PROJECTS
Working on a project from inspiration !
Ceramics in Amsterdam out of the ditch from Miljuschka
I started following Miljuschka Witzenhausen on Instagram after I had the pleasure of seeing ‘Miljuschka in Japan’ on 24 Kitchen. When I suddenly saw a ditch full of clay on her Instagram I couldn’t resist the temptation; surprising adventures in my oven with clay from Miljuschka! Miljuschka and her love Philip also enjoyed it right away and within a few days I had a few tubs of clay from the Miljuschka ditch in my studio. An adventure of clay & ceramics in Amsterdam!
After all the clay was dried it was possible to add water again, stir well, sieve and voila … fine ditch sludge on the drying table.
Testing the clay and the process of making ceramics is a meticulous job … always keeping records well on the basis of dot language in the shards. And a starting point was that I wanted to use the ditch clay at the temperature at which I always heat up so that the tableware is strong and usable for daily use and can be put in the dishwasher.
The first series of cake plates looked like famous Dutch cookies called ‘stroopwafels’, nice but more suitable for the treehouse near Miljuschka’s lovely house.
I had to mix the clay a bit more with another clay that I often use as a base, a ‘pale-nose-clay’ that isn’t interesting in itself so the clay from the ditch could still come into its own. This clay was able to compensate for the low melting temperature of the ditch clay. Ready to make new ceramics !
That went a lot better! The plates remained beautiful in shape and beautiful color nuances app
The mix with ditch clay and the 100% ditch freckles I made and knead through the clay makes every plate unique.
Enjoy your meal! And thank you Miljuschka and Philip for the clay!
The Miljuschka ditch tableware fits beautifully with myBatik plates from project tableware Indorock! 🙂
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Ceramics in Amsterdam and Indorock cookbook
Chef Vanja van der Leeden and her husband/the prhotographer Remko Kraaijeveld did come on my way and there was an immediate click. They are not only very nice people, but they also create beautiful work together. She is his muse and cooks & write like no other. He catches her talent in pixels, razor sharp and full of passion, whereby the image immediately stimulates your senses !
When I understood that they were planning to create a new Indonesian cookbook, I immediately said YES to make the tableware for it. And so I created for their cookbook INDOROCK a special collection, all ‘one of a kinds’ and suited to serve the delicious recipes you ‘ll find in the book. Selamat Makan!
And what a surprise! On page 317 I ‘m present myself! My portrait made of course by Remko Kraaijeveld and the kind text which makes me shine by Vanja van der Leeden! What an honour! Not only for me myself, but also for the craft of the potter/ceramicist! Thanks Vanja and Remko!
Toen ik begreep dat ze een nieuw Indonesisch kookboek gingen maken was ik gelijk in om hier het servies voor te maken. Voor hun kookboek INDOROCK heb ik een speciale collectie gemaakt, allemaal ‘one-of-a-kinds’ en geschikt om heerlijk de recepten uit het boek op te serveren. Selamat Makan !
En wat een verrassing ! Op blz. 317 sta ik zelf ook ! Natuurlijk de portretfoto gemaakt door Remko Kraaijeveld en top tekst die me doet stralen van Vanja van der Leeden ! Wat een eer ! Niet alleen voor mij, maar ook voor het vak van de potterbakker/keramist ! Dank je Vanja en Remko !
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As a selected artist for the festival ‘Masterly The Hague’(2018), Mrs. Nicole Uniquole (curator) asked me to get inspired by a still life – a hunting scene – made by Jan Weenix (1640/41 – 1719 Amsterdam), an impressive painting from the collection of the Art Gallery Hoogsteder & Hoogsteder.
The hunting scene shows a beautifully elaborated variety in prints, textures, hues and very fine details, all inspiring! Through my many years of experience in working with several types of clay, my investigation of glazes and my knowledge of old Asian glazes I was challenged to represent this refined color palette, these textures and organic mobility on my ceramics.
Fragment of my unique set of tableware ‘serve and share your food’ – Marjoke de Heer voor Masterly the Hague | muze Weenix
