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new year : new space

2008-09-30T15:25:00.012+03:00

hello friends,

today we are celebrating a new year.

i wish it to be very happy, healthy and full of good. i long for peace. peace for my family and friends and world peace would be pretty fantastic too!!

with this new year i have decided to move spaces. a clean slate.

from now on, i can be found over here: www.julieavisar.blogspot.com

i look forward to this new year and seeing you over at my new blog.

julie xxx

p.s. thank you so much for the birthday greetings!!

6

2008-09-25T06:54:00.004+03:00

shelly, our big baby turns 6 today...

we wish you all of our love, joy and health always, always.

daddy, mummy, ella and the car xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

on its way..

2008-09-19T13:42:00.004+03:00

Today theres a change in the air. Autumn is on its way.

Have a lovely weekend :) xx

sea air

2008-09-15T07:01:00.008+03:00

This weekend we took a trip to the port in Tel Aviv - the sea breeze was wonderful.

I enjoyed the different structures found in the area and of course some people watching while eating breakfast was more than enough to put a smile on our faces.

I found some inspiring scenes for painting too.

Have a great week x

i will

2008-09-04T09:11:00.009+03:00

these last few days i have really wanted to take out my sketch book and draw - without much thinking... i like the simplicity of the black and grey. it is not so easy to conquer the blank white page... but i will.

some favourite recent finds:

solo

untitled

TOOT (strawberry)

september

2008-09-01T14:38:00.012+03:00

Unfortunately, we on this corner of the globe are not celebrating the beginning of autumn quite yet. We took a walk along the port in Jaffa on the weekend. The sun was scorching, the sea was shining and although there were no people around, the heat prevented a feeling of peace.

But september 1st marks the first day of school for Shelly.

It was quite a different experience from my first day a school all those years ago.

It took us a while to decide which school to send her to but i am very happy with our decision.

Among other great things, the school puts a big emphasis on art and music - i was happy to read Heathers post last week where she says "The workshop facilitator said 'arts are the single most important thing for children, from the time they can hold a crayon into their teenage years.' " And as Heather says, i too am happy to believe this.

So i wish all the 5 and 6 year olds beginning school today a wonderful year!!

friends

2008-08-28T11:54:00.004+03:00

A couple of months ago on a bad bad day, i received a parcel from a dear friend. Kelly wasnt to know that her box of sweet thoughts would be the only thing to make me smile at that time. So here is a long overdue thank you for this gift of chocolate (unable to photograph of course!), a new lavender key ring (after i lost my keys and Kellys beautiful key ring), a crocheted doily which I LOVE!!! (Im not even sure if Kelly made this herself) and a set of delightful cleaning cloths (which seem way too pretty to clean with. If you would like to check them out - take a look here. There were a couple of other lovely things inside which reminded me of England :) all wrapped and packaged so beautifully.

Thank you so much Kelly for being such a lovely friend. Also, than you to I for my gift of British tea which i have missed so much :) xxx

end of summer sale

2008-08-26T10:53:00.010+03:00

With the end of summer in sight i have decided to have a clearout sale in my shop to make room for new work!

weekend wishes

2008-08-22T06:29:00.007+03:00

with the summer nearly over, i am yearning for some quiet and a cooling down of the heat.

im looking forward to making plans and new beginnings. i wish you all a lovely weekend.

below are some links to wonderful work you may like to discover.

james merrell - photography

antonio murado - abstract painting

kenichi hoshine - mixed media painting

gladys b - illustration

lisa isaacs - paper cut art (my friend!)

a start

2008-08-18T19:44:00.011+03:00

As I mentioned in my last post, urban structures are my major inspiration at the moment. They have been for a long time. These images are of the building opposite where i work. It is a typical old apartment block - but everyday i find myself staring at it. I love the shapes, textures and the different shades which for me make up an abstract painting.

I just drew this rough oil pastel sketch and im quite embarrased to show you it (it went in the bin straight after scanning it in!) but it was important for me to get something down on paper.

It is very unusual for me to go down the 'abstract' route but this is what Im feeling right now. It felt good to be drawing but I was frustrated with the medium - the pastels not being heavy enough - not intense enough.

With these ideas in my mind, i really like this set of images - especially this shot.

Happy Monday xx

Edit: Thanks to Lisa s and her wonderful insight, I discovered Richard Diebenkorn and his fantastic paintings.

Below: Berkeley #57 and Cityscape 1.

Thanks Lisa!!

a day off

2008-08-13T16:59:00.011+03:00

It has been a while since we had a day out in tel aviv and as the girls are on holiday we decided to take the day off to have some fun. As always we began our day with breakfast. We started off in Shenkin - no plan to stick to -

The buildings in this area are just so beautiful - dilapidating but beautiful - of course the level of decay just adding to the beauty. You could spend the whole day looking up at the stunning details. There was once talk of restoring them but I see no changes in the last few years.

Unfortunately, Shelly still doesnt get why I spend so much of my time taking photos of structures without windows and peeling paint... but one day she will :)

And it has been years since we visited shuk hacarmel - a wonderful market always full of life, touching all of the senses.

we then walked round Kerem Hatemanim - the smells reminded Rami of his grandmothers house..

And back to Shenkin for some window shopping and ice-cream.

Despite the intense august heat, we had such a great day.

Our walk today was so inspirational, much food for thought and ideas for new work - i cant wait to start painting again.

space

2008-08-10T19:12:00.006+03:00

The concept of space… this has been in my thoughts a lot lately. Not only physical space but personal space. Needing my own space, to be alone, but sometimes losing site of where the boundaries of this space should be. Sometimes the boundary is strong and made of steel and sometimes it is weak and made of paper.

Im not sure if any of this makes any sense... this is where some writing skills may come in handy!

I hope you are all enjoying the weekend xxx

a new space

2008-08-06T18:32:00.013+03:00

I want to say thank you so much for your supportive and caring comments in my last post. Reading them warmed my heart and reminded me our wonderful online community.

During the last couple of weeks, we took on the project of sorting out the studio/office space. It was such good therapy to clean-up and re-new. I threw out a whole load of stuff ... stuff - its amazing how much we hoard. But now everything has its own place and there is so much less clutter around. A much needed calm and peaceful workspace.

Shelly and i sit side by side both working on our own stuff.

And materials (obssessions ;)) are tidied away

It would be really nice to see some of your workspaces - where you sit and write your blog posts..

have a lovely thursday x

hello

2008-07-29T08:21:00.005+03:00

Hello friends,

Some of you may have noticed that I haven’t been around much for the last few months. Unfortunately last week marked a very sad and emotional end to this period.

With the help of my wonderful family and special friends I am looking forward...

I have missed this space a lot and many friends. I will be back on track soon and really look forward to finding my art again.

I hope you are all well, xxx

2008-07-04T16:13:00.001+03:00

Wishing you all a lovely weekend xxx

3

2008-06-22T17:23:00.005+03:00

Yesterday was my 'baby's' 3rd birthday!! A magical little girl who just continues to smile and surprize!! We love you so much Ella xxxx

more pods..

2008-06-17T13:26:00.004+03:00

Yes, more ceramic pods. These were made without any preconceived idea - i just let my hands feels their way. The form is so satifying to create and a type of therapy in a way. I dont think the forms turned out very beautiful but i guess i see them as a type of excercise.

The pod below was made with alternating coils of white and dark grey clay which when fired comes out brown.

I have a couple more still waiting to be fired :)

Happy Tuesday all xx

2 by 2

2008-06-14T19:13:00.003+03:00

During one of our recent holidays we visited a small zoo with the girls.

It was a really hot day and it was pretty crowded but the animals and birds are always worth a visit.

I have never seen a white peacock before. These two looked like a couple about to be married :)

Taking shade.

Climbing out to dry off.

I love the pattern and lines that came out of this shot.

I hope youre all enjoying the weekend xx

hello!

2008-06-10T07:34:00.006+03:00

The weeks have flown by and my break from blogging continued ... i have missed you and am easing myself back slowly :) ... Its June!!!! Aaagh!

Summer has arrived in full force over here. Festivals have been celebrated and time spent with family and friends (and lots of food eaten!!)

Visits to the swimming pool with packed picnic lunches and smiles all round..

I have missed so much over here and look forward to catching up with all of you :)

Above are images of a pod i made in ceramics class a while ago.

Hope you are all well xxx

Nachal Kziv

2008-05-04T19:19:00.006+03:00

At 7.30 Saturday morning we set off with 3 other families up north to Nachal Kziv. The weather was perfect and spirits were high. Before setting off on the trek down the mountain we ate the picnic breakfast we had bought with us.

The views were so beautiful. And after climbing to the bottom we were able to cool off walking through the steams of water. We took breaks for water, to eat fruit and to nurse grazed knees.

The trek was 6 hours in total - we finished exhausted but had such a fantastic time!

A special well done to Ella, not yet 3, who did it all on her own!!

May!

2008-05-01T09:23:00.007+03:00

I have been away from this space for about two weeks... I took some time out and also have to finish a project for work. But today is May... where is 2008 disappearing to??

I have missed visiting you all and have a lot to catch up on :)

My head has been spinning with so many things lately... some order is in need.

skies and pods..

2008-04-12T17:11:00.013+03:00

two of my favourite things :)

if anyone knows the name of this tree i would love to know...

i hope youre all having a lovely weekend xxx

new corners

2008-04-08T06:46:00.005+03:00

the sun is shining, music plays from the local cafes where people relax during a work day, a sense of good spirits and comfort in the daily life is in the air...

i love this wall - a permanent exterior installation

some more corners from the new work neighbourhood.

from the kiln

2008-04-03T13:05:00.008+03:00

A few weeks ago i decided to make a ceramic doll

I was playing around with some clay i had at home - it was wrapped in a wet rag to keep the clay from drying out. I made a plate and wanted to use the rag creases as a feature. I really like this idea and am happy with how the creases turned out but the colour and way its painted really have no relevance. I would like to try this again.

links:

mari parup

Eva Zethraeus

anne-beth borselius

Yofi (thanks B!)

happy thursday xxx

discovering derelict

2008-04-01T15:12:00.006+03:00

The place where i work moved offices last week. It is a different area of Tel Aviv - more run down but i cant wait to explore it! I just love the old structures and feeling of the area. I found a couple of great neighbourhood cafes yesterday which will have to be checked out too :)

Theres a great feeling of history is the neighbourhood. The decoration on the above structure is quite amazing - i wonder what it was built for?

And theres plenty of corrugated rusty iron pieces i love so much

More pictures and explorations soon.

Happy Monday friends xxx