City "Painting"  then off to YMCA to watch my 4 year old grand daughter dance.

I came home to 5 messages on the phone. All for me, not the former phone owner, and all from new friends and colleagues about pottery, a trip, a newly formed Writers Guild and one from maintenance.

Today I belong! 

Mr. Holland's House

After Dinner on Saturday we were invited to go to Mr. Holland's house. I felt like Gretel wanting all that eye candy she found. pots everywhere most of them very recognizable from very recognizable names.

My favorite elongated pair

These caught my attention as soon as I entered the living room, standing tall between Jennifer Allen's and Julia Galloway's  beautiful pitchers , but he had a block on the name and I still do not know who made them.

Mugs all under the kitchen ceiling

A Soldner a Cushing and a Reitz

A wonderful Hewitt surrounded  by boxes

Even the bedroom had many pots and a quilt

And a table for miniatures

It was an experience so stimulating that it was exhausting. I cannot fathom how he can live with all that all the time but for a short period. Ah! Heaven!!!

See more of the collection at:
Dwight Holland house

NC Pottery Conference

The conference was all about Jingdezhen, China there were 5 simultaneous demonstrations going on. It was like trying to watch a 5 ring circus, no matter how hard one tried, there was always something missed.
And I did miss the Slab maker "Xie Zhenghua" as I was seated at an odd angle and the thrower hipnotized me into looking mostly at him.

Zhan Shaolin Throwing

He threw big, tall, wide and off the hump, he was fast powerful and accommodating, he even threw from sketches made by the audience.

Chattered Pot

Dai Guangyu trimming a big pot

He trimmed the inside, trimmed the outside, trimmed the chuck, Chattered very artistically, slipped and connected the parts and made sure it all fit together seemingly seamlessly.

Feng Weina painting under glaze

 She painted under glazes on bone dry pots spraying clear glaze as she changed from color to color.

Feng Shagnjin Painting over glazes on glazed ware

He is a true master of color and brush, composition and intensity.

To see more images click here:

Pictures of NC Pottery Conference

The Hotel Carolina

Our Neighborhood after the snow

We moved to Sun City outside of Charlotte to be near family since both kids moved out of Charleston and we wanted to be there while the grand kids were still young and liked being with us old people.
It felt like moving into the Hotel California, I meant Carolina, where you can't leave but here it is because there are so many activities and amenities you want to do and use.
So I joined the Art Club in the lovely studio with northern light, put my name in the lottery for the pottery studio, Joined the cooking Fingers  club, the Jewelry club, the Stitch and Chat club and the D Darlings club. Of course also the Community Garden Club and I can't remember what else.
But as soon as I joined we got hit with 5" of snow with a top coat of 1" ice  that kept me from any outside activities.
Now that we are having a more southern weather I am going back to all the activities I signed up for and hoping to start walking outside on actual sidewalks in nice weather untill the summer heat arrives.

Rules

I wanted to use the pottery studio here in my community, I was hoping my experience and willingness to work would count for something, but rules are rules and I have to jump through the same hoops as everyone else. So be it, now i am having my fingers crossed to win the lottery (too many interested, too few spots open) and then will see how the Pottery 101 goes;).

A dusting of snow

Woke up the day after Christmas to a white Sunday.
We thought we moved away from the snow but it followed us.

View from the back porch

 We decided on this house because it feels so private in the back in spite of the close naighbors.

The miniature magnolia tree and the neighborhood

I love that we have this magnolia that I always wanted but never had except in my parents yard in Damascus, Syria when I was growing up. good looks, good smell yum.

And the dust has setteled

We are here. The dream house has sold painlessly to worthy people, and we are settled in our new home, cozier, easier and just right for this stage in our lives.

And this is how it looks now

 It feels like home because we are surrounded by homey things and it is not all white anymore it is colorful like our lives with plants all over.

My favorite space

 I love sitting here where I can see outside and enjoy the Jasmin, citrus and lipstick plants we moved with us.

I am going to like it here with friendly neighbors and clubs as scattered as my interests and above all a very nice communal pottery studio.
Orientation on the 5th yes!!

Change

 This is where the old chairs will go

 I am busy with making changes in my life. I am sad and joyous, expectant and anxious.

We will be leaving our dream home in almost heaven to go south where the grand babies are and the winters are warm.
The yard is much smaller and the house is easier. But no more personal pottery since they have a wonderful community pottery studio right in there. Besides the pools and gym and and and...
Now comes the hard part trying to separate what I need form what I want and what I desperately want to keep. trying to fit it all in half the space, and trying to accept a change in life style that was coming on ever so slowly.
There is a comfortable resignation about my Clayville Pottery but also a regret that now that I figured the business part so well I am leaving business behind and moving to making pots for pleasure , exhibitions and as gifts.
I think it will be good for me as an artist to have new challenges as I was getting pretty comfortable here with my modest local fame and collectors that keep coming back for more.

 Entrance into the dream house

Furniture inherited from a past generation with hope for next generation

So it is moving with us

Goodbye WV Hello SC

Ending and Beginnings.

I started making pottery about 15 years ago. In the beginning it was almost all wheel thrown with a lot of altering carving and addin beacause I could not keep my hands off the clay.

One day my niece is visiting and we go in the studio to make some and she wants a sculpture of her and her mom, and we do it and that is how the first Claybeing was born.

And it snowballed from there with the birth of Clayville and all the Clayons and Clayettes that inhabited it from then on.

It was a lovely ride with a lot of fun along the way and as it happens the last Claybeing was of my niece but this time it was of her and her future husband a "Promise" to adorn her wedding Cake.

Competitions

Funny how things work out in juried competitions, the things that I think will be accepted don't make it and the things that I enter reluctantly because I am not quite sure about, make it. In the end, both entries sold and I had to deliver the back up replacements, hoping they will sell too:).

Breakables

My granddaughter comes to me and says "Mimi I want some breakables". Of course being a potter I can make "breakables" all day, and  I did.
Now, a year or two later the pots are broken and I am to make more.

This is William's first set.

  Olivia wanted a repeat of her ducks

Kate's favorites are flowers and the color pink.

And Sam gets a creature of my choice.

This time I got wiser and made extras just in case.

Let's hope this time they will last more than a year or two.