Oy Clay!!! Potter

2012-01-18T18:06:00.002-05:00

CELEBRATE Nelle's Birthday Tuesday 1/24/12!! ONLY @OyClayPottery 20% off everything in her shop. Coupon Code:THANKS2012 Oy Clay!!! Pottery

One More Holiday Gift

2011-12-26T17:06:00.002-05:00

I know that Christmas has passed and Chanukah is almost over. I should have written this post some weeks ago. But it's never too late to share reading ideas for the year; so, consider this my end-of-the-year holiday bonus. I only wish I could afford to buy everyone a copy of this most wonderful book.

I am speaking about Exodus: the Book of Redemption, from the Covenant & Conversation: A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible series, by Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks. Rabbi Sacks is the Chief Rabbi of the Commonwealth of England, and one of the most erudite of modern Jewish scholars.

His books are written for everyone, Jewish or not. This recent book is the most wonderful interpretation of the book we call Shemot (Names) and known most widely as Exodus. It is, at it's heart, the telling of the freeing of the Hebrew slaves from the bondage of Egyptian oppression. But it is so much more. It is the story of the birth of a nation, the reasons why Jews are commanded to act a certain way in the world, and what "Being Chosen" really means. It's not so "hotsy-totsy" after all.

If you ever wanted to know these thing about the Jewish people (and of course, one person cannot speak for all), this is one of his best books, among so many good books.

Have a happy Gregorian New Year!!!!

Exodus: The Book of Redemption

Chanukah

2011-11-29T21:18:00.003-05:00

Every winter season, Chanukah and Christmas seem to occur at the same time. This has led many who are not Jewish to think it must be as big a holiday as Christmas is to the believers in Christ as Savior. It is, however, a minor holiday in the Jewish Calendar and in Jewish history and only started being more important in the mid-20th Century. In fact, there was a time, not too long ago, when both Chanukah and Christmas were celebrated relatively quietly, in church and in private homes with family and friends. It wasn't until Gimbels and Macy's found a way to ramp up the gift giving aspect of Christmas that both holidays seemed to become more about the gifts than about either holiday's true meaning. At a time after WWII when Jews were trying to become an accepted part of the American fabric, Chanukah became a vehicle for "keeping up with the Joneses".

This is always an interesting time of year, especially when the Gregorian calendar and the Hebrew Calendar are not in sync. In a way, I prefer it this way. It gives Jewish children a chance to appreciate Chanukah and find joy in its simplicity and its message of freedom. I think when it comes at the same time as Christmas, our kids get too caught up in the commercial side of Christmas and do not learn the lesson of the Maccabees. Chanukah is such a minor holiday in the Hebrew calendar. It would go unnoticed if it were not forever tied to Christmas due to the temporal relationship and the pressure Jewish parents have felt to have their children feel a part of the season like so many other Americans. We call this the "December Dilemma". Rabbi's all over the U.S. discuss this in their synagogues and temples every year. For the most part, they agree that it is almost insulting to our Christian neighbors to put Chanukah in the same category as Christmas, an extremely important holy day for Christians.

Putting all of the controversy aside, Chanukah is a joyous holiday. It is a time that we celebrate the re-dedicating of the Temple in Jerusalem after its desecration by the forces of the King of Syria Antiochus IV and commemorates the "miracle of the container of oil". According to the Talmud, at the re-dedication following the victory of the Maccabees, there was only enough consecrated olive oil to fuel the eternal flame in the Temple for one day. Miraculously, the oil burned for eight days, which was the length of time it took to press, prepare and consecrate fresh olive oil.

The following is from the December 2011 Koleynu (All About Us) from Beth Shir Shalom, in Santa Monica, CA, where I was a congregant before I moved to Asheville, NC. It is written by Rabbi Neil Comess-Daniels and expresses the true meaning of Chanukah:

"There's and old joke that gives the definition of a Jewish holiday: “They tried to kill

us. They didn’t. We won. Let’s eat.” As with any good, lasting joke or bit of sarcasm, it

works because it’s based on reality. We all know that the foundation of so many Jewish holidays and holy days is an attempt by an oppressing force to subjugate or even eliminate us.

Add it up and the Jewish calendar looks like one adventure movie after the next in

which the hero (that’s us – the Jewish people!) goes through a maze of “near misses”

over and over until the end when the enemies are vanquished and he gets the girl (or she gets the guy.) But it’s so much more than that.

So what’s the reason behind all this commemoration and celebration – besides the

food? What’s the reason we ceremonially and symbolically recall all of our past experiences as a people, the slavery, the oppression, the prejudice and our eventual survival (especially in shadow of the Holocaust)? For some, the recollection becomes an end in itself. Others become cynical – and just eat.

For me, the sum total of Jewish experience (thus far!), shouts into our Jewish lives the ultimate mission of the Jewish people – “Justice, justice shall you pursue!” (Deut.

16:20). Every injustice we have known pushes us even more to ensure that we are on the front lines fighting injustice for whomever is experiencing it now...

Let’s start with Chanukah. Chanukah is about justice in so many ways! At its core, Chanukah is about religious and cultural sovereignty and integrity and there are still so many peoples in the world who are suffering ethnic oppression and worse. But the connections to justice don’t stop there. The lights of the Chanukiah (Chanukah menorah) themselves are symbols of the struggle for justice and how the flame of that struggle can burn strong for a while but it is a further struggle to maintain the flame. In this world with the state of the environment increasingly fragile, light is symbolic of our responsibility for how we consume the resources of the world and the consequences of our choices.

Bereshit

2011-10-30T19:12:00.001-04:00

Last Shabbat, October 21-22, Jews all over the world began our annual ritual of re-reading the Torah, one Parsha (portion) at a time from beginning (Bereshit) to the end (V'Zot HaBerachah). Bereshit (B'-ray-sheet) literally means "at first". It is the Hebrew name of the first book (Genesis) as well as the first portion of the Torah (Genesis 1:1 - 6:8).

There are a number of translations of the word bereshit as it it used in the context of the creation of earth. The three most used, I think, are "In the beginning G-d created heaven and earth..."; "When G-d began to create heaven and earth"; and, "In a beginning G-d created heaven and earth." This discrepancy in translation is, in part, created because, grammatically, "bereshit" is "At first..." or "In a beginning..." "Be-ha-reshit", would be, "In the beginning..."

Was this the one and only beginning ("the"), one of many beginnings of earth ("a"), or were there previous beginnings of other worlds ("began creating" earth as opposed to yesterday's creation of Vulcan?)

AND THIS IS JUST THE FIRST SENTENCE OF THE TORAH. So, if we live long enough and study hard enough and read the Torah every year, we will never have enough time to figure the whole thing out. But we are patient, and we take what we get, at every level of our awareness. We say, the importance is not in completing the task, but to keep doing it until the world is made whole. The correct answer about the meaning of "Bereshit" is not the important part, it is the exploration of the word and how it makes us better to choose our own meaning.

In Judaism, all voices are valid and right, as long as they do not fall outside the law...all 613 of them.

Shavuah Tov

Getting Ready for the New Year - 5772

2011-09-11T10:04:00.001-04:00

The Jewish High Holy Days begin in the month of Elul (September this year). The entire month is one of reflection and preparation for the new year and for the act of Teshuvah, turning back to God.

On Rosh Hashanah ( the beginning of October this year), we celebrate the coming year with the hope and prayer that it be a good year, a sweet year, and a prosperous year. We dip apples in honey, eat round Challah and drink wine.

Between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are The 10 Days of Awe, during which time we are to make amends for the wrongdoing of the year past, by going directly to the persons we have wronged, if possible, to say we are sorry. Forgiveness from the persons wronged is not required. Taking responsibility for our mistakes is the objective, not gaining forgiveness. We must, however, go to each person 3 times, and if they do not except our apology, we need not try again.

On Yom Kippur, we tell God that we are sorry for the wrongdoings committed against God. We do ask for God's forgiveness, which comes (or does not) in the form of being written in The Book of Life for another year. We ask for another year of life to "get it right". We also remember those in our families who have died by lighting candles saying special prayers.At sundown on Yom Kippur The Book of Life is closed for another year. We say Havdalah (we seperate these holy days from the rest of the year), wishing for a "Good year, a year of peace in which the Messiah (the one anointed to announce the time of peace and plenty on the earth) may come."

Exhibition

2011-09-06T08:26:00.000-04:00

The Rosenzweig Gallery

Judea Reform Congregation

1933 W. Cornwallis Road, Durham, NC 27705

Presents

The American Guild of Judaic Art-

Southern States Membership Exhibition

September 2 – November 30, 2011

Celebrating the Guild's 20^th Anniversary in 2011 !

Please join us for the

"Meet the Artists Reception"

Sunday, September 18, 2:00 – 4:00 pm

The Rosenzweig Gallery is pleased to announce the very special exhibit of the American Guild of Judaic Art (AGJA), September 2- November 30, 2011. The AGJA is an international non-profit organization of artists that specialize in all forms of art that focus on Judaic and spiritual subject matter, and includes artists that create Judaic artifacts used both in the home and the Synagogue. Their mission is to build awareness of fine art and Judaic artifacts created in the "Jewish Spirit".

The exhibit at the Rosenzweig Gallery will present 21 AGJA member artists from six Southern States in honor of the Guild's 20th anniversary as a national organization. You are invited to the exhibit and the reception, to meet the artists, have refreshments, and hear remarks about the Guild from the National President, Flora Rosefsky, a prominent Judaic artist from Atlanta. Most of the work in the exhibit will be for sale, so this is a great opportunity to purchase meaningful Judaic art for your home. We look forward to having you join us for this event!

States/Cities and participating artists:

FLORIDA: (Orlando area) – Judith Segall; (Boca Raton)- Jackie Olenick

GEORGIA:(Atlanta area) - Susan Big, Ellen Filreis, Barbara Ladin Fisher, Pamela Rishfeld, Flora Rosefsky, Barbara Rucket, Megan Trace Tenenbaum

NORTH CAROLINA (Durham/Chapel Hill area) – Galia Goodman,Ali Halpersin, , Simone Soltan (Hillsborough) Alice Levinson; (Greensboro) Dori Jalazo;

(Asheville) Nelle Fastman Pingree; (Wake Forest) Sol Levine

SOUTH CAROLINA: (Charleston)- Julie Klaper

TENNESSEE: (Knoxville) Arnold Schwarzbart; (Memphis)Carol Buchman, Mildred Schiff

VIRGINIA: (Oaktan) Reeva Shaffer

I am an Etsy

2011-07-02T08:56:00.000-04:00

I am newly excited and inspired to do more now that I have a page on Etsy.com. For those of you who may not know, Etsy is the Ebay (although not run by the same people) of crafters. It is a sight for selling hand crafted art, clothing, jewelry, etc. and vintage pieces, as well. So I put up the pieces I have for sale and hope they sell, while I work on my new line. Part of my malaise of the past had to do with switching form Cone 10 gas and soda fire to Cone 6 electric oxidation. Trying to find the right clay body and glazes and how to put them together, and if a glaze says Cone 5-6 do you fire to 5 and hold at the end, can you push it to 7. All of these experimental stages that I did with Cone 10. Well. all I can say is, "The mind is willing, but the body is weak."

Anyway, I am going to go with this new found enthusiasm and work it for all it's worth. Check out the page. Only a few thing on there, but it's a start. Love the clay!!!!

Getting Back to Work - WORK!!!!

2011-06-13T17:52:00.000-04:00

Moving into my own house studio was so exciting while I was planning it, and doing it. Arranging everything in my small studio, getting the kiln hooked up, I was so excited. Then, without very much pot making going on, I realized that somewhere in my psyche, I equated the new studio with "now I have to do it. I have to produce and make money. I have to go to work. WORK!!!!" (a nod, of course to Maynard G. Crebbs).

In a way, the summer is the best time for this to happen, because my 'season' if there is one, starts in the fall. I can take a week or two to chill and think and do other thinks to support a business, like, finally getting my Etsy Shop in order. (help). Then I'll have 2-3 solid months to create inventory for fall and 2-3 solid months to create my spring pieces.

And this year I wanted to put a show together, "The Seder Plate: The Story of a People". So, I have a plan, I have shows booked for the fall and spring. So, what is my problem???? I think I miss the energy that comes from working with other artists. Going to the Toe River Tour was so much fun and the work was inspiring and I miss not being in the RAD. I don't miss Odyssey, but I miss the artists there and the support from others in the District. Just venting, I guess. I can't really stay away from the clay, it in my blood now. Just another crossroad, I guess. New work coming next week.

Ethics

2011-05-16T14:38:00.000-04:00

This week has been an education in ethical considerations in conducting business, any business, really. As usual, I turn to the teachings in the Torah and by our Rabbis. The two dilemmas faced this week are both dealt with in the same Torah Portion, Vayikra 19:16 & 36.

Last December, I purchased a kiln, furniture and a slab roller from my neighbor. Without doing any real research, in my naivte (at 60 years of age, yet), I took the seller's word that the kiln was relatively new had been used very infrequently. Now, in all fairness to the seller, he did say the kiln had been his ex-wife's and there is a chance that it was "new" to her, before she left him, and that she had used in "infrequently". However, when the buttons on the controller stopped working, mid programming, after having fired it myself only four times, I called Skutt to find out the kiln was, in fact, circa 1997, and that it is probable that a new controller would be my best bet if the kiln body itself is still useable. Vayikra (Leviticus) 19: 36 "Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have", is an admonition to us to be fair with others while doing business. We are to keep the scales by which we weigh the goods we sell balanced. We are not to misrepresent the things we sell to others.

This is a nice segway into the second ethical dilemma of the week. There was a tale told on Facebook by one artist about another artist (a student of the first) of the student "stealing" the techniques of the teacher and selling products as her own work. This was done as a warning to other artists about mentoring students. My dilemma with reading this tale, was not the issues dealt with in line 36 of Vayikra, although they do bear discussion, but with Vaykra 19:16, "Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people; neither shalt thou stand idly by the blood of thy neighbor".

Was it my duty, knowing both the student and the teacher to lodge a protest? Against the student? Or a protest against both the student and the teacher?

We are not to tell tales about another person whether true or not. Telling tales is among the greatest sins of man against man, with making up tales being the most serious charge. However, because some "truths" are relative, no tales are permitted. AND, we cannot stand idly by while the others act unjustly against our neighbors. Hmmm?

I chose to protest that manner in which the teacher presented the injustice to the world. While I understand how she might have felt ripped off by the student, but that the teacher dealt with the student privately. The student took the offending pieces off the market. Why then did the teacher have to tell tales against the student, thereby embarrassing her and shaming her? Could the story, without naming the student, have been enough of a warning to other artists?

I'd be happy to hear how others feel about these issues.

Making Pots

2011-03-27T13:24:00.000-04:00

I think that every teenager in American should have to take pottery for at least one semester in Junior High or High School, like they have to have three semesters on French or Spanish. The lessons learned from the highs and lows of the process will be immeasurably more valuable than being able to order a croissant at the local bakery or a Dos Equis in Tijuana during Spring Break. It would also ensure that most customers would know the value of a pot that is hand thrown or built with loving care.

A previously posted list of the steps it takes to get just one pot made is in my blog list somewhere, but I only recall listing those steps that are taken when things go right. It didn't talk about the thing that can go wrong, beginning with a customer wanting something for a holiday that is just 4 weeks away. Can it be done? Well, yes, theoretically, if the potter is a production potter and makes 20-50 pots a day or more and can turn over multiple kiln loads in a short time, with assistants. Most studio potters works on a much more spread out schedule, and depending on how they glaze fire, may only produce 4 very large kiln loads a year.

Then there is the possibility (read probability) that something happens to the kiln (like a burner going out), or in the kiln (like a pot with undetected air bubbles exploding leaving itself stuck in the glaze of all the other pots) or...???? The possibilities are staggering even in the best hands.

All I am saying is, be kind to your potter. He/she loves the clay and the fire and the possibility that something he/she made will make you happy.

Almost There

2011-03-18T14:58:00.000-04:00

I have, for the last several months, been preparing, planning, organizing and realizing the dream of having my own studio. I gave up my studio a Odyssey Studios & Gallery at the end of January, took a shelf there for a month during transition and have, except for one more bisque kiln and the possibility of taking classes there in future, left Odyssey, altogether. I take with me valuable training by talented teachers and some new good friends.

I have not had time to organize the actual workspace, but I am working on actual orders from customers I've met at the various Jewish Festivals at which I have shown my work. The task seemed daunting, until I was referred a UNCA ceramics grad who would very much like studio space in exchange for being my assistant. And, this weekend, I am having the back patio covered and my Skutt KM-1227-3 installed. Additional shelving and storage will be built in the coming weeks, so that, by May, I think I'll be ready to have a Clay Club meeting here.

So, if the "creek don't rise", and today it seems like it might, Oy Clay!!! Pottery and My Wonky Pots Studio are almost there.

HELP

2011-03-16T21:45:00.000-04:00

Well, I've gotten myself in trouble again. Kari very graciously agreed to help me fire Cone 10 in her kiln on the 24th and with all the moving and rain and , well, all of the excuses I can muster, I'll only have 1/2 a kiln. Is there anyone with pots to fill the kiln or a kiln with room for my pots next week. I am desperate, as this is a big order (big for me) for Passover that has to be shipped by the end of the month. Any advise?

Out of Bondage

2011-03-16T11:24:00.002-04:00

Freedom is an interesting concept. At the time of this writing, it seems the whole world is fighting for their concept of freedom. Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Wisconsin, Ohio, etal. We are also learning scary lessons about responsibility in exercising the freedom we think we have to "forge [earth's] beauty into power".

As I write, Passover is a month away. The iconic story of the Jewish people's delivery from bondage and the manner by which they became a "nation". Many different struggles for freedom have taken the biblical story of freedom as their own symbol for their struggle. But so often the ultimate lesson of the Exodus is lost in the glorification of the miracles, miracles that were meant to get the attention of a people whose destiny it is to learn and teach the lessons of the journey from slavery to freedom. It needed a technicolor extravaganza just to ask humans to receive the lessons. I hope the kind of explosion that is possible in our present situation is not necessary for us to learn the lesson of the role responsibility plays in the exercise of real freedom.

The Ten Days of Awe

2010-09-07T14:36:00.000-04:00

For anyone who would like to know the Judaism I have come to embrace, listen to the conversation between Rabbi Sharon Brous and Krista Tippet.

The High Holy Days: A Conversation

Stranger in a Strange Land

2010-09-06T10:07:00.000-04:00

As Rosh Hashanah approaches, I am reflecting on my choices this past year. One of the choices I made this year (as I have for the last 10 years) was to be Jewish. "What?", you say. "You are Jewish, what's the choice?" For many years I chose not to be Jewish. The Judaism I was taught as a child did not appeal to me, seemed contradictory and archaic, and my study of other religions led me to the same conclusions about them. So, I did not practice the rituals of Judaism. Besides, it's hard to be Jewish in most of America and most of the world. You laugh, but no matter where we are outside of Israel, New York or Los Angeles, we are "the other". Oh, there are small pockets here and there of Jewish communities within which one can belong, but once you venture outside of that community, everything is strange to us. Now, I am not talking about anti-semitism here, although that, too, exists. I am talking about the centuries old dilemma of the Diaspora - to assimilate or not to assimilate, that is the question. And the answer to that question, for every Jew in the Diaspora, is that person's choice.

One of my very favorite movies is School Ties. It was recently on cable and I watched as I always do. It's a fascinating, brilliantly acted piece about a working class Jewish boy ( Brendon Frazier) from Pennsylvania, who gets a scholarship to a Harvard prep school in his senior year of high school because of his ability as a quarterback. Matt Damon is the upper crust legacy who was in line for the QB position on the team. The movie was about the choice the Jewish boy made to hide his Judaism in order to fit in, and the consequenses of that choice. While, the time frame for the story was 1955, and much has changed for us since then, there still lies underneath everything that is good about being here, the feeling we are strangers.

שנה טובה Shana tova umetukah v'tikatevu. May you have a good and sweet year, and may you be written in The Book of Life for another year.

500 Judaica

2010-08-22T09:16:00.000-04:00

Nelle Fastman Pingree of Oy Clay!!! Pottery is proud to announce the release of "500 Judaica", published by Lark Books. Five of her pieces are represented here, along with Paul Frehe, Leah Leitson, Emmett Leader, and Sandy Marx. While most of the pieces in the book are made in precious metals, fiber, glass or wood, Judaica in clay is also recognized here as not only functional but art.

At Amazon.com

When I Reflect on the Year That has Passed...

2010-08-06T17:37:00.000-04:00

This time of year is always serious for me. I feel obligated to go through the days of the year passed (those I remember) and reflect on the integrity of my behavior (myself to myself), the fairness honesty with which I have dealt with others, the fulfillment of my contract with God to help repair the world and the way in which I teach my child.

These are some of the things I must ponder. My child is a girl, so I do not have to circumcise her. We no longer arrange marriages, but my advise in this regard is freely given. As for the rest...we'll see.

"A father [parent]is obligated to do the following for his son: to circumcise him, to redeem him if he is a first born (the firstborn son belongs to God and must be redeemed by payment to the priest/rabbi), to teach him Torah, to find him a wife, and to teach him a trade. Others say: teaching him how to swim as well." Bab. Talmud, Kiddushin 29a

Here are some other rabbinic statements about parents' obligations toward their children:

Never threaten children. Either punish them or forgive them. (Semahot 2:6)
Denying a child religious knowledge robs the child of an inheritance. (Talmud Sanhedrin 91b)
Every parent is obligated to train his/her children in the observance of mitzvot, for it is written: "Train a child according to his way." (Proverbs 22:6)
Mothers should introduce their children to the Torah. (Exodus Rabbah 28:2)
Anyone who does not teach his son a skill or profession may be regarded as if he is teaching him to rob. (Talmud Kiddushin 29a)
A father must provide his daughter with appropriate clothing and a dowry. (Code of Jewish Law, Even haEzer 71)
A father should be careful to keep his son from lies, and he should always keep his word to his children. (Talmud Sukkah 46b)
Anger in a home is like rottenness in fruit. (Talmud Sotah 3)
Rabbah said that a parent should never show favoritism among his/ her children. (Talmud Shabbat 10b)
If you strike a child, strike them only with a shoelace. (Talmud Baba Batra 21a)
A parent should not promise to give a child something and then not give it, because in that way the child learns to lie. (Talmud Sukkah 46b)
The parent who teaches his son, it is as if he had taught his son, his son’s son, and so on to the end of generations. (Talmud Kiddushin 36)
The parent who instructs by personal example rather than mere words, his/her audience will take his/her counsel to heart. The parent who does not practice what he/she so eloquently preaches, his/her advice is rejected. (Commentary to Ethics of Our Fathers)

Naomi & Ruth

2010-07-18T21:25:00.006-04:00

I had a request from TropiClay Studio to post a photo of my sculpture (my very first sculpture), Naomi & Ruth, so I thought I'd tell the story. The story of Ruth is contained in the part of the Hebrew Bible called Ketuvim (Writings). It is read on Shavuot, the Festival that commemorates the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai.

During the time of the Judges (1244 BCE to 879 BCE) when there was a famine, an Israelite family, Elimelech, his wife Naomi and their sons emigrate to Moab. Elimelech dies, and the sons marry two Moabite women: Mahlon marries Ruth and Chilion marries Orpah.

The two sons of Naomi then die themselves. Naomi decides to return to Bethlehem. She tells her daughters-in-law to return to their own mothers, and remarry. Orpah leaves; however, Ruth says, "Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried.

The two women return to Bethlehem. It is the time of the barley harvest, and in order to support her mother-in-law and herself, Ruth goes to the fields to glean from the corners of a field, as is proscribed for widows. The field she goes to belongs to a man named Boaz, who is kind to her because he has heard of her loyalty to her mother-in-law. Ruth tells her mother-in-law of Boaz's kindness, and she gleans in his field through the remainder of the harvest season. Boaz and Ruth fall in love.

There are legal complications that delay their marriage, but are finally resolved.

Boaz and Ruth get married and have a son named Obed, who because of the previously mentioned legal issues is considered both the son and grandson of Naomi and her husband, as well as the son of Boaz and Ruth. In the genealogy which concludes the story, it is pointed out that Obed is the descendant of Judah, and the grandfather of King David.

My Ruth & Naomi reflects the highlighted portion of the story. Ruth became the first non-Hebrew to convert to Judaism by these words.

The Mezuzah and It's Case

2010-07-15T13:50:00.001-04:00

Very often, either at the studio, or at shows, people will pick up a mezuzah case and ask, "Is this for flowers?"; or, "What can I put in here?"; or, quite simply, "What is this?" Sometimes, they will have an idea of what it is, and say, "This is where you put the prayer on your door. What is it called?"

The case is, traditionally, hung on the door post on the right, on an angle, tilted toward the door. The letter that looks like a "W" on the case, is the Hebrew letter "shin". It stands for the word "Shaddai", which is an epithet for God. As with almost all things Jewish, there are several theories on the derivation and meaning of "Shaddai". I think the one that makes the most sense in context of the mezuzah is that it is an acronym standing for "Guardian of the Doors of Israel" (Hebrew: שׁוֹמֶר דְלָתוֹת יִשְׂרָאֶל), which is commonly found as carvings or writings upon mezuzah cases.

The scroll, or the "mezuzah", is a parchment upon which is a portion of the Torah called "The Shema" ("Listen") and the second paragraph of the Shema, which is the "V'Ahavta" ("and you shall love"). The words are written by a Torah scribe, by hand, with no mistakes or corrections, in order for it to be a Kosher scroll.

When we leave our homes, and when we enter our homes, we touch the case and put our fingers to our lips to acknowledge that we are bound to act a certain way in the world and in our homes. We are reminded to teach God's law to our children and to be an example to others.

Below is one of my mezuzah cases with the parchment that gets rolled up and put inside the case and the translation of the of the Hebrew:

(Shema) Hear, O Israel, the Eternal is 

our God, the Eternal is One.

Blessed be God’s Name and glorious kingdom forever and ever.

(V'Ahavta) You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words, which I [God] teach you this day, shall be upon your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, speak of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise up. And you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for a reminder before your eyes. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and upon your gates.

Change in Direction

2010-07-12T20:33:00.001-04:00

I've been exploring other blogs. Each blog by which I have been intrigued has had a hook, a point of view, something that distinguishes itself from other blogs that are similar in nature (i.e. potter's blogs). So I have reflected on what it is I have to offer, that other potter's don't. And, at least in the part of the world I find myself living, I have Judaism. At least m point of view as a Jewish woman creating Judaic pottery.

I am not sure where this will lead, how it will evolve or even if it will be a successful change in direction, but, it is what I have to offer, so I do, with respect and deference to the religious teachers & Rabbis from whom I have learned the Judaism I practice, including the those of Ethics of our Fathers, W. Gunther Plaut's Commentary on The Torah, and Rabbi Neil Comess-Daniels, together with the writings of many, many authors of Jewish literature, including but not limited to, Isaac Beshevis Singer, Elie Weisel, Milton Steinberg, J.D. Salinger, Phillip Roth, Chaim Potok, Bernard Malamud, E.L. Doctorow and Norman Mailer.

I invite people to ask questions, make comments, debate (with respect) and add their perspective. I will say upfront that I having been raised in a Conservative Synagogue with a Conservadox Rabbi (in the 1950s!!!!) but tend toward Progressive Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism.

I am surprised, living in a town that has had a fairly large Jewish community since the 1800s, how few people know anything about Judaism. I went into a bakery I frequent just before Passover, and half kidding, asked if they had Matzoh. The owner of the bakery didn't know what it is. When I tell people I make Judaica, very few people know the word. I recently sculpted a piece called "Naomi & Ruth" and no one knew their story. To confess, I did not know that many Christians do not read what they call "The Old Testament." This surprises me, as well, inasmuch as this would be the text from which Jesus preached.

I do not want this to be a place to preach, but a place to teach and I will try to keep it relevant to the pieces of Judaica I create, how they are used and why. I don't even know how I will start, so I will say shalom for now. "Shalom" which has in it "hello", "goodbye" & "peace".

In the Media

2010-07-04T11:01:00.000-04:00

This last month was a very good month for Oy Clay!!! Pottery. Even though I whined about the sales at the Studio Stroll, with some distance from the nerve wracking, expectation riddled event, I did pretty well, and the proof is in the people who have come back in the intervening month and purchased pieces. There has been a lot of local traffic on the website, due to the advertising on THE BIG CRAFTY, which I am glad to say has given me a chance (that is next Sunday, July 11th, by the way). Additionally, I am part of the Odyssey Gallery Ad this month in The Laurel of Asheville.

If you haven't been to OyClayPottery.com,
lately, please check it out and give me your feedback. I think it is starting to shape up.

Photos

2010-06-30T01:12:00.000-04:00

I'm so glad to have new work finally photographed for the website and the blog. Lots of photos, thanks to Marian Parkes. I'll post some of the group shots here and then all will go on the website.

New Photos Coming

2010-06-27T17:52:00.000-04:00

I am finally going to get photos of the newer work for my website. I have been promising them for weeks. I really must get a new camera and/or schedule photos as soon as the work comes out of the kiln. There are so many things to think of for this business. I enjoy the work and the planning, etc. but I am not as organized (surprise!!!) as I should be. Every task seems to be two or three steps behind all the time. Being ill hasn't helped, but I can't really blame it on that.

I'll spare you the recent ER episode. I am okay now, no thanks to the doctors there. Physical therapy is working on my legs and I do feel stronger. Making food decisions every meal, mostly good ones. Will be working non-stop for my next kiln and for a techniques class with John Britt.

Photos soon!!!!!

Status Update

2010-06-19T08:10:00.000-04:00

So, this is what's been going on. For the last few months, I have been feeling very ill. I try to deny it and push through it, but, there it is. So I finally went to the doctor. I was convinced that I had Congestive Heart Failure. So now I've had one sleep study, blood work an MRI. The upshot it that I am borderline just about everything, except obese, which I am with a vengeance. So I am now being treated as though I have Diabetes II, even though my numbers do not call for the diagnosis. I have a blood sugar monitor, and until they do a proper sleep study, I am sleeping with oxygen, if you can call it sleep. They say I'll get used to it or a C-Pap if I have apnea. No CHF, but still a candidate for it, as my diastolic blood pressure is high and that is very bad.

So I've come to a crossroad, a real moment of choice. On the border, the edge of the sea. Let's see how well I choose my path.

Whining

2010-06-17T16:55:00.000-04:00

Okay!!! So I guess my last post was a "whine". I was hoping that the blogasphere was a place fore whining, and discussion and points of view. I submit that whining is a part of my process of dealing with my own inadequacies...I whine, or get angry or panic as a way of releasing frustration and then it passes and clarity is often the result.

Sometimes Hard to be an Artist

2010-06-14T17:13:00.001-04:00

For many years I walked into offices and onto stages and asked a multitude of people to buy my "wares"...me. I was an actor. The art of acting requires not only the talent for it, but the internal fortitude to be rejected, face to face, from pillar to post, throughout one's career. "Fabulous reading, dahling, but can we do something about your hair?" "You're absolutely right for the part if you were just thinner/heavier/blonder/shorter. Can you do that for next week?" It wore me down, finally, and I stopped acting.

Singing with a band proved much easier on the ego and so I stuck with that for a awhile, then moved to Asheville while the band stayed in Los Angeles.

So now I'm a potter. Love it. The clay, the glaze, the fire. Love it!!!! Except...."Oh, what a fabulous Seder Plate. You know, Harry, we really should get one for Shelley's wedding." "Sam, look at the roses on the Spice Box...oh, that's so beautiful."

If you saw Saturday's blog, this is photo was posted. When I broke this table down on Sunday, it looked EXACTLY the same except that one of the mezzuzahs on the right was gone.

Now in all fairness, I must say that the Clearance Sale ($12.00 or Less) in my studio did very well, and considering the economy, I shouldn't gripe. It's just that I don't want to stop being a potter. Should I just put everything on Clearance when it comes out of the kiln?

River Arts District Stroll

2010-06-11T21:17:00.000-04:00

Well, it's time for the summer Stroll. Odyssey Gallery & Studios has a red door and a District sign this year, and inside, up the stair, make a right and a left and Oy Clay!!! Pottery is the second studio on the right. This year I have a wall display outside my Studio, a clearance sale inside the Studio and a table on the floor.

Counting the Omer - Belatedly

2010-06-06T15:17:00.001-04:00

There is the mitzvah (commandment) in Judaism to Count the Omer. The period of the Omer starts the second day of Passover and ends 49 days later at Shavuot...the period of deliverance from Egypt until the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. A solemn and reflective period in which we began as slaves and ended as a people of laws and the moral obligation to be the role model for the world. Only on the 33rd day of the Omer (Lag B'Omer) are we allowed to celebrate. Many Jewish couples marry on this date of joy.

There are many reasons given by the Rabbis for the counting of the Omer (which means "sheaves"). And there are many customs that enhance the biblical directions for counting. Kabbalists believe that each day represents a human trait.

The following is a D'var Torah (a word or interpretation of a portion of Torah) of the 8th day of the Omer: Chesed of Gevurah. "Chesed" is defined as "kindness, mercy", but it is an active word. It means to "create kindness/mercy out of nothing". Gevurah means "strength", and is also active, as in "support". This D'var Torah is written by Mark Horn, a Jewish Buddhist Gay Activist, who also dabbles in pottery.

Today is 8 days, making one week and one day of the Omer: Chesed of Gevurah

Consider the potter throwing on the wheel. One hand is on the inside of the form being shaped. The other on the outside. The force on either side must be perfectly balanced. On one side is Gevurah, discipline, giving form and structure to the clay body. On the other side is Chesed, supporting and lifting up the form with a compassionate touch that understands the imperfections and limits of the clay body.

When compassion and love is expressed through structure and form, the results are beautiful. So it is with Chesed of Gevurah. This is not form for the sake of form. It is form infused with meaning. And of course, emptiness.

I remember once hearing one of my meditation teachers, S.N.Goenka, tell of how a potter in India beats the outside of a clay body with flat piece of wood to give it form. And that there is a hand inside to help absorb the shock of the blow so that the beating does not destroy the pot. He laughed and said, when you are supporting it with love, of course you can beat it! Not that he was advocating beating anyone, but he was making the point that expressing discipline without love is destructive. Just as expressing love without discipline is destructive. As my friend Marion once wrote: Do I center the clay, or does the clay center me? For today, this clay body hopes we can all make every day of this counting of the Omer, truly count.

2010-05-04T18:27:00.001-04:00

Nelle Fastman Pingree of Oy Clay!!! Pottery says: If you can make it to Hendersonville, NC this Friday night, come see the beautiful work by the River Arts District Artists. The show opens Friday night and will be on view through May 29, 2010.

Opening Reception:
2nd Annual RADA Members Show in Hendersonville
Friday, May 7, 2010
5:30 pm to 8:00 pm
The Arts Council of Henderson County
538 Main Street Hendersonville, NC

And, don't forget, the River Arts District Stroll is only one month away. Please come to the Preview at Odyssey on Friday, June 11, 2010, 5:00 pm to mix and mingle with the Artists, while taking advantage of the first look at our new work.

River Arts District Stroll
Saturday & Sunday
June 12-13, 2010
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Odyssey Galleries & Studios
238 Clingman Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801

Proud Nana!!!!

2010-04-15T10:06:00.002-04:00

Got a call this morning from my just recently turned two year old Sophia. I, of course was sleeping, but when I returned the call, I learned that she had slept through the night in her big girl bed, without rails, and without her father sleeping on the floor next to the bed. While one night does not a habit make, Nana is, nonetheless, very proud of Sophie and her new achievement.

Clay Club

2010-04-15T10:04:00.002-04:00

I had the best time at Clay Club last night. It was at Odyssey this month and Marian Parkes and Jill Wolf made a great party. It was a nice pick-me-up, as I was feeling a little Spring Blues-y and about to write a very uninteresting song, which would have been a mistake...so thanks to all the Clay Clubbers from the Northern Territories for coming down south. And thanks to all of the South WNC Clay folk who came and showed the north that we are mighty, too. John Britt, Mike Kline and Marian Parkes have photos that will be post on various blogs, etc. See you next month for an Empty Bowl Extravaganza at John Hartom's (whom we missed very much last night).

Blogging Blues

2010-04-14T07:24:00.001-04:00

I haven't blogged for a while because I get the feeling no one is listening, with 3 followers for whom I am very grateful. Perhaps it's because the posts seems to show up on Facebook, so people don't follow the blog. I hope that's true and so I will continue.

My camera is broken. This too is a dilemma when it comes to blogging, which, more and more, seems to be the display of photographs...even more so than words. We have become a drive-through, drive-by, nation. We have no patience for the art of, well, anything. The art of language, painting, pottery or photography (the kind with film and black rooms, where the emergence of an image was part of the art). I am sad about it, and yet, the digital age is exciting, or is it just addicting? Does the solitude it requires make us more, or less, interconnected? Why do I feel this melancholy?

500 Judaica - Lark Books

2010-03-27T19:08:00.003-04:00

For my friends who are not craftspersons, Lark Books publishes books about crafts, home decorating, cooking, and outdoor living. They publish a series called the "500 Series", which are books that have a theme and present 500 examples of that theme. 500, Bowls, 500 Mugs, 500 Wooden Boxes, etc. Among potters and other clay artists, having a piece or pieces represented in one of these books, is an accomplishment.

Last year Lark call for entries for a 500 Judaica Book, to be published this Fall. I submitted 7 pieces for consideration, and I was notified today that 5 of them will appear in the publication.

Thanks to Marian Parkes and Joy Tanner for the fabulous photographs, the quality of which, I am sure, had more than a little to do with the entries being chosen.

This is a good day!!!

Sweet Home, Chicago!!

2010-03-03T11:57:00.002-05:00

On my way to Chicago for a week. An all Judaica Show there over the weekend. I hope there is no more snow. Catch you on the flipside, unless you find me on Twitter @oyclaypotter.

Where have you been?

2010-02-26T15:36:00.008-05:00

Bought clay. Measured, wedged, rolled and balled clay. Threw and built clay. Dried clay (but not too dry). Carved, stamped, and marked clay. Dried clay (very dry). Loaded clay into kiln, fired clay, cooled clay, unloaded bisque. Repeated.

Waxed bisque. Dry wax. Brushed bisque. Applied oxides to bisque. Glazed Bisque. Dried. Packed bisque (very gently) Schlepped to kiln. With the help of friends: Unpacked bisque (very gently). Loaded bisque.

Now: Firing bisque.

Next: Cool. Unload pottery. Pack pottery (very carefully) . Schlep pottery home. Unload pottery. Photograph pottery. Inventory pottery. Price pottery. Repack pottery (very carefully). Load pottery into car. Drive pottery 675 miles to Deerfield, Illinois. Unload car. Set up display. Unpack pottery and place on display. Sell, sell, sell. Sleep. Sell, sell sell. Sleep. Sell, sell, sleep.

Either 1) load empty crates in to car and drive home. OR 2) pack remaining pots. Load car and drive home.

Remembering

2010-01-24T23:47:00.003-05:00

Today, at 10:45 a.m. I finished 59 years of living. As I head into my 60th year, I remember a conversation I had with my dad as he approached his 60th birthday. I was 27, it was the late 70's and I was still in the "don't trust anyone over 30" frame of mind, and was quickly becoming irrelevant, by that standard.

"Dad, what's it feel like, being sixty?, I asked. "I mean, are you scared?" He thought a moment and smiled, "Not when I consider the alternative."

While I've heard similar sentiments since then, I thought, at the time, that my father was so pragmatic and so profound at the same time. Still do.

Faces

2010-01-12T08:54:00.004-05:00

Started a new class yesterday called making faces. Recently, I have started sculpting figures and was having trouble with the faces, in particular. I started a couple of heads, but then had trouble with the eyes, in particular. Let's be clear, I need instruction on the whole body and face but these, with the hands, are particularly difficult for me as evidenced by the photos.

Oh, I almost forgot the ears, wow. I really need this class.

Anyway, I have a lot to learn, but I do love the process.

Studio cleaning today. I have a large half kiln to fill mid February, and I am way behind. So, off to the studio.

New Year Gregorian

2010-01-06T01:04:00.004-05:00

If one is Jewish, there are several New Year celebrations each year. The actual beginning of the lunar Hebrew calendar is the month of Nissan, the month in which Passover occurs. The time of beginnings, Spring. Then there is Rosh Hashanah, which means, "Head of the Year", which occurs in the fall, on the new moon of Tishre, the 7th month. This Holy Day celebrates the "Genesis" of the earth, which, according to calculations made from the Torah (however inaccurate), was 5770 years ago. We also celebrate the Anniversary of the Treesor First Fruits.

It is only in the Diaspora that the Gregorian New Year is recognized. It is one of those things that we accept as "strangers" in another culture. Pope Gregory moved the New Year to January ( a relatively new month to the calendar at the time)from March after about 1,000 years of dispute about whether the birth (set in December instead of July/August which is probably more accurate) or the resurrection of Jesus should start the year.

I write these things to discuss the illusion of time and the individual importance of the way it passes.

'It Shoulda Been Me' Revised

2009-12-25T10:26:00.003-05:00

Woke up this morning
It's Christmas Day
I opened the cupboard
to put Kline away
and right there in front
Just happened to sit
In all of its glory
An oil spot Britt

'It shoulda been me
instead of the Kline
It shoulda been me
While you reclined
It shoulda been me
Full of Christmas wine'

Then came a rumble
from way in the back
Things started to tumble
and started to crack
A Sheehan and Copus
were charging ahead
It was hard to focus
When one of them said,

'It shoulda been me
instead of the Kline
It shoulda been me
While you reclined
It shoulda been me
Full of Christmas wine'

Now Sheehan you know
you're better for brew,
Theriault is for lemonade,
Tinnaro is too
Britt is for chocolate,
coffee and tea
A Tanner for soup,
or stew with no beef

But when I'm reclining
And drinking my wine
Nothing compares
to the feel of a Kline.

December 24th

2009-12-24T22:58:00.005-05:00

'Twas the night before Christmas
and all through my house
were Rosie's Hanukkah presents
a toy bone and mouse.

And on one of the tables
next to her toy bone
was a cup of Mike Kline's
of my very own.

A Britt, a Tanner,
a Flannigan-Bond,
a Theriault, a Tinnaro,
and the list goes on
of potters whose cups
I have at least one.

But though all the cups
all equally fine
somehow none can compare
to the feel of a Kline.

They each have their form
their whimsy and glaze
They are evenly thrown
and garner high praise.

But tonight as I sit
In my chair and recline
Watching TV
And drinking my wine
The wind is howling
The cheescake divine
Some how nothing compares
to the feel of a Kline.

Merry Christmas.

Dug Out!!

2009-12-22T23:20:00.002-05:00

No, it's not baseball season yet. Far from it, But, I am out of the house and feeling very very lucky and grateful that I was safe and warm. So many were without power and heat, as well as being stuck.

Went to the studio today, and only lost one pot to drying too quickly.

I've had some time to think about creating a line of work. Trying to create a signature of my own that will carry through the various pieces of Judaica is challenging. I could figure it out it I were creating a line of dishes and jugs, vases, etc. But something that will carry across the entire Jewish calendar...I don't know. Needs some more thought and some input from someone more experienced than I.

I have several motifs that I've been using, two color palates each for high fire and mid fire, however, none is appropriate for all.

Any input on this topic will be appreciated. Might be a great topic for Clay Club.

Snow Days

2009-12-19T09:11:00.010-05:00

Well, I am snowed in with about 8 inches against the back gate and in my patio. It's beautiful and I wish I could get the good camera out of my car and take better photos.

These are from my phone and the charger is in the car. My car is up to its pupic (belly button) in snow and my 100 year old tree may be sporting its last snow. She must come down soon.

No Furthur!!

2009-12-14T10:55:00.003-05:00

Yes, it's spelled correctly. I didn't call on Friday at 10 am like I should have and the FURTHER concert sold out in minutes. I am bummed. My ex-husband's second ex-wife (I'm No.#1) and I were going to go together. I wanted to yell, "Let Bobby sing!!" one more time. Anyone out there with extra tickets, I need two. We didn't invite wife #3...she's not "ex". (resisting the temptation to add: yet. I do wish them well.)

I am hoping to get photos of my new work done. I am still reluctant to take them myself, even though I have take two or three sessions on "Photography for Potters". I am hoping JT will let me hire her once she feels better. I always seem to be three to six weeks behind in planning. Hanukkah will be over on Sunday, and I don't have my Hanukkiyiot (Menorahs) photographed and on the website. Not good. I need to have JT on retainer.

I've also started a 2010 calendar to send out to synagogues and to friends for the New Year. Next one will begin in September for the Jewish New Year. I didn't even think about it until this morning.

If anyone reads this, and knows how I can get the wood from a 100 year old tree processed for a wood kiln, let me know. My Silver Maple has to be taken down. I should take photos, but the camera is in the car and I am in the warm house.

More later...

Children of Abraham

2009-12-02T09:02:00.005-05:00

It's so nice to find out that my music is still being played and heard out in the world. My congregation in Santa Monica recently performed my "Children of Abraham" at their annual event with the Muslim community, and I got word that someone from Women in Black organization in the UK heard it on Rhapsody streaming, and wants to include it in an event there are participating in regarding Middle East peace talks. I am honored to have them use it. You can hear it at:

http://nellepingree.com/music.html

Stroll

2009-11-16T09:53:00.005-05:00

Let's just say, this was not my best couple of days for commerce. So, we move on. I was, however, invited to participate in a three day All Judaica Fair in Moriah, IL (close to Chicago) during Judaica Arts Week. This is, Apparently, a very big deal. So, head down and punt, I say.

Photos this week, ETSY, next week. There's more than one way to punt.

Sicko

2009-11-11T18:47:00.002-05:00

So it's three days before the River Arts District Stroll. This is a big deal for potters and artists in the area, especially the November stroll (so close to the holiday season). The only thing is that it is also cold and flu season not to mention STRESSFUL!. So, of course, I have a sore throat, a bladder thing and my BP is 168/90...NOT GOOD. Two of my important pieces didn't get in the kiln, even though I paid for them to be fired. Dean's work schedule has changed so I have to take him to work on Saturday at 3pm and will have the baby until 10pm. AAAAHHH!

Calm, I am calm. I am the light, I am the calm.

Objects of Virtue

2009-11-04T12:05:00.004-05:00

Found out today that my Seder Plate for Tu B'Shvat will be part of an exhibition in Walnut Creek, CA.

Objects of Virtue
Bedford Gallery
Lesher Center for the Arts
1601 Civic Drive
Walnut Creek, CA 94596

December 1, 2009 through January 31, 2010
Opening Reception
December 2, 2009
6pm to 8pm

New Stuff???

2009-11-03T17:46:00.004-05:00

So, I have been avoiding the wheel for about a week. I was frustrated by my lidded pot assignment from Becca Floyd. The pots were pretty nice, but I couldn't trim the lids without disaster. I ended up with jars with no lids and that was just unacceptable, so I stopped for a few days. But unable to stay away from the clay, I started "Women of the Torah", my mini gallery of ideas for larger pieces, if I ever learn how. So far, there are Naomi & Ruth and Hannah.

anyway, back to the wheel tomorrow.

Echo Gallery Opening

2009-10-23T21:29:00.003-04:00

Tonight was the gala opening of the Echo Gallery in Biltmore Park. It was extremely well attended, and not just by the usual suspects. The food was delicious and the art was beautifully hung and placed. Even in the pouring rain.

The diversity of artists and media makes this a very special gallery and I hope everyone does well. Judging from tonight, they should. Unfortunately, the only photo I took was of two of my favorite potters, Lori Theriault (part of the Echo Co-op) and Heather Tinnaro (a guest artist at Echo).

Hardlox

2009-10-23T00:38:00.004-04:00

Hardlox Festival was a really good day for Oy Clay!!! Pottery. The cold kept a lot of people home, but those who came were really in the spirit. Lots of music and great food. And the best part was having two of my dear friends from Santa Monica walk into the crowd. What a surprize!!! Here we all are at breakfast on Tuesday at Tupelo Honey Cafe.

I heard from Beth Tzedec about the Ritual Cup Awards, and, while I did not win the clay prize, my cup did sell, so that is a big thing!!!

Finally, this was the weekend Aly, Dean & Sophia moved into their own apartment. I have my house back and they promised they would come back and clean. Hmmm...?

I'll let you know about that.

2009-10-03T15:48:00.004-04:00

Oy Clay!!! Pottery will be at Hardlox

(adjacent to the Grove Arcade)

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2009

11 AM - 4 PM

Asheville's place for Judaica in clay.

Making Stuff

2009-09-29T23:18:00.005-04:00

So, the work is drying and will be ready for my Thursday bisque. Wonky Pots, Hanukkiot and mezuzzahs are pictured here, together with my new wheel and the inside of my little, cluttered studio. I am having so much fun!!!

Rain

2009-09-24T08:45:00.002-04:00

Yes, rain. Good...bad. Paradox!!! Green pastures, woolly worms & slugs; river rafting, floods. Mud, mud, mud!!!

Wedding Cup Revisited

2009-09-13T10:16:00.002-04:00

Ok, so here is the photo of the Wedding Cup, Beloveds, made for the Blessings & Innovations: Celebrating Ideas in Ritual Cup Design, at Beth Tzedec's Reuben & Helene Dennis Museum, in Toronto, ON.

Thanks to John Britt for the photo.

Wedding Cup

2009-09-10T23:51:00.003-04:00

This is my Wedding Cup, Beloveds, for the invitational "Blessings & Innovations
Celebrating Ideas in Ritual Cup Design" at Beth Tzedec's Reuben & Helene Dennis Museum, in Toronto, ON.

Photos Speak

2009-09-04T17:05:00.007-04:00

Arthur, Carolanne, Carole Marie, Jill, Peggy & I (not shown) with the Glaze Guru Geek and our tiles.

Day 3

2009-09-02T19:38:00.002-04:00

So today was a much better day. We got our Cone 10reduction tiles and mine were very nice. Penn State shino with various colorants. To experience the wide variety of results from each base glaze was actually thrilling. Can't wait for the next reveal!!!

Glaze, Craze, Shiver and Dazed

2009-09-01T22:59:00.002-04:00

Day 2 of the Workshop. So it was my assignment to make 1000 gms of a glaze, the receipe of which was given in 100 grams. EPK 30, Silica 20, Gertsley Borate 50. Just add a "0" to each. Easy peasy, right. Can we say, "Senior moment"? 40 tiles missing 450 grms of Gerstly borate. Not good.

But what is good is that I have been accepted to participate in the 2009 Hard Lox Festival, which is the annual Jewish Festival in October. This makes me very happy, and I will be back at the wheel on Monday.

Who is the Birthday Boy in this picture???

Drama

2009-08-31T22:26:00.002-04:00

Well, the last two weeks have been high drama in my life. Throwing, bisque firing, glazing & glaze firing my first 1/2 kiln have each had their own little dramas attached. I will photograph the results and I am happy with most. My Kiddush Cup for the Bet Tzedek show in Toront0 would have been better with one more attempt, but time has run out, so photo tomorrow, FedEx on Wednesday.

Now my Sophia is sick as is Dean, her dad. The doctor has seen them both and we are hoping they will be okay soon.

Aly has taken all of her GED tests and will get her certificate in 2 weeks. She is feeling good about herslf and I am very happy and proud of her.

Currently, I am taking John Britt's Basic Glaze Chemistry and Raw Material workshop and driving back and forth. Today was the first day and I am exhausted, but what a great workshop.

I now have my very own potter's wheel, thanks to a very sweet Brady, who is moving to New Mexico and sold me his year old Thomas Stewart Legend for $400. It is in my studio at Odyssey and awaits a Shehechianu (blessing for the first time).

I must sleep now!

handles and 2nd Saturday Market

2009-08-09T13:32:00.010-04:00

Last Sunday I was at John Britt Pottery with others learning about handle pulling, pushing, throwing and building. In 3 hours I made 1 good handle, and it wasn't even on one of the 14 vessels I brought for that purpose.

Yesterday, Oy Clay!!! Pottery (I) was part of the 2nd Saturday Artist Market hosted by Crazy Green Studios (Lori Theriault) in east West Asheville. It was a very hot day, but there was a small steady steam of patrons, who spent some money. It was fun making new friends like George and Noel in the Glassworks booth, Anthony Devito in his pottery booth, The Asheville Jugglers and others. This little market is growing and the word is getting out. Be there in September!!!

Cutest Dog Competition

2009-08-04T10:29:00.001-04:00

Bele Chere P.S.

2009-07-27T01:25:00.000-04:00

Forgot to mention seeing Kari Weaver Hopkins at Bele Chere, looking great, selling her fabulous pots and having fun. Didn't have my camera with me when she stopped by, but, take it from me, she looked great.

Bele Chere

2009-07-26T23:53:00.011-04:00

What a trip Bele Chere was this weekend. Lots of people, music, food. Loved it. I wish I could have gone to all of it. But made many friends, connections and even sold some stuff.

It was all good!!!

(From top left: 1) Laurie McCarriar, Naomi Diamond Rodgers & Barbara Perez; 2) Phil DeAngelo; 3) Naomi and Robert; and,
my little corner of the tent.

Digital Photo Class with Joy Tanner and John Britt

2009-07-19T20:19:00.010-04:00

I am so glad I took this class again. I think, for the mechanically impaired, two times - a must. And lunch is worth the price of admission. Boo was there, and the turkeys came to visit, along with the ferral cat who John has adopted. I am glad to say that, contrary to a prior post (see "Burnsville, NC" post of 6/16/09) John was not a turtle. Now I cannot be sure he wasn't one at the time of my prior post; however, I can say that, at least for today, the curse has been lifted.

My Lovely Wonky Pots

2009-07-18T18:47:00.003-04:00

While doing demonstrations during stroll, I hand built about half a dozen wonky pots. People stopped by and wanted to know where they could get some finished ones. Anyway, They came out of bisque this week and today I started painting. Tomorrow night I'll clear glaze them and fire them on Monday. I think I may have happened upon something. People came into the studio today and ordered two.

Centering 4+ Pounds of Clay

2009-07-12T14:38:00.011-04:00

Okay, so 4-5 pounds is not a lot of clay to center, but for the new potter (me) it feels like a milestone, an achievement to be rewarded. Until now, most of my pitchers have ended up as small vases, but now I can make a pitcher and it's big enough to pour 4 glasses of lemonade, instead of 4 oz. of cream. I am impressed with myself today. A pitcher, four tumblers and a Havdalah set with a rose stopper for the spicebox.

Peaches are about ready for picking, and new flowers are wild in the front yard today. The turkeys haven't arrived and the bears are only out at night, for now. Life is pretty good. Sophia "reading" her color book, and is saying "kitty", "doggie", "stop it", "give", "I didn't", "hot".

2009-07-09T00:06:00.002-04:00

This was a beautiful day in Asheville. Sunny, cool, with only a brief period of rain. I love the day lilies in my yard and would love to plant the entire property with different colors and kinds.

Oh, Joy!!! Mammogram Today.

2009-07-02T08:56:00.002-04:00

This has got to be one of the most dreaded days of the year for many women. There are several levels of dread involved, as well. First is the pain. I find that the pain of mammography is mostly anticipatory and, while the procedure is uncomfortable, it passes. The second level of dread, of course, is also anticipatory (as all dread is, I guess. Is this then, redundant. I hate to be redundant), and involves the "C" word (no, not THAT "C" word). Let's call it the "ca" (medical abbreviation). In this, too, the dread is most often worse that the reality. I'm talking myself into it, ladies. We must all get this done and we must all be brave. I won't quote Mr. Churchill, but you get the idea.

Feeling Better

2009-06-28T13:24:00.002-04:00

I went to the JCC "Newcomers" Pool Party today. I'd never been to this event, even though I'm not really a newcomer, I knew some people I know would be there and want to have some Jewish conversation. It was a nice morning, and I was able to get some perspective on this blue period I'm going through. I think more than a slump with the pottery, it's a homesickness for the people I love. I know I keep coming back to this and so, the trip to the JCC today. Mingled with many age-appropriate (for me) potential friends.

I am stting up my little photo studio tonight and hope to take photos for the website of additional pieces. I may need to take the Photo Workshop again. We'll see. I have to start using my camera more often, just around town. It's a good tool for inspirational ides of line and form I realize now why others post so many photos.

Lori is going to take my un-reclamed clay for her mix, so I can start over, There are so many bags of odds and ends, not to mention buckets of clay that I really want to use one cone 10 and one cone 6 clay and stick with them for a while. Once the clay is out of the studio, I'll reorganize and get to work.

A Slump??? Already??

2009-06-24T21:25:00.005-04:00

I think I'm just scattered in too many directions. I think the work I do does not lend itself to the same markets that other potters use. I have to think about what it is I really want to accomplish. Besides everything, what do I have to work on? Can one scream in a blog? AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Family

2009-06-21T17:26:00.006-04:00

My family: Aly, Sophia and Rosie. This is what it's all about.

Market Day

2009-06-21T12:17:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was another market day. I had a table at Howard Street Handmade. A sweet venue, but not a lot of traffic. I think a market may need foot traffic to be really successful in the long run. Lots of great clothes and jewelry, primarily. I made back the table fee, so no losses (except perhaps the price of lemonade to cool the heat of the day). Chin down and full speed ahead. Perhaps the Lexington Bazaar is a better venue for Judaica. Should look int Hendersonville markets as well, as they have a Jewish community.

There was Thunder and There was Fire...

2009-06-18T23:01:00.003-04:00

The storm tonight was of biblical proportion. Trees all over Asheville have been felled by wind and lightening. I expected the voice of God to rumble with the thunder, telling us to get our shit together or there would be more of the same. Blasphemy, you say???? I think not.

Burnsville, NC

2009-06-16T21:24:00.004-04:00

Took a ride to Burnsville to show my plates to Alpine Design. The buyer for the gallery liked the plate I make for the Tu B'shvat seder plate and wanted some for consignment in the gallery, but could I make it a plate with soup cup/mug/bowl. I put several ideas together. She liked them all. Very happy!!!!

So, while I was up that way, I stopped by John's place to settle up for some workshops I want to take. On the little gravel road up to the studio there was the cutest turtle with a yellow and brown shell, and I could have sworn he had teeny tiny little glasses on. For a moment, I could have sworn an evil (?) witch had cast a spell on John and went to get my camera, which I was sure was in my purse with my wallet and checkbook. Of course, my purse was in my studio at Odyssey, rendering my trip "for no good reason" and making documentation of the mystical John-to-turtle event, impossible.

John, I tried to let the people know!!! Hope you haven't been squashed.

but...

2009-06-15T14:55:00.002-04:00

Now comes the eternal question of Art vs. Commerce. If Sophie wants my Havdalah set for her son-in-law in blue, but mine are beautiful earthy shinos, do I make them in blue for Sophie???

So, Now I Feel Like a Potter

2009-06-15T09:20:00.008-04:00

My first RDA Stroll was this weekend, and I actually sold 3, count 'em, 3 pieces. Now that does not compare to others. But it is a start. I made many good contacts in the Jewish community and will have a spot in the Celebration of Israel next year, as well as Hard Lox. So, not a bad weekend at all. Learned much about what people want in a market type arrangement, as opposed to a gallery.

Now I am going to Burnsville to see a lady about some plates I made for her gallery.

I'll Just Keep Blogging

2009-04-20T21:58:00.002-04:00

So far, no one has chosen to follow my blog. I'm not quite sure what can be done about it, but Ill just keep blogging. So photos are taken and enough to start a site: www.oyclaypottery.com. I've got a small studio at Odyssey and I am working on finding a wheel that I can afford. Little by little, atep by step. I wish I was 20 years younger. Ah well, just a moment of fancy. I'd like to get my blog and wesite on Clay Club, but don't know how to leap from follower to contributor. Perhaps emily reason will know. I think she is Clay Club.

so many things to do and think about. More later, Now sleep.

Artist Statement

2009-04-01T09:30:00.004-04:00

Writing an Artist Statement can probably be a self indulgent exercise. Perhaps, one should start out really over the top and pare it back, to achieve some balance. Neither too pretentious nor too...matter-of-fact.

So what is my pottery about. It started out as a way to create artistically what I have been unable to express lyrically, for a while. And as an activity to replace the thrill of performing.

Once I sat at the wheel and started with the clay, it became, not a substitute, really, but an enhancement. An addition, or perhaps, an extension of the process of creating. As a lyricist or poet one creates the metaphor. But the clay, and the act of forming the clay and firing the clay, in this case, is the metaphor. Adamah, the earth. Dam, blood. And the burning, the fire...of Destruction and Reclamation. The earth is centuries full of Jewish blood destroyed by fire. Reclaiming it, making it useful through fire is a form of justice. "Here we are!!. In the Jewish homes you could not destroy! We are made whole from the earth back through the fire. We are strengthened and made whole."

I want my art to reflect that. The form of clay, the beauty of the fire, the useful purpose of the form in Jewish life.

Finally Photos!!!!

2009-03-29T18:03:00.005-04:00

A fabulous Digital Photography Workshop with John Britt and Joy Tanner. We learned to build our own light boxes and each camera was discussed and used. Joy provided her expertise for the photos attached. So Exciting!!!!!!

From the Earth Into the Fire - Reclamation... Redemption?

2009-03-18T08:07:00.004-04:00

Thinking about the metaphor of creating Judaica out of clay. Clay not just the surface for the message, the prayer or whatever. The clay "body", adamah. Reclaiming the Jewish adamah, creating from that the vessels of ritual, of historical reenactment, then cleansing and strengthening the clay through fire. It means something to me. Like music. Like prayer...avodah.

2009-03-13T22:13:00.005-04:00

I spent the evening throwing in a new space. Odyssey is closed since last Friday between sessions, and I couldn't take it anymore, so I got a "weekend pass" to Crazy Green Studios. Just the thing I needed. Clay, Lori, Happy Hour. Just keep throwing, taller and thinner, wider and with intent. I just threw cylinders for two or three hours then threw off the hump for an hour. Looking for a style, a shape, something of my own, something that feels like jazz. Maybe tomorrow.

Do You Raku????

2009-03-10T20:27:00.003-04:00

Today, as a last class with Terry Gess, we all got to raku fire two pieces we'd prepared for that purpose. Having never fired anything this way, I was fascinated by this relatively quick way to fire. At first it looked like each of us waited too long in getting the hot pieces into the reduction containers on the first round; however, most of the pieces were successfully fired, including mine. The vase was bisqued with several coats of two different terra sigilatta and clear glazed after being bisqued. The second vase was bisqued the same way, but I only put the glaze on the inside. The first piece was quite nice. The surface of the second piece did not achieve any interesting effect, and I decided to glaze it for a cone 4-5 refire. As soon as we find our camera, I can post the results. One certainly gets instant gratification with this process, and it seems like a kiln would not be hard to build. Hmmm...???

Taking a Step

2009-03-09T13:36:00.000-04:00

Here I boldly go where I have not gone before. Nelle Fastman Pingree, potter. Maker of pots, functional and ritual for Jewish Festivals, Holidays, Life Cycle Events and Everyday.