bowls Bolivia

Outside of town, deep into the countryside by foot, we find a family workshop for functional and decorative ceramics. Between the chicken and children in diapers running underfoot it's amazing what is created here.

The clay used is literally dug up from different areas around the workshop and kept in large tubs of water after it is sifted down to varying degrees of fineness. The bowls are then turned on simple wheels powered by foot, left to dry in the hot sun and are prepped for glazing. The pigments they use are also direct from the land. There are several minerals, when grounded and mixed with a binder, make perfect pigments. Juan shows us a nugget of what will become yellow paint.

There are several homemade kiln ovens on the property. Each have been modified over the decades to best bake the ceramics and some of them have been made into figurative sculptures to boot. The bowls are all painstakingly hand painted by several different skilled family members.
It's hard to describe the remoteness and bareness that surrounds this little business oasis.

bolivian road trip

these snaps show the first 2 stops we made outside of Cochabamba: Valle Alta and Tarata. Tarata, where our car first broke down, was also where I got a lesson in the Cathedral's wine making history by an old hippie who I think maybe Santa Claus.

Cathedral of Tarata is also where the remains of a mystifying Bolivian president, General Mariano Melgarejo, are kept.

Villa Rivero

Villa Rivero, location of a new phenomenon where huge ditches in the earth are opening up without a known cause. We visited there as they were setting up for a big festival, the towns population is only about 700 and it looked like they are all really into foosball.

Villa Rivero Pepe the Loom Weaver

On a large loom he made himself from fallen trees, Pepe shows me how he weaves in his spare time. Pepe's day job is tending to the local tienda that he owns with his wife; his real passion seems to lie in his award winning rugs. He uses traditional motifs in his preliminary sketches and then goes to town deftly pulling strands trough the loom and tightening them with a horizontal branch.

Here Pepe proudly shows off pictures of his rugs and family.

Monte Puncu - regional market

Before heading into the Carosco National Park to camp, we made a stop at the regional market where locals buy and sell everything from T-Shirts to live cattle.

Chimboata_Canton

Back on the road- next stop Chimboata, a colonial town of a whopping 69. It seemed largly deserted which could be due to the really impossible unpaved roads (which stalled our little beater car once again).

next adventures

in the next couple of weeks I will be re-formatting this blog to better represent my latest adventures, plans and experiments. I hope you enjoyed my World Craft entries, there will be more in the future. In the meantime, feel free to contact me if you'd like more information on the book I'm developing on the subject.

Kol Tuv, Israel… I'm back to the states and my next adventures….

the dead sea, Israel

Micrography, Israel

Micrography, the scribal practice of employing minuscule script to create abstract shapes or figurative designs, is an art form that has been used by Jews for over a millennium. This intricate decorative technique was first practiced in Egypt and the Land of Israel in the tenth century.


Even after the decline of manuscript production in the sixteenth century, micrography continued to be used to decorateketubbot (marriage contracts) and wall hangings.

Olivewood Carving, Israel

Olivewood is a local material found throughout Israel. The wood carving techniques can be traced back to the 16th and 17th centuries. Traveler's accounts and historical documents describe the beauty of olive wood sculptural objects. Wood carvings are made from the branches of the olive trees which are pruned at the end of the olive picking season. Mostly you'll find religious figurines made from olive wood but below is a picture of a model of Jerusalem made from the material.

Silver work- Turkey

Silver was first mined in about 3000 B.C. in Anatolia (modern day Turkey). These early lodes were a valuable resource for the civilizations that flourished in the Near East, Crete, and Greece throughout antiquity.

 Being the oldest culture with access to the precious metal has led to exquisite artistry in the craft.

Suzanis

Named after the persian word for needle, suzanis were traditionally made for a woman’s dowry. With their intricate patterns and fine detail, they can take up to two and a half years to complete. The creation of a Suzani design is deeply rooted in tradition. This intricate embroidered craft work of meandering grapevines along the border and stylized botanical motifs began at the birth of a daughter and continued with the help of family and friends until the bride’s dowry was complete.

The ground fabric is made of four or six narrow widths loosely sewn together and is usually made of cotton or silk. An elder of the tribe or village draws her design on the fabric after which it is taken apart again. Each female member of the family embroiders a separate strip. The pieces are then re-assembled.

Turkish Kilim

Spending time in bazaars searching through stacks of old and beautiful kilims is a Turkish adventure not to be missed. The hunt is stimulated with traditional teas and sometimes with a lovely serenade by the knowledgable owners.

Making a kilim is a highly regarded folk art; kilims that are handmade with natural dye and wool are the cultural norm. There is also a great deal of symbolism in the patterns used in each design. The cultural aspects of these rugs vary by region, each has its own traditions envolving colors, styles, and patterns. Because of the regional nature of the differences in style, it is easy to identify the type of kilim by aesthetics. This has led to a particular region in Turkey choosing to patent their own brand of kilim.

Turkey Snap shots

I do try not to blog too many tourist snap shots but the month I spent in Turkey was so visually stunning I couldn't resist.

Aegean Sea destinations

I was so grateful to be invited by my parents to cruise from Venice to Istanbul. Stoping along the way in Croatia, Montenegro, a handful of islands in Greece before hitting a couple of ports in Turkey.

Needless to say I had boats on the brain.

Virtually throughout the Aegean area, numerous islands large and small emerge from the clear blue waters. These are the mountain peaks of Aegeis, the name given to a now-submerged landmass. At the dawn of European history, these islands facilitated contacts between the people of the area and of three continents. Throughout the entire Aegean shoreline, bays, ports, and shelter creeks are abundant. These facilitated the task of seamen traveling in the Aegean Sea, making longer voyages possible at a time when shipbuilding was in its infancy. Maritime history and lore are abundant- including some claims of the lost city of Atlantis residing here.

Murano Glass

After having learned the basic techniques of glass blowing in Australia, I was excited to visit the famed Italian artisans and learn of their techniques.

Venetian glass is a specific method of glass production developed and refined over many centuries in Venice, Italy, primarily on the island of Murano. It remains a world-renowned centre for colourful, elaborate glass of the highest quality and craftsmanship – be it in glassware, mirrors, chandeliers, or beads and jewelry.

My first question upon visiting a Murano glass blowing facility was simply, why here? In 1291 the small independent art glass factories that were flourishing in Venice were moved across the lagoon to the island of Murano where they were to remain to this day. The stated aim of this measure was one of safety due to the risk of furnace fires engulfing the over populated Doges city, which was largely constructed of wooden buildings.
 In part this would be a sensible precaution, but it also served to keep production isolated away from the prying eyes of competitors. To insure that the glassmaker’s secrets were never revealed, harsh sentences were to be meted out to individuals who leaked secrets to foreign nationals, or left Venice without official permission. This isolation of craft bread a competitive creative that yielded many innovations in the field (and ensured a remarkably high standing in society).

stateside teaser

I'm back in the states but the research will never end! A bit more of Europe, Turkey, and Israel up next. Then I'll let you in on what I've been up to since my return…..

train travel Hungary, Czech Rep. and Austria to Italy

Church Bell Fabrication- Innsbruck, Austria

Ever wonder how those gigantic bells at the tops of cathedrals and town halls in Europe are made? A visit to the Bell Museum and Grassmayr Bell Foundry in the middle of Innsbruck, Austria, can help to answer that question.

In early times, when a town produced a bell it was a momentous occasion in which the whole community would participate.

Bells intended to be rung are usually made by casting bell metal of copper and bronze and are of a size appropriate for the pitch the bell is intended to produce. 

Fine tuning of metal bells is achieved on a lathe where a precise amount of material is removed from the inside of the bell in order to produce a true tone with correct harmonics.