<i><b>Miri Mara Ceramics,</b> Carpinteria, California </i><br /><i><br /></i><i>I think I'm going back to California </i><br /><i>Somewhere distant and it's all far away </i><br /><i>It's so far, it's so far far away  </i><br /><i><b>I think I'll drift across the ocean now.</b> (Mazzy Star, California) </i><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ5o8y6J-LDwKRjih5FkMYyCAmcgYwEAs6ZGBF7GBSIIcLWaxLmD1P8L-RTBrsWWu4_79jL2AbihWN4SRBmPhHQXJZ8YGldsMjyLY5x75VxCe7xncnhdANlFgJf3buaUFZMjpo3Z7MFPXi/s1600/miri+mara+carpinteria+california+ceramics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ5o8y6J-LDwKRjih5FkMYyCAmcgYwEAs6ZGBF7GBSIIcLWaxLmD1P8L-RTBrsWWu4_79jL2AbihWN4SRBmPhHQXJZ8YGldsMjyLY5x75VxCe7xncnhdANlFgJf3buaUFZMjpo3Z7MFPXi/s1600/miri+mara+carpinteria+california+ceramics.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>works displayed at Miri Mara, including an original lamp design</i></div><br /><i><br /></i><i> Last week I traveled up to Santa Barbara, racing the morning light as it danced across the grinning Pacific Ocean. Along the way I stopped into <span style="font-size: large;"><b>Miri Mara</b></span>, a small ceramics studio and gallery in Carpinteria, a beach town (which is the home to the world's largest pine tree! <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU66WZCGxrk">seen here.</a>)   The gallery and studio is next to an automotive store, and Miri Mara is home in an industrial brick building that is built-out with drift wood.  Earthy black and white ceramics displayed on exquisite surfaces casting shadows and creating quiet conversations in the small shop.  </i><br /><br /><i>The works are created using a slip-casting technique, a once popular form to create ceramic works here in the U.S. We received a wonderful tour from the assistant who demonstrated the subtle shifts of surface techniques that can be achieved using brushes, teeth, and combs.  </i><br /><br /><i>Beautiful works! - David John </i><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSHBrL0gPQQlT_pr8fvCqmvt0pHRsVySYqVDth8lX-SetZE_xCqDlO4V7nM-w3btZO1QcV6O-spbSWQxLFsm2wd0Cvte096sgDpdoyDhnWBsigBvMtEPFl7PYrFI-BdVsUzHaCFr7yAabL/s1600/miri+mara.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSHBrL0gPQQlT_pr8fvCqmvt0pHRsVySYqVDth8lX-SetZE_xCqDlO4V7nM-w3btZO1QcV6O-spbSWQxLFsm2wd0Cvte096sgDpdoyDhnWBsigBvMtEPFl7PYrFI-BdVsUzHaCFr7yAabL/s1600/miri+mara.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>inside the back studio of Miri Mara</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQFi1yTlq2qxFZMgE6zTd13FuBMqW0QUbc2fSSdYX2qbc7-OtmbZPqozj32AtHCxQgMHMS6CdZQ8B-m-lv_RX2NdFpdJ0H-MVZvXQ5EXjKgmBCnCOrTnS1mZ2zi8Ukt7Cpxl1S99tcSyKc/s1600/photo+(63).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQFi1yTlq2qxFZMgE6zTd13FuBMqW0QUbc2fSSdYX2qbc7-OtmbZPqozj32AtHCxQgMHMS6CdZQ8B-m-lv_RX2NdFpdJ0H-MVZvXQ5EXjKgmBCnCOrTnS1mZ2zi8Ukt7Cpxl1S99tcSyKc/s1600/photo+(63).jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://mirimara.com/#"><i>more information via here.</i></a><br /><br /><i>Clouds look so clear in your eyes </i><br /><i>Let me dream all my, let me dream all my friends  </i><br /><i>I think I'll fly across the ocean </i><br /><i>I can watch the sky turning grey </i><br /><i>I think I'm going back, I think I'll go back  </i><br /><i>I think I hear the whisper of my own best friend</i><br /><i><b> I think I hear the bells ringing in the square California, California </b></i><br /><i><b> </b> </i><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">-------------</div>

Miri Mara Ceramics, Carpinteria, California  I think I'm going back to California  Somewhere distant and it's all far away  It'...

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<i>the works of  </i><b><i>Takeshi Omura </i></b><br /><br /><i>"I don't wanna be alright. I don't wanna feel just "OK". </i><br /><b><i>I wanna see everything. I wanna go everywhere. </i></b><br /><i>I wanna settle down, hey lover. </i><br /><i>I wanna run away, daydreamer..." (Neil Halstead)</i><b><i><br /></i></b><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyLuYSalGA41O4HoS0MI5O-5tLQdA_3s2sTVPb5uD2qLS9VM8byaU7fpbG3r2jxQIifQ-5I0I5ntmjNckmBvveDbrWmXEc9CQZtKc4CjdPxToikuupRlfnjSznFxo-iSZZImI-xoluPqsE/s1600/prod_U_94_35_A_L1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyLuYSalGA41O4HoS0MI5O-5tLQdA_3s2sTVPb5uD2qLS9VM8byaU7fpbG3r2jxQIifQ-5I0I5ntmjNckmBvveDbrWmXEc9CQZtKc4CjdPxToikuupRlfnjSznFxo-iSZZImI-xoluPqsE/s1600/prod_U_94_35_A_L1.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><i> "Look for ocean walls, to gaze upon </i><br /><b><i>These distance stars, yeah, these distance suns </i></b><br /><i>Are all the reasons, are all the reasons </i><br /><i>The only season in my life" (Neil Halstead "Seasons)</i><br /><br /><i>"After graduating from the Arts & Sciences and Ceramics program at Tajimi Technical High school, <span style="font-size: large;"><b>Takeshi Omura</b></span> studied under well known potter, Keisuke Iwata. In 2007, after severals years of producing his work at "Studio MAVO" in Tajimi, Omura returned to Fukuoka where he set up his own kiln. Omura's ceramics are characterized by their thin, almost metal like quality and unique coloration.</i>"<br /><br /><a href="http://www.analoguelife.com/En/products/omura/prod-U-94-29-takeshi-omura-kozara-E.html"><i>more info here. </i></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">-----------</div><br />

the works of  Takeshi Omura  "I don't wanna be alright. I don't wanna feel just "OK".  I wanna see everything. I wann...

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<b> <i>Hélène Binet – Looking at Historic Architecture</i></b><br /><br /><i>"The light and shadow of the observatory in Jaipur is telling us the time, the seasons, predicting the monsoon but also positioning the human being in relation to very big dimension. <b>The light and the shadow as a tool to understand the world.</b> In the Couvent Sainte-Marie de la Tourette, light and shadow are the path to the liturgies and the only ornament in the cell of the father. They are collected in a little box, maybe a place to catch dreams.” </i><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuxZwfx8uJ1p6LovJiubHl3RCUZx2XvpyL6XMTGYbdX0TaCmRjzPg_x1V5yRDTnJLQ9L1a5r5yxa8g7csxqt3SoYk73CaiKf8NHRUnyTy_-UuKQZPpOlnDiaEM9Q_1QmeQVanBAN7ee5X1/s1600/Binet+Corbusier+Couvent+Ste+Marie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuxZwfx8uJ1p6LovJiubHl3RCUZx2XvpyL6XMTGYbdX0TaCmRjzPg_x1V5yRDTnJLQ9L1a5r5yxa8g7csxqt3SoYk73CaiKf8NHRUnyTy_-UuKQZPpOlnDiaEM9Q_1QmeQVanBAN7ee5X1/s1600/Binet+Corbusier+Couvent+Ste+Marie.jpg" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><b><i>Hélène Binet – Looking at Historic Architecture</i></b><br /><br /><i>September 5 till November 6, 2014 </i><br /><br /><i><a href="http://ammann-gallery.com/">Gallery Gabrielle Ammann </a>will present a solo exhibition of selected works of the internationally renowned photographer Hélène Binet. Acclaimed for her depictions of contemporary architecture, Hélène Binet is equally intrigued in historical structures and has photographed important buildings from all over the world. The astronomical observatory Jantar Mantar in Jaipur, India is remarkable not only for its historic and scientific importance but also because it was influential to Le Corbusier and his later work. Built between 1724 and 1734 by Maharaja Jai Singh II, each structure at Jantar Mantar is an architectural astronomical instrument. The site is a surreal mélange of edifices designed in accordance with astronomical aspects using shadow and light for measurement. <span style="font-size: large;"><b>Binet’s photographs capture the dreamlike quality of the structures as well as highlights the significant use of shadow and light in order to develop the architectural landscape of the site. </b></span></i><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsnKY7aL5D_X9LQng4zqmTcV2hhZiSYfYvqBMmXfcmiTmJ1okVaU4D2qA7yG2Kqd4eKLoMMLpEwX6g0XfAHL2iFc3VfTZ8WNCeFU2-ocZlObb1Jg2s4f7as0a2-YbFyISELywcPAqqE0cL/s1600/Binet+Couvent+Sainte-Marie+de+la+Tourette+by+Le+Corbusier+Eveux+France.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsnKY7aL5D_X9LQng4zqmTcV2hhZiSYfYvqBMmXfcmiTmJ1okVaU4D2qA7yG2Kqd4eKLoMMLpEwX6g0XfAHL2iFc3VfTZ8WNCeFU2-ocZlObb1Jg2s4f7as0a2-YbFyISELywcPAqqE0cL/s1600/Binet+Couvent+Sainte-Marie+de+la+Tourette+by+Le+Corbusier+Eveux+France.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i>As Binet recounts from her visit: <span style="font-size: large;"><b>“The light and shadow of the observatory in Jaipur is telling us the time, the seasons, predicting the monsoon but also positioning the human being in relation to very big dimension. </b></span>The light and the shadow as a tool to understand the world. In the Couvent Sainte-Marie de la Tourette, light and shadow are the path to the liturgies and the only ornament in the cell of the father. <span style="font-size: large;"><b>They are collected in a little box, maybe a place to catch dreams.”</b></span></i><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6vk4FDrBUFRdxPLvwwExwhxj3u97gOEBKKfJkq_oNmRrvAu01woUczbWQCXDY4fWQVB1y-qyX1II84e5UMgUKfFRJ_lC4-HFITorUzLNMn8CNazrpdjEAkXYmGxSdLWw9wwZfkHM-3KKJ/s1600/Binet+Jantar+Mantar+Observatory+Jaipur+India+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6vk4FDrBUFRdxPLvwwExwhxj3u97gOEBKKfJkq_oNmRrvAu01woUczbWQCXDY4fWQVB1y-qyX1II84e5UMgUKfFRJ_lC4-HFITorUzLNMn8CNazrpdjEAkXYmGxSdLWw9wwZfkHM-3KKJ/s1600/Binet+Jantar+Mantar+Observatory+Jaipur+India+2.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><i>The inspiration of the simplicity of forms and the play of light and shadow at Jantar Mantar is evident in Le Corbusier’s work at Chandigarh and his sacral buildings. Considered masterpieces of modern architecture, Le Corbusier’s sacred structures are the Sanctuary of Notre-Dame-du-Haut at Ronchamp (1954), the Dominican Monastery of Sainte-Marie de la Tourette (1960) and the posthumously completed Church of Saint-Pierre in Firminy-Vert (2007). Light takes a key position in Le Corbusier´s buildings, it is also the central point in Binet´s graphically arranged compositions. She reveals the spirit of the spaces through light, shadow and texture. Her photographs evoke the sculptural quality of the spaces through the contrast between curved and straight surfaces and the interplay of light and shadow. </i><br /><br /><i><a href="http://ammann-gallery.com/">more info here.</a> </i><br /><br />

  Hélène Binet – Looking at Historic Architecture "The light and shadow of the observatory in Jaipur is telling us the time, the seaso...

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