New masks in Clouds part 2

Hello everyone. How was your day? We have run errands from morning until mid afternoon. Since then, I have made more little ones. I keep on making, so I don't let 'dark clouds' creeps into my life.

Yesterday I saw an old lady whom I sometimes meet during dog walks. She was alone. So I asked her where her dog was. She had to put him to sleep due to pancreas disease. She said she has misses him. We both became tearful. She said she has to keep going, so now she trots by herself. I promised her to have a chat when we meet again. I know her late dog's name, but not hers. It is time to get to know her. She lives alone and she is 78 years old.

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I went to Sidney cooper gallery to deliver one of the sculptures this afternoon. It was very nice to see visitors smiling when they see my works. This brightened my heart.

I haven't shared all photos of my new work in the show yet. So I will upload the rest over a couple of posts.

Empress

Empress - details

My masks were inspired by African tribes, the Surma and the Mursi as well as Old Chinese paintings. African tribes decorate their faces and bodies in very artistic way. They look very wild yet beautiful. If that is not art, I don't know what art is. I wanted to create something wild and strangely beautiful, too.

Then I somehow made Empress, which reminds me of old Chinese court ladies. When I made her, I wanted to visit Chinese paintings exhibition in V&A; I booked tickets. So that must had been in my mind.

Poet

Poet -details

He is more influenced by the body art of African tribes. But I also feel a bit of ancient European civilization in him. I love his hair, Empress's and Forest boy's. The style is new to me, and I am very happy with them. I would like to play more on the textures in near future.







    

My little 'people' cheer me up

Hello everyone. I would like to thank you so much for your kindness and warm thoughts. I feel so grateful to those who left kind comments and also those who didn't but thought about us. I know people who read my blog are animal lovers and kind. As some of you knew, I am active on twitter, too. Twitter is like a dog walk I take. I meet lots of nice people and dogs. We greet but I generally don't know who they are and their lives. On the other hand, the blog is like neighborhood friends to me. We know a bit of each other's lives and emotional lives. I feel we know enough to be friends.

My little 'people'

After a good cry, I started making little whippets and rabbits. It is therapeutic in itself, but then I felt my creation could cheer up those who have had a similar experience to ours. So I made more and more every day. One rabbit is commissioned by a lovely lady, so the others will keep her company. There are Mochaccino and Pumpkin in the front row. I will keep Mochaccino on my desk so that he will be always be with me. I might make his friends, too.

Tonight, I made this chirpy sweet girl. I giggled a lot. I felt I was a child again. She has got her own toy rabbit in her pocket.

My toy rabbit is in the pocket. 

Now I can say thank you to Mochaccino for having been with us for so long. We will remember all the happiness we have shared with him and his friends.

He had been always been friendly with all his companions, and used to sit next to them when they were off colour. I admired him, and I hoped I would be like him.  

Dear my friends,

Winter has come, but no frost yet. Mochaccino, our ancient finch, passed away peacefully early yesterday morning. We did a funeral for him at lunch time. He was buried in a pretty Japanese box filled with flowers. Flowers? You might wonder. Surprisingly a patch of crocuses suddenly opened yesterday in the garden. It might be coincidence, it might not. Just about the time he passed away, Topaz, our sentinel dog inexplicably barked a lot. Mike thinks she sensed something.

Crocuses suddenly opened.

Mike took away the table where the shoe box that has been Mochaccino's home for the last couple of months had been placed, as I was still talking to the table as if he were still in the room. We lost our chirps for the first time in 15 years. We had always had little birds in our house. They belong to a beautiful world. Don't worry, I still talk to him twice a day when I visit his grave. My concern is that he might feel chilly outside, but Mike says that he has joined his family and friends and he is happy. I should believe him.

He didn't eat anything on Sunday and refused to drink water when we put a wet cotton bud on his beak. He looked like going into a coma, but twice during the evening, he made a quiet sound. We knew that the end was near. He waited for Monday morning. After Mike woke him up, he slipped away. Do you know lots of loved animals wait until their humans come when they die?  They don't want to die alone. Nobody does.

You probably know I cry. Do you know Mike cries, too?

I gave the remains of his seeds to Pumpkin, our chicken. She ate them all and made a cooing sound. She was happy. I sent her a wish that she would be as healthy and long-lived as Mochaccino had been. I imagined his spirit entered into Pumpkin via the seeds and will make her a strong healthy bird.

I hope you and your loved ones are well. Dear friends, I am glad that you are with me today.

Messenger from the North and Angel II

Hello everyone. How was your weekend? We finally managed to do a tidy up and cleaning of the house. It is so nice to be able to put the house in order. I feel better!

Let me share more images of my work in the show, Calm, Cloud part 2 at Sidney Cooper gallery in Canterbury.

This is Messenger from the North. She is beautiful. It might sound strange to you, but I fell in love with her. The sculptures I make are sometimes above me. They command me. She is quiet and elegant, but powerful and potent.

Messenger from the North

Messenger from the North (details)

Messenger from the North (details)

Messenger from the North (details)

Initially I was going to attach a porcelain wing to her, but the textures and colours of her body are so beautiful, I decided not to.

This mount was reduction fired. I love patterns; it remind me of big cats. .  

Messenger from the North (details)

Another tall sculpture is Angel II. He is serene and also very beautiful. He is calm, but he knows all sorrow. I made him after I heard that a friend lost her father to illness. It was so sad and heart breaking.  

Angel II

 He has beautiful porcelain wings.

Angel II

In this show, I am more contemplating about life and sorrow than before. It is sometimes incredibly difficult to accept facts in our life. To me, to have someone who knows and shares sorrow gives me comfort and support. That is Angel II.  

Wonderful PV, Clouds part 2

Hello everyone. Yesterday evening, Mike and I had a great time at the PV in the Sidney Cooper gallery. We met some wonderful people and also had a catch up with some good old friends. Thank you so much!

We went promptly just after it opened. Imagine my delight when I found two of my works had already been sold. How wonderful! Then one of my female busts somehow found a new home even though it was not in the show. How lovely! I met lovely people who purchased my works, and also had good chats with them. People often say it is nice to meet artists. From my point of view, it is so nice to meet customers and clients. I always enjoy learning why they chose certain pieces and also their interpretation of my work.

Protector of little birds is holding a little bird, our Mochaccino (you can read about his life). He is still with us. But he is blind, paralysed and very weak. He lives in a shoe box on a heat pad in my office. We find him upside down once a while. He has no strength to turn up. We gently put him up. If you have lived with very old animals or animals with terminal illness, you know all you can do to them is to give them as comfortable life as possible till the last moment. Still I am fully aware that the last days in their lives are a real struggle. I pray that he feels less discomfort and less pain.

Protector of little birds (Sold)

Mochaccino is a special bird. He is a chosen one. He survived as twice long as the average Bicheno finches. He is also a fighter. He still gets angry when I wipe his bottom with warm water.

But when I made his guardian, her face was sad and her eyes are in tear. She shares his pain. She knows the end is nigh. Initially I wanted to make her with more hope, but I couldn't.
 

Protector of little birds (sold)

Protector of little birds (detail) 

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This is 'Breeze'. She is the most innocent girl I have ever made. She is a little sister of 'Wind'.

Breeze (sold)

Breeze (sold)

Backside

Her sister 'Wind' is more willful. She has swirls on her body. I like her hair!

Wind

Wind

Wind

This little boy is 'Forest boy'. He and other two masks I will show you next time are literally my latest work. He came out of the kiln a day before the setting up the show. He was popular yesterday evening.

Forest boy (sold)

Forest boy (sold)

Today, Cloud II also found a new home. She is so pretty.  She greets you when you enter the Side room.

Clouds II (Sold)

That's it today. I will share the photos of other works next time. The exhibition continues until 21 December, Please come!  : ) Details.

   

Preview for Calm, Clouds exhibition part 2

How nice to feel free again! Hello everyone. Mike and I have finished setting up the show this afternoon. We had mini celebration with wine today. I will be out of 'artist' mode for a couple of days, and catch up with all of the other work that has piled up. This means I will come out from the dreamy state, and become realistic and alert. I would live in a different personality. I do enjoy two lives. It feels to me I live twice!

My next show, Calm, Clouds part 2, will open on Friday, 22 November in the Side Room at Sidney Cooper gallery in Canterbury. PV will be on Thursday, 21 November 6-8 pm. I invite you all!

I am showing all new works not shown before. I have created all, except for two, in the last two months. As usual, my creation comes from my daily observation in person, on twitter, by email and so on. It is very different from the previous exhibition, Storm.

Here is the a sneak preview of the show.

I will also share a few photos of my show in the making. I have been firing work up to the final hour again! Firings were more of a challenge than before because I have only been able to use our small kiln this time. There was no more luxury of four kilns firing at the same time! Our kiln is also small, so when I fire tall sculptures, I can only use one shelf. This is one thing to consider for the future.

Going to bisque-firing

Glaze-firing

Second glaze-firing

Hazel and Tina at Sidney Cooper gallery are so helpful and friendly. We are so lucky to be able to work with them. They make us happy!

We also had a peek at Chain Reaction setting up in the main gallery. It looks such fun! I felt I became a child again to discover wonderland. Six artists show their completely different types of works related to science. Do visit Sidney Cooper gallery. The shows will continue until the 22nd December.  

      

Queen of rabbits

Hello everyone. Our kiln is busy. It doesn't have a chance to cool down this week. Mike finally took some photos of Out of sorts- Blues.

Out of sorts - blues

She looks a bit needy! : D

Take me, take me, take me home! 

I am so pleased with how she looks!

Last Tuesday Mike went to a meeting in the Tower of London. He came back with lots of goodies given by the company holding the meeting. The lady and the gentleman in frock were not part of the meeting!

The Tower of London

He also bought four organic almond croissants that I love on the way home.

Midori 3, Mike 1 :-)

 Then I started the another glaze firing after 10 that night.

12/Nov- Glaze firing.

And I made this mask last night. I was not sure of the gender, but a lady on Twitter said a girlish boy. I guess that's who he is. he reminds me of Peter Pan

And today is my birthday. Mike gave me a bunny card and a box of champagne truffles, another of my favourites when I woke up!  

From left: pretty cards from brother-in-law, Mimi and Mike. Thank you! 

 Then I opened the card, I learned that I am the queen of rabbits. :D Hopping with happiness!

With all this going on, Pearl the whippet asks, 'Where is the cake and bone (for me)?'

Pearl wants to share birthday treats! 

 Business as usual in the studio. They went to glaze-firing at noon. Birthday celebration meal will be after we have set up for the next show.

My work is featured!

Hello everyone. I hope you had a good weekend. I had worked like mad except for when Mike and I went to Sidney Cooper gallery for a take down on Saturday evening, and meal time. It's a bit insane! But a good thing is that I am not stressed, yet.

There are a couple of news today. First I am featured in a really cool blog by lovely Cindy Vriend (twitter@cindyvriend). She is a graphic designer and illustrator. Cindy's website is so beautifully designed. There are lots of beautiful photographs and interesting articles, especially, to me, on artists. I became a fan! You can read the article on my work here. It looks great, and I am so happy! Thank you so much, Cindy!

Another news is that I have donated two of my little whippets tor Galgos Del Sol charity auction with help from wonderful Tanya, whippet mum and a dog lover. She donated one of my whippets in the previous auction, and raised more than 30 euros. So it is my turn to do something! The charity rescues sighthounds abused and/or abandoned in Spain and rehomes them. Pale beige whippet is here. Ivory one is here. Please have a look.

We have fired a lot of works recently. Although I haven't taken photos of them yet, Mike took some this weekend. These are porcelain bowls. Mike threw them on a potter's wheel, and I decorated them in the style of Japanese calligraphy. They are beautiful.

Porcelain bowl 1

Porcelain bowl 2

Porcelain bowl 2 - different side

 I have been busy making last a few sculptures going to plinths for the upcoming show.

A girl's head

Cats' bodies

And they went to bisque firing tonight. Firing will finish tomorrow morning.

Bisque firing

That's it tonight. Good night, everyone!
 

A terrific week so far and it is getting even better!

Hello everyone. I have had a terrific week so far. First, I am thrilled to share this news with you. 'Origin of transformation', one of my masks in current Clouds exhibition - part1 was purchased by a director of the British Council. Hooray! Two directors came to see Naiza Khan exhibition in the main room earlier this week, and apparently saw mine, too. The gallery told me both loved my works. That already made me happy. Origin of transformation is about Gandhara. The director is in charge of the area. It is a very beautiful mask. Both Mike and I love it. I hung it at the entrance of the room, but I was a bit concerned lighting is not ideal. But now I am convinced that it was there to be picked by a right person. I always feel my work chooses its person. I think they are a perfect match! Thank you so much! Here is my short story about the mask.

Origin of transformation - Sold

I have been busy and productive lately. I am trying not to do multi tasking, but do one task at a time. It has worked well for me.

You might want to peek what's going on in my little studio. A few of them have been already glaze-fired for the second time. More to go! The iron oxides and glazes get burnt each time, so it requires a subtle balance of adding and subtracting of colours. This process is not good for the faint-hearted as you can't have control.

Her head was finished. Now I am tackling the body.

Head is done.

Blue Bird

These are done. The wings don't belong to her, but she looks beautiful like this!

I have also started on bisque-fired figures. She reminds me of a gargoyle although she looks sweet. I am experimenting finishing on her body.

In progress

Mike has nagged me that I should finish this little fellow! He will be fired next time if there is space in the kiln. He is a funny guy. While I was making all masks, he just appeared like a jester!

Mike found him in a box and insisted that he should be finished.

P.S. While I was typing this, another good news has just arrived! La-lalala! I will tell you next time!