|
*****************************************************
FALL NEWSLETTER
Mother Earth Pottery
Shalom Shalom to all my friends, customers, and Misgav residents,
I am happy that the time has come for this newsletter. It is never taken for granted..(for those who noticed that the summer came and went without a newsletter…)
The newsletter comes from a new place: the connection between me and my yearly rhythm, which includes important decisions in my life, always, during August, (the end of the summer)…
Thus, I am happy to inform you of the new beginning of another profession of mine:
the making and teaching of Hoola Hoops. So, I am now “The Hooping Potter”. (We gather every Sunday at 17:30 –18:30 at Yodfat to enjoy hooping together).
Rosh Hashana at the Gallery
The shelves are already full of pottery. It can be purchased as a gift for the hosts of the holiday meal (or for ourselves…) also to complete any serving dishes, or to beautify the festive meal. A vase for a bouquet of flowers for the holiday that bring joy to the home, teapots for the end of the meal…the self-service continues at the gallery 24 hours a day.
The Lack and the Filling of it.
I sit and make containers (for sugar, tea, honey, salt, olives, and more…) and measure the lid so it will sit properly in its galley. The following day – the “finishing off” of the piece (carving out the foot, designing the bottom, adding a handle, or final finishing off of the matching of the lid to the container, etc…) . Over the years I strive to have them fit so that the owner of the container lifts or sets down the lid, without having to give too much attention to this action. When he sets the lid down it “sits” exactly in place… That is a continuous search for me for 14 years, including many attempts to try and discover: how? How does the galley have to be to “receive” the lid? How does the lid have to be in order to “sit” securely, without difficulty?
And today, when I am working on these containers, those questions are present in my intention, and suddenly, today, yes, just today, from a quiet and calm, summery place within me – the solution came! What allows the lid to sit in its designated place without sliding about to the side?! And then came the awe and the gratitude to that power that accompanies every single moment…
COALS, SPARKS, AND FIRE
At the start of my path as a potter I was blessed with the fire of excitement for working with clay. My dream all these years was: put a mountain of clay next to me and just allow me to make pottery all day and all night…and that’s how I’ve felt and acted for the past 14 years – an abundance of creating and joy.
Over the last period I noticed that the “fire” had turned into “coals”…I still arrived at the studio everyday and created but from a different place, a “foggier” place. Slower, quieter, no longer running, but rather taking step after step…to where…?
I observe it. Recognize a change: Is it my age? Is it the season? Maybe because the shelves are full and nothing is low in stock? Maybe because I am making hoola hoops all the time?...And I didn’t recognize myself like this – not galloping, not on fire, but rather trusting that there is enough time for everything, situated in the here and now, doing the best I can at every moment…but…who am I now if I’m not Eileen, the potter with the fire within?
I spoke with other potters, asking them if they experienced this kind of state…of coals…and it was so interesting to listen to each one how they had seen, understood, and experienced these transitions, that it’s possible to take some time off for reflecting back on where I started and how far I’ve come along, to sit back and browse through books for inspiration, or finally there is enough time to investigate a certain technique that I’ve always been meaning to try. When I hung up the phone a little spark of fire appeared among the coals, and some customers appeared with some orders they wanted me to make…
FOOD FOR THE SOUL (fragile/breakable)
“People buy your pottery because of the passion that they sense in it” – that’s what my brother told me when I shared with him my thoughts of adding the hoola hooping as part of my business ( making, marketing, teaching, and doing gatherings). “Doubt” stole its’ way into me (he also once told me that his teacher said : Doubt and anger are the most dangerous enemies. ) And slowly , slowly, doubt ate me up each day until I was left without any creative energy. From that place my cry “rose up above” and brought to my gallery an older Yemenite man; an artist and a calligrapher of sacred texts. He began praising and complimenting my pottery and drawings. We spoke about art and when I asked him if he thinks that people would buy my drawings, he looked at me surprised and said: We create for our soul, not in order to sell. If you feed your soul, everything else you do will be influenced by that and then people will feel your soul in everything and will be attracted to it… It is impossible to create in order to sell!”
I looked him straight in the eyes and knew that he had “been sent to me” with that message. From the lowliness I had been feeling I immediately was filled with joy and light and I KNEW that I was now going to deepen my creativity to include the hoola hoops! It brings me so much happiness, energy, creativity and joy witnessing the learning process and a connection among people of all ages! The moment I “knew” this, my energy returned and happily I went over to my abandoned potters wheel and began to make tea bowls and later hoola hoops, which all flowed out of me
ROAST BEEF CASSEROLE
( a sweetish style in honor of the upcoming new year!)
- recommended to baste the meat for a few hours in honey/brown sugar/ a little apricot jam, garlic salt pepper
- quickly “sear” the meat on all sides in a pot with a little bit of olive oil, on the highest flame.
- Heat the oven to the hottest it can go
- Place the meat into the casserole and then add liquids (soy sauce, wine – red dry recommended0
- Place in preheated oven
- Turn the heat down to 150 degrees and bake for approximately 3 hours (depending on the size of the cut of meat)
- The principle: high heat to start off with , then lower it to low heat and slowly cook for several hours until the meat is soft,
The Newsletter by E-MAIL
I am going over to sending the newsletter only by e-mail from now on, so anyone interested in continuing to receive it is requested to please write me and I will add them to my pool of customers, and therefore you will continue to receive it (don’t worry, the hand written (Hebrew) copy and drawings will still continue by e-mail)
EILEENLEV@GMAIl.COM
I wish all of us a blessed and happy New Year
A year of growth, creativity,
Bestowal and understanding
Inside and outside
Eileen Lev
ד
Open : Sunday - Friday 9:00 – 15:00 and Self Service all other times….
------------------------------------------------------------------
Spring Newsletter
Mother Earth Pottery 
Shalom Shalom to all my friends, customers and Misgav residents,
I am sitting outside my studio in the sun, on a little wooden stool opposite the flowering mustard plants with the birds singing and I am blessing it all! Spring has sprung. The doors of the gallery are wide open. There is sunshine, fresh air, a flow, and I am grateful for everything; the winter vacation I had, the blessed winter rains, and all the peeking out of spring from each bud.
So What Happened?
For the winter I traveled to a warm climate in order to take some quiet relaxed time off. I organized a few "projects" for my vacation taking advantage of having time to deepen my understanding and experience in a few different areas: technology of ceramics, photography, drawing, learning the computer, observing….and I returned with new vigor and a lot of joy and enthusiasm. As always, there is "a price to pay" along the way.
It includes the frustration of the desire of already wanting to be where I am heading for even though I don't know the way, many attempts that show what is "still missing" (together with the awe at what there is!) and also the place where I get "lost" and it seems I'm just going to have to give up… that place that appears a second before the little voice that hints and encourages and points to the tip of the thread that leads to the next stage…
So, from the study of the technology I understood that the secret is "slow down". "Slow down" the rate at which I fire the pots in the kiln, in order to prevent all the cracks that started appearing already at the first stage of firing.
How come I always forget that every defect is coming to me in order for me to reach a higher level, and not in order to discourage or fail me? I read that the words of the known Israelil song are: " All the world is just a narrow bridge. And most important is not to scare yourself at all." That it is only myself that makes me fear filled, fears that I am not a good enough potter, that I won't succeed in finding a solution…So there is great joy , each time, after endless attempts, when the solution arrives…and makes room on the path for the next goal!!
Reminders:
**The outdoor annual ceramic fair in Ra'anana this year will take place on June 16-18, 2009.
** Interested in guidance about your "Life Path" by means of Astrology ? Go onto Sherrills new website :www.naiadmoon.com/
Pear and Almond Torte ( from Maya)
Suitable for a 24 cm pie dish
Crust:
1 1/2 cups flour
100 gr. cold butter cut into cubes
3 T. sugar
2-3 T. cold water
Mix together and place in fridge for an hour
Filling:
100 gr. butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups grounded almonds (powder)
Grated lemon rind
Mix above together to a paste
5-6 ripe pears pared, halved and seeded (can be cooked slightly in lemon juice and sugar if unripe)
Topping:
2 T. Rosetta (almond syrup)
Or any good jam diluted with some water
Preparation:
Roll out the dough and place in pie plate with edges
bake at 180 for 10 minutes
Spread the filling paste onto the baked pie dough and place pears on top
Bake at 180 for 35-40 minutes until golden
Remove from oven and spread topping on top.
Bon Appetite
Being A Student
I returned to Israel nice and warm inside, satisfied with the drawings of nature I had done and with the nature photos I hade taken, and with my new hobby: Hoola Hooping! While I was studying each area I realized how much being a student enriches ones life. That it is possible to try again and again (especially with a digital camera) and to watch how the repetition of the same action reveals the path. To see how the body has an inner wisdom and all I have to do is "the footwork" : to get up and try again, to look in the direction of the light, to empty my mind, open up my contractions and "jump off the cliff". From my nature drawings I received the confidence and daring to use colors and an ease with the brush on my pottery. From the photographing, a more critical eye towards the design and shape of my pottery, And from the hoola hoop…an opportunity for a new profession in my golden years: to teach hoola hoping!! I met a teacher that taught me hoola hooping in the same spirit that I teach potting. It was so exciting to see that the only difference was changing the word "clay" with "hoola hoop". Apparently there is a connection between the rhythm of the turning of the potters wheel and of the hoola hoop along with a desire to be centered every moment and moment (and if not…it falls; the pot, and the hoola hoop!) The drawings and hoola hoops are in my gallery for all who want to see, (including a demonstration!). Those interested in seeing the photos, write me and I will send a link; eileenlev@gmail.com
 Fusion 
In the beginning the transition from vacation to my daily work schedule was easy…and then came a cold, rainy, dark day. When I arrived at the studio, it seemed like the potter inside of me was no longer there. Nothing that could knead clay, no place from where the pots could be created from…
I missed the quiet of my trip, the long sunrise walks along the beach, the transition times in which things could settle, before I already began the next thing, the observing, the "conversations" with Mother Nature, the listening, empty time to move with the hoola hoop and to be a witness to the learning process, to the happiness and energy that is in the act itself…so what do I do? I wanted to return to Israel, I love my life here, my studio/gallery…but something here needed to change.
I began to knead clay. I remembered that touching clay is like a remedy…let's give it a chance to heal me. Slowly, slowly the answers began to come….as a "fusion": to incorporate what had nourished me so much there, with what had nourished me here. That is how the new colorful designs on the salt shakers and little saucers and other pieces was born. Also, to bring a hoola hoop to the studio and to go outside to nature, now and then, to slow down and to remember how important it is, "transition times", quiet time to digest impressions, to listen, to dream, time to smell the scents…
I told my brother about this understanding as a result of my vacation and he gave it a nickname: "The Joy of Slow"
So, if you are going by the studio/gallery and you see someone moving around in the sun with a hoola hoop in the middle of the day, joyfully, it's me…The Hooling Potter. I invite you to come  and try too.
I wish each and everyone health, happiness and "freedom"!
Happy Holiday of Redemption, and a nice, flowering spring .
Eileen Lev .jpg)
Open Sunday-Thursday from 9-15
All other times: self service!
04-9800122
Winter Newsletter
Mother Earth Pottery
. Shalom Shalom to all my customers, friends and Misgav residents
As the first rains came down, the words for this newsletter also came down onto the paper. So with the coming of winter there is finally an excuse for making casserole meals, for lighting the oil burner that casts a delicate light and emits the scent for "A Good Mood" or "Calmness´ or "Energizing" (aromatherapy products by "Baron Soap" that can be purchased by me) or any other essential oil. It adds a homey feel when the house is closed during the winter. It's also an opportunity to prepare a pot of tea for yourself, and others and to cuddle up by the heater.
Migrating Bird
I personally …get depressed in the winter…the clay is cold, the studio has wind blowing through it, the lighting is low, the glaze buckets are freezing and there is a "traffic jam" in the production line of creating because the pieces aren't drying as quickly as usual.
The potters in Japan devote the winter months to inspiration time only: new ideas, looking through books, and they return to creating when the spring arrives. Ever since I was told about this winter "rhythm" by a potter in Japan, I have dreamt of the possibility. So this year I chose to return to a warm quiet beach. A friend put it in such a nice way: "You are like a migrating bird, you move to a warm place in order to feel your freedom" Yep! So…I leave for my yearly vacation until 16.2.09. The gallery will run as usual with "self service" during this period.
The Interaction
Friends, customers and students arrive to my gallery/studio during the day. Though I work alone, it's an opportunity for an exchange. During this interaction a new space is opened inside of me: A friend just left and gave me a "present" during our conversation. He reminded me that " Every single instant I can choose "to create": to create my next moment, to create an interaction, a word, an intention, how I see things." This is a friend that from the outside one might say "he doesn't have an easy life". But when speaking with him, one can hear and sense the optimism in the possibility of choices that he sees as everything appears to be an opportunity for growth, creativity, and a new reality. I asked him:" What helps you remember your goal and vision in life?" "Gratitude" he answered.
"
A "Chef" in the Glaze Room
The key word in the newsletter this time is "freedom". In my search to
feel freer in my searching for glazes that I use, I decided to study technology with Shula Volak, a former veteran teacher at Bezalel. And that is just what happened. Already at the first lesson she solved a riddle that I had always had: What is the meaning of the word "Potter"?
A potter(in hebrew; "Kadar") is one that makes pots. And what are "Pots"(in Hebrew "kaderot")? A word that expresses the blackness on the bottoms of the pots from cooking over an open flame. The course is allowing us an inspiring interaction among potters. Each one of us comes with our experience and questions and we are all grateful for this meeting. The most fun for me is understanding at a deeper level the glaze materials and firing procedures, learning how to achieve the glaze results that I am searching for just by making some small changes
A delicious Goulash Casserole
*2-3 onions cut lengthwise, then fried and placed in the casserole
*2 kilo of cubes of meat (5-7 cent.) for casserole, salt and pepper them and fry in a frying pan on a high fire ( not all of it at once) place in a bowl.
*Add to bowl:
1 head of garlic peeled
1 1/2 cups of Saki (Tequilla?)
1 teasp. Dry coriander
4-5 tomatoes cut into cubes
3 Cardomon pods
1 can of grated tomatoes
1/4 cup of pomegranate concentrate
Cleaned peppers cut into large squares: 2 red one, 1 hot green one, 2 sweet dried ones
Add salt, pepper (remember there is already is on the meat) and leave in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Remove from the refrigerator early enough so that the casserole reaches room temperature.
*Place in the oven ( 200C) for 20 minutes and then lower to 150C for another 3-4 hours.
Remove from the oven and let sit 15 minutes before serving.
Add 4 pieces of crushed garlic and 1/2 bundle of fresh chopped coriander.
Vegetarian Casserole
Same as the above meat recipe but…without meat.
*Cut cubes of Tofu and soak together with small whole mushrooms
Cut 3 small sweet potatoes into cubes, 2 Kolrabi, into large squares, olives and prunes , a few thin lemon and orange slices.
Follow cooking instructions as above.
I wish everyone the inner powers that allow each of us to reach towards the light from the darkness and to have this intention with the help of our friends…
Happy Chanukah ! Praying for a rainy cold winter with warmth in our hearts!
Sincerely, Eileen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fall Newsletter
Mother Earth Pottery
Shalom shalom to all my friends, customers and Misgav residents,
It's already possible to feel the beginning of the New Year on it's way, with the nice winds, watching the Sicillia flowers opening up, feeling the different energy as school starts again and there is a return to order, to a new rhythm.
By me things have become quiet after the summer which was busy with new students, lots of families stopping by after the monkey forest to be mesmerized by watching the potter wheel spin and how the pottery "comes out" like magic. I also had 3 assistants all working by me at the same time which made it possible to work on some special projects.
Now, again quiet, alone in the studio, preparing items to be ready for the holidays. The breath; the inhalation and exhalation of the year.
Pomegrantes? Apples? Olives?
During the Summer a woman asked me to prepare some pottery in the shapes of pomegranates, apples, and something for olives…it's interesting how sometimes one needs the "DO" ( DO RE MI…) to come from somewhere outside of us in order to begin something new. After the idea was thrown out into the air I began making quantities of them (is there any other option?!) I enjoyed the small nuances of design, glazing and sizes. With the help of my assistants that had "by coincidence" arrived to the studio at the same time, we succeeded in producing a wide and interesting array of little gifts for the holiday: small pomegrantes that can be used as a candlestick, vase, toothpick holder or decoration, little apples that can hold some honey or toothpicks, and more. The olive bowls I made were an opportunity to try my hand at stamping and engraving an image of an olive. I hope that the abundance of these pottery knick-knacks will invite abundance in the New Year.
The Kfar Vradim Pottery Festival "Ne'giot B'Chomer"
Everyone is invited to the yearly pottery festival at Kfar Vradim during the Succot holiday on Wednesday and Thursday, the 15-16/9/2008. 30 of the best ceramic artists in the north and center of the country will be showing their work, plus pottery demonstrations and an opportunity to try your hand on the potters wheel. It will be open each day from 10 a.m. till 8 p.m.
A Casserole Recipe with Persian Influence
-soak chickpeas overnight and cook till soft
-gently fry chopped onions and garlic
-place the fried onions on the bottom of the casserole
-cut 5 slices of lemon with peel and place on onions
-place chicken pieces on top
-place chickpeas on top
-chop a lot of parsley and spinach and place on top
-peel and cut potatoes into large chunks and place on top
-add salt and pepper
-add water till it covers 1/4 of depth of casserole
-place in a hot oven until it boils and then lower to 120 degrees for another 1 1/2 hours
-bon appetite!
Breathing
When I became involved in pottery my first teacher told me as he watched me work, that if I forget to breathe I won't be able "to raise" the piece of clay on the wheel. I laughed embarrassingly because I hadn't paid attention that I had stopped breathing while I was focused on what I was making…and since then, breathing has been a subject that I observe.
If the breathing is in sync while kneading the clay, everything flows and is more effective, and it is as if the clay is kneading itself. Slowly I started paying attention that between each movement of making a piece I inhale and during the next movement I exhale. The experience is with the flow and the sensation of being a kind of "connector" for a greater force that accompanies me in the making of the piece. One of my major functions as a teacher is to remind the student to breathe. It also allows me to feel part of the process of creating and not only anticipating the result.
"The musician breathes consciously before she plays an instrument, the writer breathes consciously before he sets his pen to paper, the actor breathes consciously before he performs, the painter breathes consciously before she puts the first brush stroke on the canvas. In breathing deeply each one taps into aesthetic inspiration from God and translates it into an instrument, a written page, a performance, or a painting….As you walk lightly between the contractions and expansions, you begin recognizing new and renewed areas of joy in aspects of yourself and aspects of universal creation." Rabbi Shoni Leibowitz
Raking Leaves
When I planned with a potter in Thailand to visit his pottery, he told me that the workers arrive at 8 a.m. but I can come at 9. I didn't understand the intention and decided to show up at 8:30 and see what they were doing from the start…and I found the men, underneath the trees raking the leaves and collecting them. The women were washing the floor and dusting the showroom. At the end of this hour the production work begins. When I asked the potter if it is really necessary to wash the floor everyday in the showroom even if no customers have been there the day before, he explained to me that this hour is an hour of meditation, an hour of quiet, self observation, an entering into a rhythm, a time for cleaning "inside and outside", which is important before beginning to create.
I thought about how kneading the clay enables a similar process, It's a time of reflecting, of thinking about life, ideas for new pieces for the day, It's a time where one cannot run or hurry or do things haphazardly since the results will be seen in the pieces themselves… a time to connect with the clay, and my intention for when I place it on the wheel to create.
Wishing each of you
A Happy and Blessed New Year
A Year of Creativity and Happiness
Sincerely,
Eileen Lev
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Summer Newsletter
Mother Earth Pottery
Shalom shalom,
The summer vacation has arrived…sun, sea, weddings, leisure time for sitting and dreaming under the shade of a tree…I always enjoyed summer vacation. It was a sign of letting go of all the daily framework, a time to enter the world of infinity. Lately I've realized that that option is always there, each moment; it's possible to "jump into the sea", to enjoy whatever is going on right here and now, to let go – and sense how the "summer vacation" appears.
To control or to trust – Ideas for introspection
Whenever I demonstrate a new shape to a student, there is an expectation on their part that they will succeed by making a mental effort to understand how to make it, and also fear in the face of failure. The "inner judge" works overtime! They try and try, get depressed, and make a super effort. In the end I suggest that they close their eyes and trust the potter within them to create it. Can I trust a power greater than me? That only wants the best for me every single moment, even when I can't immediately see that it is so?
Weddings
I succeeded in making a large quantity of sets of dishes, thanks to the help of a new assistant that arrived at just the right time!. The sets were presents from a bunch of friends that put their resources together and ordered them as wedding gifts. In honor of the wedding season: a story for the wedding couple (and an idea for a present…)
On their wedding the couple receives two vases (not identical),and a bag of many different kinds of colorful seeds. At the end of each day, for an entire year, each of them chooses a seed that represents how the day went between the two of them and places it in their vase. At the end of the year, each one pours out the 365 seeds onto the table and looks at them: are the yellow corn seeds dominant? Or the red hot pepper ones? Maybe the lima beans? Or maybe…or…
One can reflect a little about the approaching year, one can sow the seeds in the ground and observe the crop…or put all the seeds into a stew…is it tasty? Or one can…simply enjoy life as it is reflected by the seeds.
What's Up?
- I've begun to make tall narrow drinking vessels without handles for cold drinks, they also fit espresso machine (people love them) .
- A customer ordered a small quiche pan, suitable for a couple. The imagination can run wild with many other options
- Some years back I made a clock for my Japanese calligraphy teacher, Kazuo Ishii, www.shiboku.com (who also teaches tai chi all over the country, 04-9833394). I always prepare more than one ( as is known, there are lots of surprises along the way…) When a customer saw one of the clocks hanging in my gallery she ordered one too. I made a few clocks for her to choose from. There is a lot of freedom and flow of ideas which begin to appear whenever I try something new.
- I created some mugs and decorated them with a Chinese saying (presents for the teachers of Chinese medicine). It was an opportunity to try an array of experiments to achieve perfection. It led to a stuck and stilted writing style. When I began to let go and allow the brush "to dance" on the mugs and to trust the many years of daily practice of calligraphy the mugs became happy and pleasant. How interesting that the quote that the students had chosen was:" rooted in spirit"
- Sherrill, from Yodfat, gives astrological guidance, very interesting and helpful; www.yodfat.org 04 9800025
Eggplant and Meat "Cake"
I tried the following recipes in one of my round quiche trays and it was delicious:
- slice lengthwise thin slices of eggplant
- lightly fry in olive oil ( for flexibility)
- drain on paper toweling
- prepare filling : lightly fry chopped onions and leeks in a little olive oil, add chopped garlic and add to:
- a bowl with ground beef, grated carrot and tomatoes, salt, pepper, chopped parsley, (and coriander to those who like it)
- in a round tray arrange eggplant slices in a circle like a flower so that part of each slice sticks over the side of the tray.
- pour filling onto slices
- cover the filling with the overhanging eggplant ends. If they aren't enough add more slices until completely covered
- bake at 160 degrees for 45 minutes
- turn over onto serving dish with flower design on top
I The Waters of the Garden of Eden
A student asked me how to repair the lip of a mug that had turned out crooked. I suggested that a little water on a sponge and long sweeping movements does the perfect cosmetic treatment for that. After trying it and seeing the nice result she was amazed by the magic of water AGAIN! She told me the following story about water:
When Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden all that was there was no longer at their disposal. Only the water that flowed from the 4 rivers continued to flow out. Ever since then we have been blessed with a continuing flow of purifying, healing, nurturing water from…The Garden of Eden.
FREEDOM
I demonstrated on the potters wheel at the fair, withoutany basic tools ( like a sponge, needle, cutting wire). I pointed this fact out to the crowd and to the organizer, emphasizing how difficult such conditions are. In spite of it I jumped right in and managed to create many different shapes to the enjoyment of the spectators and to myself. After the demo a potter friend approached me and pointed out that it all depends on how you chose to look at it…It was an opportunity to discover, again, that one can create without accessories and how much freedom there is in that! ( Thanks Avner)
I wish everybody a nice summer,
Refreshing, relaxing and
With enough time to
Just look around and within
All the best, Eileen Lev
www.eileenpotteryyodfat,com 04-9800122 Open sun.-fri. from 9 – 15 all other times: self service!
|
Spring Newsletter
Mother Earth Pottery
|
|
Shalom shalom to all my friends, Misgav residents, and customers,
Spring is springing! I survived the winter, with a little side-tripto Thailand. There I warmed up and refreshed myself. I opened up to impressions from the magnificent sea, a Thai potter, and also nourished my body, spirit and soul and have returned with renewed energy.
In the end, we are all connected to each other. I was blessed with creating functional pottery that can bring you beauty and enjoyment. When you purchase it from me I am then able to deepen and renew my work…which kind of represents where I am at the moment in the world…So, thank you all and may you be blessed.
Don't Forget!
The 2008 Ra"anana Pottery Show
I promised to remind everyone that missed this great event last year…so…write it down on your calendar already: June 17-20, 2008, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, from 6 p.m. till 11 p.m. around the lake at the Ra'anana Park. There will be 60 ceramic artists from around the country showing and selling their works. It's a special clay event! Recommended!
|
|
Casserole Recipe
"From the Depths" from Orly
( who works in mosaics in the Atzmon settlement)
On the bottom of the casserole place:
Onions that have been fried ahead of time ( can use butter)
On top of that place:
A layer of barley
A layer of Mesh beans
6 Potatoes ( not too huge)
5 Carrots cut-up
1/4 of a Cabbage
A small Cauliflower cut-up
6 Dates
Sprinkle on it all:
Sea salt
Rosemary or Thyme
Chili powder
Fresh ground black pepper
Nutmeg
Sweet paprika
1/2 bundle of parsley
Add to it:
Water to cover 3/4 of contents
Place in the oven and bake for about 2 hours at 200 degrees C.
|
|
Eco-Newsletter
I decided to suggest to all the people that receive my newsletter in the mail the option of receiving it by e-mail instead. That will save paper and expenses. So if anyone is interested please send me an e-mail with your regular address, so that I can cancel it, and I will add you on to the list of customers that receive it on their computer. Eileen@actcom.net.il
|
Tea for 2
A few years ago I was served tea in an oval teapot that was so special. The experience was really pleasant, so much so that I decided that I must get hold of that teapot! I was happy to reach the factory outlet in Chiang Mai, Thailand where I purchased a few tea sets so that I could sell them in  my gallery too.You can see and
purchase them
as long as
they are in stock.
|
|
Developments
The past period has brought me quite meaningful inspirations… the results of which you can see on the shelves in the Gallery; new shapes for teapots and containers, small vases with colorful decorations, new glazes, and more…
I participated in a workshop by Geil and Michal Juere in Ta'ashur. They are lovely people and potters that opened me up to new experiences and new opportunities. It was a beginning in using brushes and bright colors for decorating the pottery. I also realized, after helping fire the wood burning kiln, that it's too much for me and I will have to figure out how to get the wood "look and feel" in a different way. And that's what happened when I went to visit a very special Thai potter in Chiang Rai , called Somlook. His artistic pieces have just the beauty that I love and desire, and he fires in a gas kiln, like me! So now I know it's possible…and the search is on, how to get to that effect?!
It was so nice and interesting to speak with him. I felt that both of us have the same direction, same ideals, same priorities in potting and in life…just that he runs a pottery of 14 villagers that produce pottery that he has designed and markets all over the world! And I? In my little gallery here in the galilee.
I saw new techniques for making shapes that I have felt inside of me for so long already, but didn't know how to make them. I hope to try it out in my studio too.
|
|
 Mother Nature 
My time at a beautiful beach was spent taking long walks and looking for hours at all the amazing shells, crabs, sand and sea. Each of them inspired me with new design ideas, decorating and color combinations, textures, shapes, and even how to place the pieces on the shelves in the gallery. It was interesting and fruitful…Mother Nature.
|
…And with Passover approaching I want to wish all of us the opportunity to remember that we always have free choice, every moment, how I experience my life; in slavery or in freedom:
"If you choose to see through the lens of goodness, then goodness is the path upon which you will be led toward the destiny you are meant to fulfill. If you choose to see through the lens of challenges and negativity, then negativity will be the path through which you are led…challenges and supports will fall on the trail of your life through the doorways or peepholes of your perception."
Rabbi Shoni Labowitz
To a life of renewal!
Eileen Lev
|
|
  Winter Newsletter Mother Earth Pottery
|
|
Recipe for Chicken Coconut Coriander Casserole
-chicken legs cut up
-flour the chicken thoroughly with a little salt, ground black pepper and ground cardamom
-slice onions and gently fry them in a little sesame oil, add fresh ginger, garlic (sliced or crushed) coriander seeds, lemon grass, and the floured chicken
-fry the chicken on a high flame until it is golden
-add lemon juice, coconut milk, a little salt and pepper, mix it all together and place in the casserole
-bake at 200 degrees for about 40 minutes ( or until done)
-remove the casserole from the oven and add chopped coriander, mix and let stand for a few minutes before serving. Bon appetite
|
Shalom shalom to all my friends, customers and misgav residents,
The winter has started crawling in, the studio is a little darker, the wind comes blowing in through the open doors, and my hands are cold in the water, the oil burner is lit and the "essence for a good mood" fills the room….and the "wheel" keeps turning.
The Israel Pottery Symposium will be hosting this year 3 artists from England and the U.S. It will take place atTel Hai during Chanukah; 6-8.12.07 , Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. This yearly event enables much inspiration and learning.
We are very blessed to be part of such a special experience like this one!
I hope to go off for a month vacation during February, when the clay is hard and cold, the studio is damp and the pottery barely dries,
and I am "thirsty" for the sun! The gallery will continue to run with "Self Service", as usual, as it does during the day when I am not there in person.
|
|
 Say "YES" to Life
At every single moment I have a choice; to respond or not, to say "yes" to life, or to sink back into habitual behavior, the known….once a friend suggested to me to try and say "yes" to life. And as optimistic as I am, it was still quite an inner effort to say "yes" each time. I decided to take a turn at it and began to say"YES" to everything and everyone. It brings a lot of surprises in life, and unknown and interesting paths…it also makes everything possible; a newspaper article about "people who believe in people" (in relation to the "self service" at my gallery),a television show on the same subject; I can't always see the direct influence at the moment I say "yes". And it might actually be truer to say that I have no idea what kind of influence it is going to have at all. For example, the newspaper article offered me a positive view in connection to the media, and also opened up the door for the television exposure. It was nice to see that everything that was written was true and in a positive reliable approach to what I had said.
|
|
"There is something that is possible to find in only one place. It is a great treasure, and can be called "the fulfillment of our existence". The place where this treasure can be found is the place in which one stands."
Martin Buber
|
|
A Time for Realizing Dreams
Since Rosh Hashana until now the shelves in the gallery have been refilled! When the holiday was over, and the shelves really were empty, I had a feeling of a new beginning…how am I going to fill up the shelves this time? I realized that it was time to make dreams happen: and so my blue glaze has been replaced by a new green one, a kickwheel which I had purchased years ago and had hardly used, invited me to try it out again.
When I had tried to use it 7 years ago, it was difficult , like learning a new profession. I succeeded in making some small pieces and really enjoyed it, but the pace of life pulled me back to my electric wheel. This time I was looking for quiet, simplicity, back to basics, relaxing after the intensivity of life. I sat down on them with a big ball of clay and the desire to make a casserole, and if it succeeds, than anything is possible. And so it was. It was difficult, but I wanted to dive into the experience and to teach myself how to work on the wheel without exerting myself. It was wonderful. The casserole came tumbling out, slowly, quietly, with a texture and thickness that really suited it.. What a gift! And I announced "that's it!" from now on I am only creating quietly (no motor) and slowly on the kickwheel. I'm done with running after myself on the electric wheel…and the pottery was born; tactual, dancing ( a little crooked), and with a lot of satisfaction from the discovery, but the shelves filled up very slowly ! I began to feel more uncomfortable because I wanted to have a large selection of pottery for sale for my customers, but the speed of the kickwheel was different, slower. And after a month I found myself with a gut feeling that I am full of pottery inside of me that must come out, and that demands…an electric pedal under my foot!
I returned to the electric wheel, the pieces flowed out quickly, the "spring" was again flowing …and in the end I found a compromise: the smaller pieces will be made on the kickwheel and the larger ones on the electric wheel. And for the umpteenth time, having tasted from both extremes, I again found the middle road.
|
|
I wish all of us a snuggly winter with a rainbow in the sky that fills us with hope and memories of things we've forgotten long ago.
All the best, Eileen Lev
|
"The Smallest Things"
"The most valuable skill is the mastery of evoking, sustaining, and maintaining high emotional vibrations of joy, gratitude, and appreciation, as well as love. They are your power. Find and focus on the smallest things in your life that you can appreciate and express your gratitude for."
Morning Messages
|
|
Fall Newsletter
from
Mother Earth Pottery
|
|
Shalom shalom to all my customers, friends and Misgav residents, I wish each of you a Happy and Blessed New Year.
The summer brought with it many changes and renewal. An apprentice "appeared" suddenly at my studio and along with her; order and cleanliness!
|
|
"Givetch"
Here is the receipe I received from a special chef; t
his chef had tasted Givetch in Hungary and was amazed at the taste of it. He didn't know whether to fly back there in order to purchase the proper baking dishes for it, or to search for them here in Israel. And that's how he found me.
I made him, by his specific request, individual casseroles. The taste of them turned out even better than the original! So here is the receipe: (Naturally it can be made in a family size casserole and without the meat.)
Cut the vegetables into cubes: potatoes, eggplant, zuccinni, red peppers ,green beans, celery and tomatoes.
In a frying pan with a bit of oil fry strips of onions. Add to the pan the cubed vegetables and soften them quickly on a high flame.
Brown the meat: Roll it in a bit of flour and then also in a frying pan quickly on a high flame. Either chicken, beef or sheep can be used.
Add garlic and minced parsley, cooking salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Place it all in the casserole and place in a preheated oven at 180 degrees (med.) for an hour and a half.
Bon Appetite!
|
N'giyot B'homer ("Clay Marks") #4
N'giyot B'homer #4 the ceramic fair at Kfar Vradim is taking place this year from September 27-29, Thursday – Saturday during Succot. The event includes 30 potters from all over Israel that will be exhibiting and selling their works, lectures for the general public, viewing of films about pottery, and other select activities for all ages. This year I've decided to celebrate Succot at home, and therefore I will not be seeing you there this time. I highly recommend visiting the fair to everyone that loves pottery.
 "Meeting the Monsters" 
When I teach I try to demonstrate in silence. Only later do I explain.
The student tries…and often the first trial is very "successful". I call this the "Blessed State".
My understanding of this phenomenon is that the student is still empty. And out of this "emptiness" she tries…And when she is already a "pipe" something can pass through her and create the piece.
Immediately afterwards the ego enters (maybe fear, maybe doubt, pride, ambition),and now tricks her time after time. until she meets all the "monsters" and learns to recognize them, one by one. And than, in a place of peace and surrender to the potter that is inside of her, and has been there from the beginning of time, out comes a piece that begins to ressemble what we're aiming for. (Many stories from different cultures have been written describing this…)
|
|
A Dream Come True
Next door to my studio a blacksmith workshop has opened. It's interesting to share with other craftspeople ideas and questions about expressing ourselves through our work in relation to earning a living and filling special orders. While I was looking at the rusting iron there one day I was filled with a desire that my glaze would blend in like the shades of the rusty iron: orange, red, yellow, brown, black…The blacksmith challenged me: So…try and get to a glaze like that!. I told him that I there's no chance, and that I don't have the faintest idea how to get to that feeling; maybe an abstract oil painting look.
The following day I went to visit neighboring potters and when I saw their works…I was shocked! The exact glaze that I had dreamed of: like rust! I asked them for a "clue" how to get to those results, and I received some clues to direct me. The first experiments are on their way! It's so wonderful to fulfill dreams everytime, anew.
A week beforehand I realized a dream of 13 years of searching for a different glaze. A former student of mine came by to show me her latest pieces, and I couldn't believe it; the exact texture and shades that I was looking for in a glaze, till now unsuccessfully, on her pottery! I interrogated her detail by detail in order to understand what the difference was between her glaze and mine ( the clay is the same clay, the receipe is the same receipe, the kiln is the same kiln, but…not the results). And happily I succeeded in figuring out the little differences that make the big difference. And when I discovered that …the trial pieces were lovely.
|
|
I wish all of you a Blessed New Year
With Happiness, Compassion, Attentiveness.
Growth, Giving, and Love,
Eileen Lev
Yodfat
|
|
Summer Newsletter
From
Mother Earth Pottery
|
 |
Shalom, shalom to all my customers, friends, and Misgav residents.
As the summer begins, I'm happy to be able to be writing you all.
At the beginning of the summer, the days are warm and the nights cool. The difference in temperature allows the pottery to dry at just the right speed; the doors in the studio are open and a nice breeze flows
through it, and I feel "at one" with Mother Nature.
The yearly Pottery Fair in Ra'anana is behind us. It was a great success. There were lots of visitors, some new artists with new creations, lots of fun! The preparations for the fair were very intense.
As I succeeded in reaching the date with a wide selection of pottery:
I remembered deliberating while making the pottery "Do I compromise and make pieces according to the demands of the customers, or to continue on my path, a path that I feel the spirit of creativity passing through me? Where is the harmony of my customers' needs and what I want to express in my work? What do I want to "bring to" or to say to the world as a potter? What is my vision for my work?" These questions arose and I tried to stay open and ready to allow the answers to arrive and to express them.
|
-------------------------------------------------------------------
|
An aesthetic flaw
Or
Just Being Human
At the end of the process, when a piece comes out of the kiln and arrives in the world, I look at it, I touch it, I bless it and recognize its strong points and weak points. Many times I am surprisingly disappointed; in spite of the fact that I did the best that I could, the piece is not perfect. I mentioned this to my girlfriend. She laughed and told me a story: "There was an importer that brought merchandise from the Far East in order to sell in the West. He tried to prevent any flaws that they were making in the products. No matter how much he tried, he didn't succeed. This was their way of always reminding themselves that they are not perfect and only God is, and therefore there must always be a flaw…"
When I am working I try as best I can to make a quality product, but there is always just a little off… How come I can't succeed? Then I take a step back, and remind myself that I have been potting for 13 years and that this is my best and its good enough, this is who I am, its fine and its not perfect. Maybe its even desirable that it is not perfect because it makes it simply human.
|
-------------------------------------------------------------------
|
-------Once Upon a Time----------
It's so interesting for me to work in my studio with the Gallery along side it. I get to meet customers, friends, tourists and students. Every day brings a story or a lesson of its own. Recently I was told a lovely story that I wanted to share with you:
In the land of China, in a small faraway village, lived a potter. His name was known throughout the country because of his wonderful handicraft. The man would work at his craft, and his wife would take the orders from all of the people so as not to bother him while he created. They had one son and he would help his father from the time he was a young child. After time, the father passed away and the mother and son, who feared for their livelihood, found a solution: they wouldn't tell anyone about the father's death and humbly buried him in the yard. The mother would continue as usual, receiving the client's orders, and the son would continue making the pottery as if nothing had changed.
And so it was. The people continued to come and ordered pottery just as in the past.As time passed the son had a need to be recognized as the craftsman that he truly was, and not in the guise of his late father.
. One day a man appeared at their home and ordered a most extraordinary piece from him. He described in great detail exactly what he wanted. When he was done explaining his order they agreed on a date when he would return and then he left.
The potter's son was astounded by the desired piece. He knew that only he would be able to create such a piece. When he finished making it, he anxiously awaited the man's return – but to no avail. He did not arrive.
Many days passed and the man still did not return. The potter's son decided to go out into the villages and search for him. Day after day he wandered from village to village, asking people, describing the man to all that he met along the way. He tried to find him in many remote places but did not succeed.
One day the potter's son arrived on the shore of a lake of crystal clear water. He sat down to rest there. He walked over to the edge of the lake to wash his sweating face. As he looked into the water he saw his face reflected in it: it was the face of the
man that he had gone in search of..
|
-------------------------------------------------------------------
|
"Things don't go wrong and break your heart
So you can become bitter and give up.
They happen to break you down and
Build you up so you can be all that
You were intended to be."
-Charles "Tremendous" Jones –
|
|
Wishing all of you a summer filled with freedom, warmth, fun and flow.
For the English newsletter in a Word document, press here
|
Spring Newsletter
Mother Earth Pottery
|
|
Shalom shalom to all my customer, friends and Misgav residents,
With the shining sun that decided to warm us, the greenery bursting out in every corner, the abundance of wild flowers, windows flung open, and me, after a vacation, I feel full of new energy to write this spring newsletter. I barely survived the cold and damp winter with some scattered rays of blessed sun that help dry every now and then me and the pottery. I'm happy that the spring has finally arrived and with it a feeling of renewal and freedom.
Pots and Clay 2007
The Pots and Clay 2007 Crafts Fair (Kad V'Homer) is planned from the 15-17th of May 2007, Tuesday thru Thursday from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. There will be 60 potters from all over the country displaying their works at the Ra'anana Park around the lakeside. A wonderful yearly event for pottery lovers! Hope to see you there!
|
|
Ecological Casserole 
A customer came in and shared that her mom made delicious lasagna in the casserole she had bought her. I was surprised by the idea and asked for details of the recipe." It started with a big casserole with meat and vegetables for Friday night dinner. We ate it all up , but there was lots of sauce leftover, so she decided on Saturday to add some gound beef to it and after baking it we had another great meal, but we couldn't finish it all, so on Sunday, she took lasagna noodles and placed them in the casserole with the meat and sauce in between the layers. After baking it again, we enjoyed the best lasagna she ever made! And this time there weren't ANY leftovers."
|
The Unifying Power in Clay
In the fall, when I visited China, I saw the famous site of the terra cotta soldiers. It was very impressive to see all the thousands of soldiers, bigger than life-size, in a unified style, standing line after line in eternal silence. When looking at them close up you discover that each soldier is sculpted with a gesture, facial features, and hair style copied from each and every real soldier! Until this time China had been divided into 5 separate tribal areas, separate nationalities. The emperor enlisted everyone in order to create the 10,000 clay soldiers for his grave. During the communal making by the masses, for years, they became one nation. I thought about the healing qualities of clay to the heart, the calming to the soul….when working with clay, everyone together, in a unified fashion. I asked myself if it could be a suitable possibility for our country? Meanwhile I heard from potters around the globe of their intentions to try and work with the Palestinians and clay in order to bring peace to this area. Who knows…miracles happen!
|
|
Dream
The guest potter, Robin Hoper, that came to the Pottery Symposium, shared that Van Gogh said:" I dream my paintings and then I paint my dreams" I liked that image. I realized that every time I have a dream, it becomes a reality. One of my dreams was to find good essential oils ( at a reasonable price) as an addition to the oil burners I make. After searching for a year futilely I reminded myself that I am a potter and not an aroma therapist and finally gave up on the search and stopped making the oil burners….a friend that happened to come into the gallery agreed to take on the task of finding the essential oils…and thus my dream came true. Now you can find in the gallery oil burners and quality essential oils of wonderful scents (for" a Good Mood", "Relaxation", "Energizing")
|
|
Impressions from India
I returned from a visit to Northern India, in which I saw a few potters at work. The strongest impression I had was the peace and primitivism of the pots. They dig the dry earth from the fields, soak, sieve, then knead the amount of damp clay they need for the day. One of the potters ( only men work as potters) worked on a wheel with a little indention in which he stuck a stick and before "throwing the pot" he gave it some turns to get momentum. The wheel turned slowly and with minimal movements of his hands he slowly created a little money bank. The other potter worked in a different manner. He took a large piece of clay from the damp pile, put it on a shallow clay bowl with a pin that sat in a hole of a piece of wood underneath it. He hit the clay with his fist, making a hole in it and then proceeded to design the neck and lip of the pot while slowly turning the wheel as he worked. making it symmetrical. After drying the piece for a few hours he was ready to design the body of the pot, slowly, slowly with the help of a wooden hammer in his outer hand and a rounded piece of wood which is used as a support from inside, the pot in transformed until it becomes a water jug. The work is accompanied by the sounds and rhythm of the beating of the hammer, such is how all the village potters make the same water jug; one single shape. All the pots are fired at night in a pit in the ground, after having covered them with cow dung, which is used as their main source of fuel. Sometimes they will add a little design of a row of lines on the pot drawn with ground iron powder from the nearby rocks. Everything is very simple, quiet, passed down from father to son….while I tried to learn their technique, one of the villagers that had gathered around me to watch quickly fashioned a clay figurine of a primitive woman with a pot on her head and gave it to me as a present….
Mother Earth!
|
|
Heaven or Hell?
A former student asked to temporarily use my glazes and kiln. My gut reaction was "of course" I decided to consult my former teachers that passed on their "inheritance" of knowledge to me, and they encouraged me to see it as an opportunity to help another potter. It is told that in Heaven and in Hell, when they sit down at the table it is full of delicious food. The only condition required is that one must eat with the silverware that is on the table. There are very long handles on the silverware…in heaven everyone is willing to feed their friend and they are all satiated and satisfied. In Hell everyone wants to feed only himself and they all remain starving.
|
For the English newsletter in a Word document, press here
|
Winter Newsletter
Mother Earth Pottery
|
|
Shalom to all my customers, misgav residents and friends,
I am sending you this newsletter while winter has begun, but I can still sit outside and drink in some sun, before I turn into a bear hibernating in the winter! In Japan, the potters simply sit around the heater and browse thru pottery books instead of trying to work with frozen clay (and also frozen hands!)
|
|
The Choice
Every single moment I have to choose………to laugh, cry, be angry, worry, fear, be happy, disappointed, to hope, to forgive, to celebrate…every day is full of surprises, that need my attention… a teapot that I put a lot of work into, falls on the floor and breaks, or a check that a customer left, disappears, pots that dried too quickly because of an eastern wind that suddenly came at night, a customer returns a cracked pot, a cat that wanders around the shelves and breaks a bowl..usually my intuitive negative reaction is the first to come out, and only later can I stop and check, is this the way I want to be? Sometimes I find myself surprised from the fact that I can choose which path I want to go on…the saying goes: "As one sees the world, the world appears to you" You can choose. I can ask the universe, the power, the fate, God, to help me recognize the wisdom that surrounds me, and to be on that path everyday, every moment.
|
I am still searching my rhythm and energy that will suit the winter months. Meanwhile my idea is to simply have a short vacation in February, when my need for some sun is especially strong. But, till then we pass through Hanukah (the gallery is full of menorahs) and the 2006 Pottery Symposium at Tel Hai (Dec. 20-22, 2006). This year the guest potter is Robin Hopper from Canada. He and other potters from Israel and abroad will demonstrate and show their works. I really enjoy these gatherings and fairs because it's an opportunity to meet potters and customers and see where the imagination can reach, when creating with "mother earth" (clay).
|
|
How can the avocado salad be ready for Shabbat if it's Wednesday and the avocados are hard?
You can ripen fruits in the winter! Place in the casserole the fruits you want to ripen (persimmon's bananas, avocados) add some apples, close the lid and after 2-3 days the fruit is ripe and ready to eat!
|
Ofri's Chicken Casserole
Massage a whole chicken with olive oil, sea salt and teriyaki sauce. Place in casserole and bake for 1 and a half hours at medium heat.
Golden and tasty!
|
|
China
I was telling someone, that sometimes I need the hundred and first time in order to understand something. Why? Who knows! Maybe that's my way of allowing myself to pass along all the stepping stones and turns that the path brings my way. And that's how it is also on the different levels of experimenting as I create new shapes. Much trial and error and amazement. I place a picture of a pot opposite me as my goal, and I begin to develop the eye-heart-hand connection. Most of the time my head is busy with judgments and suggestions until I feel all contracted and pushed in a corner because of the super-efforts and desire to succeed.
My trip to China was an interesting experience. China is a country of many opposites ( Yin-Yang?) And much amazement. I was able to feel inspiration from their pottery wherever I went: ancient sites, museums, tea shops and marketplaces. I was so excited to discover that shapes that I have felt inside of me for years and tried to make, suddenly are in front of me, with their presence, perfection, exactly what I was searching for; a narrow bottle, that I have been trying to make for years….I put a picture of it opposite me and began to try…at some point I just felt that it's impossible. Apparently they used to use a different technique…I asked myself if it's worth while making such an effort to make a shape that is meant "to flow" out of me….and then, with the last ball of clay, I discovered I was witnessing the birth of the bottle! ….It just grew out by itself, and then, the happiness and gratitude for those little moments of grace, when the answer is given…….My attempts to make "My China" shapes and proportions are now on the shelves in the gallery for sale.
|
|
GRATITUDE!
You deserve Thanks! Thank you to all my customers, that come, choose, and wrap their presents during "self service" and send in their check…I returned from my trip to China and found empty shelves and the possibility to enjoy my vacation ( even though it was just before the holidays) and to be liberated from the daily struggle to survive. My brother, who is my spiritual advisor, explained to me years ago that my customers "provide" for me; they make sure that I have a warm house, healthy food, rest, and even vacation, so that I will be able to return each day to my hard work renewed again. I feel that maybe only now I am beginning to realize in my life the saying: LIVE WELL, LAUGH OFTEN, LOVE MUCH!
I wish all of us a winter with all the colors of the rainbow!
Eileen Lev
Yodfat
|
Spring Newsletter
Mother Earth Pottery
Shalom Shalom to all my friends, customers and Misgav residents,
I am sitting outside my studio in the sun, on a little wooden stool opposite the flowering mustard plants with the birds singing and I am blessing it all! Spring has sprung. The doors of the gallery are wide open. There is sunshine, fresh air, a flow, and I am grateful for everything; the winter vacation I had, the blessed winter rains, and all the peeking out of spring from each bud.
So What Happened?
For the winter I traveled to a warm climate in order to take some quiet relaxed time off. I organized a few "projects" for my vacation taking advantage of having time to deepen my understanding and experience in a few different areas: technology of ceramics, photography, drawing, learning the computer, observing….and I returned with new vigor and a lot of joy and enthusiasm. As always, there is "a price to pay" along the way.
It includes the frustration of the desire of already wanting to be where I am heading for even though I don't know the way, many attempts that show what is "still missing" (together with the awe at what there is!) and also the place where I get "lost" and it seems I'm just going to have to give up… that place that appears a second before the little voice that hints and encourages and points to the tip of the thread that leads to the next stage…
So, from the study of the technology I understood that the secret is "slow down". "Slow down" the rate at which I fire the pots in the kiln, in order to prevent all the cracks that started appearing already at the first stage of firing.
How come I always forget that every defect is coming to me in order for me to reach a higher level, and not in order to discourage or fail me? I read that the words of the known Israelil song are: " All the world is just a narrow bridge. And most important is not to scare yourself at all." That it is only myself that makes me fear filled, fears that I am not a good enough potter, that I won't succeed in finding a solution…So there is great joy , each time, after endless attempts, when the solution arrives…and makes room on the path for the next goal!!
Reminders:
**The outdoor annual ceramic fair in Ra'anana this year will take place on June 16-18, 2009.
** Interested in guidance about your "Life Path" by means of Astrology ? Go onto Sherrills new website :www.naiadmoon.com/
Pear and Almond Torte ( from Maya)
Suitable for a 24 cm pie dish
Crust:
1 1/2 cups flour
100 gr. cold butter cut into cubes
3 T. sugar
2-3 T. cold water
Mix together and place in fridge for an hour
Filling:
100 gr. butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups grounded almonds (powder)
Grated lemon rind
Mix above together to a paste
5-6 ripe pears pared, halved and seeded (can be cooked slightly in lemon juice and sugar if unripe)
Topping:
2 T. Rosetta (almond syrup)
Or any good jam diluted with some water
Preparation:
Roll out the dough and place in pie plate with edges
Place in freezer for 10 minutes and then bake at 180 for 10 minutes
Spread the filling paste onto the baked pie dough and place pears on top
Bake at 180 for 35-40 minutes until golden
Remove from oven and spread topping on top.
Bon Appetite
Student Being A
I returned to Israel nice and warm inside, satisfied with the drawings of nature I had done and with the nature photos I hade taken, and with my new hobby: Hoola Hooping! While I was studying each area I realized how much being a student enriches ones life. That it is possible to try again and again (especially with a digital camera) and to watch how the repetition of the same action reveals the path. To see how the body has an inner wisdom and all I have to do is "the footwork" : to get up and try again, to look in the direction of the light, to empty my mind, open up my contractions and "jump off the cliff". From my nature drawings I received the confidence and daring to use colors and an ease with the brush on my pottery. From the photographing, a more critical eye towards the design and shape of my pottery, And from the hoola hoop…an opportunity for a new profession in my golden years: to teach hoola hoping!! I met a teacher that taught me hoola hooping in the same spirit that I teach potting. It was so exciting to see that the only difference was changing the word "clay" with "hoola hoop". Apparently there is a connection between the rhythm of the turning of the potters wheel and of the hoola hoop along with a desire to be centered every moment and moment (and if not…it falls; the pot, and the hoola hoop!) The drawings and hoola hoops are in my gallery for all who want to see, (including a demonstration!). Those interested in seeing the photos, write me and I will send a link; eileenlev@gmail.com
Fusion
In the beginning the transition from vacation to my daily work schedule was easy…and then came a cold, rainy, dark day. When I arrived at the studio, it seemed like the potter inside of me was no longer there. Nothing that could knead clay, no place from where the pots could be created from…
I missed the quiet of my trip, the long sunrise walks along the beach, the transition times in which things could settle, before I already began the next thing, the observing, the "conversations" with Mother Nature, the listening, empty time to move with the hoola hoop and to be a witness to the learning process, to the happiness and energy that is in the act itself…so what do I do? I wanted to return to Israel, I love my life here, my studio/gallery…but something here needed to change.
I began to knead clay. I remembered that touching clay is like a remedy…let's give it a chance to heal me. Slowly, slowly the answers began to come….as a "fusion": to incorporate what had nourished me so much there, with what had nourished me here. That is how the new colorful designs on the salt shakers and little saucers and other pieces was born. Also, to bring a hoola hoop to the studio and to go outside to nature, now and then, to slow down and to remember how important it is, "transition times", quiet time to digest impressions, to listen, to dream, time to smell the scents…
I told my brother about this understanding as a result of my vacation and he gave it a nickname: "The Joy of Slow"
So, if you are going by the studio/gallery and you see someone moving around in the sun with a hoola hoop in the middle of the day, joyfully, it's me…The Hooling Potter. I invite you to come and try too.
I wish each and everyone health, happiness and "freedom"!
Happy Holiday of Redemption, and a nice, flowering spring .
Eileen Lev
Open Sunday-Thursday from 9-15
All other times: self service!
04-9800122
|
mother earth pottery 
