Christmas Wreath ♪

I made a Christmas Wreath today. I wanted to make it earlier, but I had to prepare the other Christmas stuff and other things...... At last I made it!

It took only 20 minutes to make.

I picked some branches of Holly tree from the Ichikai community center the other day, (I even asked permission....), I cut some branches of Cypress from our garden and decorated it with some pine cones and a ribbon.

It is quite good work, I think....

The school holidays will start from Christmas day this year, so my children don't have to get a day off from school for family reasons this year!! We can have Christmas dinner and spend time with family. 

I wish a Merry Christmas to you all!

Christmas tree ♪

We decorated the Christmas Tree this weekend.

We wrapped the colourful lights, tinsel and chains on the tree, the kids played pretend with them like big, gorgeous, golden necklaces.
And we put on lots of baubles, too. It is a wonderful time putting decorations up with the family.

The Christmas tree is planted in a pot.
When we bought this tree several years ago, it was only half my height, it is now taller than me!  It is growing little by little every year.

Euan made the star on top of the tree when the kids were small.


Euan is going to fire the kiln in this week.
We have to prepare and to clean up for Christmas and New year!
We are trying to have fun preparing, little by little......


I hope you have a good time for the rest of this year 2010.

Merry Christmas.

Exhibition at EBIYA GALLERY

I'd like to invite you to his 17th Annual Exhibition
at Ebiya Gallery in Nihombashi, Tokyo.

==============================================================

EUAN CRAIG CERAMICS EXHIBITION

2010.11.20.Sat.-28.Sun. 11:00am-7:00pm (Open everyday)

Opening Party; November 20th from 5:00pm,
with cuisine provided by Kappo Toyoda.


EBIYA GALLERY

3-2-18 Muro-machi, Nihonbashi,Chuoh-ku, Tokyo 103-0022
TEL. 03-3241-6543
FAX. 03-3241-1914
http://www.e-ebiya.com/category/1165681.html


He'll be at the gallery every day.
He looks forward to seeing you there.

==============================================================

Concerning Euan Craig

“My vessels first become complete the moment they are used by the hands of my guests.” These are the words which always spring from Euan’s mouth and they express his passion as a potter.

For over 17 years, since I first met Euan till this very day, this has been an unchanging quality imbued in his work.

Always full of smiles to greet you, under any circumstances, Euan is a potter with a truly gentle heart.

I cannot help but believe that it is because of this that every single vessel which is born of his hands returns a heart warming message from everyone who uses them.

Together with Euan, we have accumulated these annual exhibitions one by one. I am blessed to have shared such wonderful times with him, and I am a truly happy man.

It is simply my heartfelt hope that in times to come, 10 years, 20 years…and even 100 years hence, Euan’s vessels will continue at everyone’s side, to be loved and find treasured use, forever and always.


Masahiro Miyake

9th Generation Master of Ebiya Art Gallery,
Nihombashi, Tokyo
Purveyors in Antiquities since 1672

==============================================================

Opened!!

Euan opened the kiln this morning!

I can see only the top front of the kiln.
It looks good!

But I can only show you this far!


I hope you can see his new works in his exhibition at Ebiya gallery.

Fired the Kiln!

Euan fired his kiln.


He really wanted to fire the kiln once more before his exhibition, but time is ticking and he didn't want to　push himself too hard into a corner....

He had already put aside many works for this exhibition.

So he chose a variety of his best pots to pack the kiln, and fired.
It was a very relaxed firing.

Our youngest son helped his Daddy to pass the fire wood after he came home from the preschool.

At the end of the firing, a friend dropped in.
He and Euan talked about pottery a lot in front of the flame.

Our other two sons also joined to them, but didn't really help....

Euan will open the kiln the day after tomorrow,
then he'll choose his works for the exhibition.

I'm very much looking forward to seeing the results.

Pottery Festival is finished!

The 5 day Mashiko Pottery Festival is finished.

Many people visited Euan's tent.
Thank you all very much.

My children and I went to there, too.
I was very happy to be able to see people who I haven't seen for a long time, and I was very glad that they were all well.

See you again next time!

There were beautiful blue skies and weather during the festival.

Euan was down to a T-shirt in the day time.

They were really beautiful days.

Euan said,
"It's a Festival!
We have to enjoy it!"
And so he did.








Now he is preparing to fire the kiln for his exhibition at EBIYA Gallery from 20th to 28th of Nov. in Tokyo, Nihonbashi.

He'll be very happy to share his new works with you there.

Mashiko Pottery Festival will start!

The Autumn Mashiko Pottery Festival
will start from 3rd to7th of November.

Euan set up his tent at Tohboh Mashiyama.

The Jolly Aussie Potter is there everyday.
I'm so glad that it will be good weather during the Festival.
It is very cold and miserable on a rainy autumn day.

I will go there with the kids.

If you can make time, please drop by.

Happy Halloween ♪

Euan made very nice a Jack-o-lantern.
It has a good expression!
I like that. 

 It is our Halloween breakfast.

I used the same mold to bake cookies with the kids.

I added allspice and ginger powder.

For lunch we had omelettes with fingers (sausages) and Bogie man's drink.

For dinner, it looks like a normal meal, but it was a salmon mousse, chicken liver pate and salmon shirako (testicles?) with Ponzu (vinegared-soy!).

Monsters loved these!!!

Werewolves, Haunted Armour, Black cats and Vampires.

The kids had lollies and enjoyed Halloween very much.



It's getting cold here....

It's getting cold here.

Our Aussie potter doesn't like cold, so the fire is alight in the wood stove.

It is softly warm, and very comfortable.





Euan has tried to pace his work this year.
There are, however, several events in this autumn.

First, he taught a workshop in Tokyo the other day.
It was very successful. The participants all said that it was enjoyable, very understandable and good.

Secondly, there is the Mashiko pottery festival coming up from 3rd  to 7th of Nov.
He'll set up the tent at TOHBOH MASHIYAMA.

Euan will be there everyday, selling his pots, telling jokes and enjoying the festival.
If you ask him about pottery and life,
he would tell you all sorts of things....beware....





And thirdly, he has his 17th annual exhibition at EBIYA Gallery in Nihonbashi, Tokyo from 20th to28th of Nov.

This is a special Exhibition for Euan this year, it is also a celebration for him being in Japan for 20 years.
So he is working hard for that.

I'm very much looking forward to seeing his new works.

 

Balance!

The considerations for

the ease of holding and pouring
a Japanese tea pot ( KYUSU) are
that the angle between the handle and the spout should be 80 degrees,

and.....

balance!
(of course there are other details....)


If a tea pot can be stood on its handle, as in this photo,
we can see that the line through the handle and the spout converge at the centre of the body.


If it is not in the center, it will lose balance and not be able to stand.
This balance makes less stress when holding the tea pot and makes pouring easy.


Euan hasn't made tea pots for some time.
He has, of course, made some for left handed people too.

I think it looks very lovely when they are lined up like this.
I'm looking forward to seeing them finished.

My English Blog Begins !

Welcome to my new blog.

I just started this English version of blog from my Japanese blog.

I don't like translation gadgets, they make such a mess....

So I decided to write an English blog here myself.

I hope you enjoy my post.

Thank you.

Mika