tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79584183150891125802024-03-13T00:07:39.023+01:00meanwhilekristienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689968309307631554noreply@blogger.comBlogger173125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958418315089112580.post-53483850576779007462016-03-06T21:17:00.002+01:002016-03-06T21:17:22.209+01:00a desktop calendar for March...has been posted on the <a href="http://kristienberghs.net/2016/03/06/desktop-calendar-for-march-2/">new blog @ kristienberghs.net</a>!kristienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689968309307631554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958418315089112580.post-38174899171834371752016-02-04T07:52:00.000+01:002016-02-04T07:52:13.687+01:00feather-thoughts<a href="http://kristienberghs.net/2016/02/04/feather-thoughts/">feather-thoughts</a> - a new blog post inspired by the sketchbooks of Louise Bourgeois, on my very new blog on <a href="http://kristienberghs.net/">kristienberghs.net</a>! I hope you will join me there.kristienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689968309307631554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958418315089112580.post-36357494551747855392016-02-01T08:59:00.000+01:002016-02-01T09:01:59.210+01:00a desktop calendar for February<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/24719582276/in/dateposted-public/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Desktop calendar for February 2016"><img alt="Desktop calendar for February 2016" height="250" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1683/24719582276_ff9125dc38_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(click picture to download)</td></tr>
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Here is subtle-hued February with a detail from one of the tests for my thesis project!<br />
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Just like before, the desktop image uses a white background with a handwritten calendar for the month, and I've added the most important moon phases too: ○ full moon & ● new moon.<br />
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The resolution is 2560x1600, which should fit most computer screens. You can download different sizes from the <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/24719582276/sizes/o/">link</a>.<br />
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So here you have a picture of white translucent glass that is sometimes referred to as milk glass or "opaline" (milk glass can also refer to transparent glass with a thin layer of white glass). It was incredibly sought after in the Art Nouveau and Art Deco period for its opalescence and color shifts, reminding of opal gemstones and moonstones. One artist that is typically associated with it is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9_Lalique">René Lalique</a>, who trained as a goldsmith and became a glass artist; a quick search on "<a href="https://www.google.be/search?q=lalique+opalescent&client=safari&sa=X&rls=en&biw=1276&bih=668&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&ved=0ahUKEwi9jurf_tXKAhXDPBQKHfF7BJ0QsAQIHg">Lalique + opalescent</a>" gives you an indication of his range.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/4098855878/in/album-72157622789931012/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Lalique Brooch"><img alt="Lalique Brooch" height="263" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2434/4098855878_a924ac9fcf_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A <a href="http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=78637&partId=1&people=195972&peoA=195972-2-46&page=1">hair slide</a> by René Lalique in the British Museum (London)<br />
in gold, carved horn and opals (<a href="http://kristienberghs.blogspot.be/2009/11/glassy-inspiration-at-british-museum.html">photo by me</a>)</td></tr>
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This curious glass shifts from yellowish to blue, depending on how the light hits it. You really have to see this for yourself because it's amazing and mysterious... If you didn't know better you might think it was just a bland piece of glass, but once it catches light it comes to life! This color shift is known as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rayleigh_scattering">Raleigh scattering</a>, an optical phenomenon that also explains why the sky is blue.
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/24118898953/in/dateposted-public/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="pâte de verre bowl with Tyndall effect"><img alt="pâte de verre bowl with Tyndall effect" height="234" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1593/24118898953_ebf13c0d03_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Light shining through reveals warm tints</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/24450230390/in/dateposted-public/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="pâte de verre bowl with Tyndall effect"><img alt="pâte de verre bowl with Tyndall effect" height="224" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1643/24450230390_467396fa6b_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/5240764470/in/album-72157626100920204/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="lunar essence"><img alt="lunar essence" height="359" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5003/5240764470_1e7d55a1c9_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Light shining on it reveals the blue! A lampwork and millefiori cab...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/5240167211/in/album-72157626100920204/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="lunar essence"><img alt="lunar essence" height="337" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5282/5240167211_26ea78a24a_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...that I <a href="http://kristienberghs.blogspot.be/2010/12/sketchbook-project-etsy-aarghh.html">made into a pendant back in 2010</a>!</td></tr>
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<a href="" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>kristienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689968309307631554noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958418315089112580.post-36552832540955255312016-01-01T06:00:00.000+01:002016-01-01T06:00:00.141+01:00a desktop calendar for January<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc89uD8yG8ZxYIFK1qrzC8VluX7IFztH-yNcebZvc9mZryIEH9qG0TR_2awZmRJgPqqpxDioaKc0iafdvQlHXfjXU0M3bK9ybbE4b6rVgn20IzpLLb0TTcJMSSuktl6RkZ0VQs-cjIHPJf/s1600/january_2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc89uD8yG8ZxYIFK1qrzC8VluX7IFztH-yNcebZvc9mZryIEH9qG0TR_2awZmRJgPqqpxDioaKc0iafdvQlHXfjXU0M3bK9ybbE4b6rVgn20IzpLLb0TTcJMSSuktl6RkZ0VQs-cjIHPJf/s320/january_2016.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(click picture to download)</td></tr>
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Happy 2016! Here you go, a bright new look for your computer desktop!<br />
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I want to breathe new life into a <a href="http://kristienberghs.blogspot.be/search/label/desktop%20calendar">little project</a> that I had to abort way too soon because of college work... but now the end is in sight, and I hope you will like the new glassy inspirations I'm cooking up for you this year!<br />
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Just like before, the desktop image uses a white background with a handwritten calendar for the month, and I've added the most important moon phases too: ○ full moon & ● new moon.<br />
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The resolution is 2560x1600, which should fit most computer screens.<br />
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This blue chunk of glass is a treasure I picked up in Venice (when I <a href="http://kristienberghs.blogspot.be/search/label/Venice%20Biennale">visited</a> the city in 2013), on the "glass island" Murano . It has been molten and hotworked with in the glass blowing studios. This is part of the waste, actually, but don't you think it looks like a gemstone?kristienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689968309307631554noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958418315089112580.post-2847451845257375752015-12-28T11:30:00.002+01:002015-12-28T11:30:53.934+01:00drawing lines in the sky<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/23995053406/in/dateposted-public/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="drawing lines in the sky"><img alt="drawing lines in the sky" height="225" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5832/23995053406_e881883678_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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A sunrise video from this morning, with planes drawing lines in the sky, the sun catching them and the wind diffusing them - this is my goodbye to 2015... So happy to share this room with a view with you on the <a href="http://kristienberghs.blogspot.be/2015/02/a-room-with-view.html">blog</a> and in the <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/albums/72157649984199723">photos</a> (where you can watch a <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/23995053406/in/album-72157649984199723/">full screen version</a>).<br />
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May 2016 bring you many new wonders and discoveries!kristienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689968309307631554noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958418315089112580.post-33889043859295340492015-12-15T17:54:00.003+01:002015-12-15T17:54:46.286+01:00mirror, mirror...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/23390322986/in/dateposted-public/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="copper mirror"><img alt="copper mirror" height="500" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5824/23390322986_834992ba64.jpg" width="375" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A copper gilded mirror (convex oval)</td></tr>
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Next to the <a href="http://kristienberghs.blogspot.be/2015/11/the-glass-fur-project.html">glass fur project</a> and the research into <a href="http://kristienberghs.blogspot.be/2015/10/clay-to-glass-glass-to-clay.html">clay to glass</a>, I'm trying my hand at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verre_%C3%A9glomis%C3%A9">verre églomisé</a>, the art of gilding glass.<br />
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Ever since we were introduced to <i>goudleder</i> - "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuir_de_Cordoue">Cuir de Cordoue</a>", in Prof. Em. A. Bergmans class of <i>History of interior</i>, I've developed a fascination for gilded surfaces and am doing some research on it, especially (guess what...) how it's applied to glass. Even in the history of glass alone there is so much to discover... Do you recognise this mirror from a famous 15th century portrait? And did you know that this type of convex round mirror was called an "Oeil de sorcière" (witches' eye)?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Arnolfini_Portrait,_d%C3%A9tail_(2).jpg#/media/File:The_Arnolfini_Portrait,_d%C3%A9tail_(2).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="The Arnolfini Portrait, détail (2).jpg" height="332" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/The_Arnolfini_Portrait%2C_d%C3%A9tail_%282%29.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: start;">"</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnolfini_Portrait" style="text-align: start;">The Arnolfini Portrait (mirror detail)</a><span style="text-align: start;">" by </span><span class="fn value" style="text-align: start;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Creator:Jan_van_Eyck" title="Creator:Jan van Eyck">Creator:Jan van Eyck</a></span><span style="text-align: start;"> - </span><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jan_van_Eyck_001.jpg" style="text-align: start;" title="File:Jan van Eyck 001.jpg">Image:Jan van Eyck 001.jpg</a><span style="text-align: start;">. Licensed under Public Domain via </span><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/" style="text-align: start;">Commons</a><span style="text-align: start;">.</span></span></td></tr>
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Verre églomisé was a decorative technique, often combining the gilded surface with reverse painting (on the back of the glass), so that the glass itself can act as protection and lens (of sorts). Mind you, this wasn't the way functional mirrors were made in the past; since the Renaissance a tin-mercury amalgam was used to create a smooth reflective surface, and Venice was one of the manufacturing centers.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/23333920821/in/dateposted-public/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="copper mirror"><img alt="copper mirror" height="500" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5684/23333920821_ebbc0bd143.jpg" width="375" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A detail of the copper mirror, seen on the back showing the bare metal leaf.</td></tr>
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In using metal leaf, it is impossible to obtain such a smooth surface, but that doesn't matter. It is precisely the edges of the leaves, the tiny folds and crinkles that make the mirror seem more alive. Also it gives the opportunity to oxidise the metal so it darkens; you can already see this happening in some of the patches in the mirror detail above!)<br />
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The reflection of a gilded mirror is softer, almost painterly. I love this effect. Since there's so much going on with the reflection already, the form of the mirror doesn't have to be complex. The convex/concave distortion is interesting, and I'm working on some forms but still debating if I want them to be more organic or geometric...<br />
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For inspiration I've turned to Pinterest, with a collection of <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/kristienberghs/gildedreflected/">artistic and contemporary examples</a>. Feel free to take a look!kristienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689968309307631554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958418315089112580.post-55019811568744937822015-12-12T23:02:00.000+01:002015-12-12T23:02:57.603+01:00the glass fur project: untangling very carefully<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/23308009252/in/dateposted-public/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="glass fur"><img alt="glass fur" height="375" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/683/23308009252_b8d882e9dc.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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The <a href="http://kristienberghs.blogspot.be/2015/11/the-glass-fur-project.html">little test dome</a> I showed you last time has been fired. It was fun to revisit the techniques I had acquired for my <a href="http://kristienberghs.blogspot.be/2014/05/the-pate-de-verre-and-artistic-glass.html">research into historical pâte de verre</a> (the wax dome itself was one of the models after Despret's that were left over!), but giving it a more personal and decidedly prickly twist.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/23308018902/in/dateposted-public/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="glass fur"><img alt="glass fur" height="500" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5657/23308018902_e36af43286.jpg" width="375" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the wax steamed out, only the glass pins remained embedded in the mould.</td></tr>
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The glass pins that I had heated one by one in the flame of a candle and pushed into the wax, had all been embedded in the plaster/silica mould. The wax was steamed out and I added pâte de verre to the surface, and fired it in the kiln. Since it was such a small form, I did this in my own tiny Paragon SC3 kiln instead of the industrial ones at Sint Lucas. I hadn't used the oven in quite a while so I was happy to find out that everything still worked!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mould after firing (on the marble cement floor in the oldest part of the house).</td></tr>
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Now, I knew the real fun would only start with removing the mould material from the fired glass... I couldn't just hack away the bits of plaster/silica and glass fibre, because the 1mm glass pins could so easily break. It needed a gentle approach...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/23390318616/in/dateposted-public/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="glass fur"><img alt="glass fur" height="500" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/679/23390318616_2772445e62.jpg" width="375" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slowly but surely...</td></tr>
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Thanks to an old toothbrush and a couple of wooden toothpicks I eventually managed to not break every pin I had put on earlier. Heh. But it was tricky! The secret was mostly to soak it in warm, salty (soda) water for a couple of hours, and then the very gentle prodding began... it was a calm and precise work, taking care not to use too much pressure.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/23390317506/in/dateposted-public/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="glass fur"><img alt="glass fur" height="375" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5732/23390317506_3de96183a6.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here you go: a glassy punk!</td></tr>
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This is the result so far: a translucent dome partly covered with glass pins. It's a start; it already tells us a couple of things. I like the translucency so that it almost fades into the background...The surface looked almost blurred, only when you examine it from close by you see the "hairs".<br />
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But it needs more tweaking and experimenting. One thing I don't like is the diameter of the hairs, which look more like pins than fine hairs. This has to do with the proportions and if the model had been bigger it wouldn't have been such an issue. The plan is to scale it up.<br />
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Another thing is this quality that fur has; since it is embedded in elastic skin it moves and ripples with movement or draping. This I'd love to transfer to the glass fur too... So I'm experimenting with more elastic materials for the skin: transparent silicone and textiles.<br />
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To be continued!kristienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689968309307631554noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958418315089112580.post-26210973260430457862015-11-18T08:36:00.002+01:002015-11-18T09:05:23.635+01:00album et pellucidatum<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The turning point came as the new year of 1708 dawned. A handwritten sheet in Böttger's eccentric mixture of Latin and German dated 15 January 1708, recorded a list of seven recipes:
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">N 1 clay only</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">N 2 clay and alabaster in the ratio of 4:1 </span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">N 3 clay and alabaster in the ratio of 5:1 </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">N 4 clay and alabaster in the ratio of 6:1 </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">N 5 clay and alabaster in the ratio of 7:1 </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">N 6 clay and alabaster in the ratio of 8:1 </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">N 7 clay and alabaster in the ratio of 9:1</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The results of the test firings were more startling than even he had dared hope. After five hours in the kiln, Böttger records, the first sample had a white appearance; the second and third had collapsed; the fourth remained in shape but looked discoloured. The last three held him spellbound.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">These small, insignificant-looking plaques had withstood the searing heat of the kiln; they had remained in shape and intact. More importantly they were '<i>album et pellucidatum</i>' - white and translucent. In the dank, squalid laboratory the twenty-seven-year-old Böttger had succeeded where everyone else had failed. The arcanum for porcelain for which all Europe had searched now lay within his grasp.</span></div>
</blockquote>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Gleeson, Janet. <i>The Arcanum: The Extraordinary True Story</i>. Transworld Publishers, London, 1998, p. 56.<br />
<br /></div>
kristienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689968309307631554noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958418315089112580.post-13588946440216379282015-11-09T07:00:00.000+01:002015-11-24T10:39:56.192+01:00the glass fur projectSkin protects our bodies, and skin coverings reinforce that function. Maybe the cats have anything to do with my fascination of fur and how a mass of hairs becomes an entity of its own... Fur is vital for animals and in archetypal symbology it has the ability to foresee danger (see the quote below, from C. Pinkola Estés's <i>Sealskin, Soulskin</i> tale).<br />
<div>
<br />
<div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/22251848083/in/dateposted-public/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="fur"><img alt="fur" height="375" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/709/22251848083_5e648543ce.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carefully cut glass stringers, heated in the flame of a candle and prodded into the wax model.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Glass is very thermoplastic; it deforms and distorts in intense heat and can melt into a puddle...but it can also just subtly start to move, under the influence of gravity in a heated kiln or in the flame of a burner. </div>
</div>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/22251850073/in/dateposted-public/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="fur"><img alt="fur" height="375" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/603/22251850073_bfd1a7f83c.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love how the surface seems to be dissolving when see through this mass of stringers!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<div>
I want to find out how the heat of a kiln will calm down these hairs; whether gravity will enable them to relax onto each other. But before that is possible there are a few more steps to go! It will be cast into a mould (or rather, I'll build a mould around it), the wax will have to melt away so it can be filled with pâte de verre, it will be fired a first time...the mould has to be broken and washed away very carefully and then I will put it back in the kiln, and let gravity do its job... Who knows, in a later stage I can manipulate the slumping fur in the kiln myself.<br />
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/22685071630/in/dateposted-public/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="fur (featuring Assepoes)"><img alt="fur (featuring Assepoes)" height="320" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/765/22685071630_3cffcb5dd1.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a little detail of Assepoes's nose, showing how her fur "flows" in several directions.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">If we delve into the symbol of animal hide, we find that in all animals, including ourselves, piloerection - hair standing on end - occurs in response to things seen as well as things sensed. The rising hair of the pelt sends a "chill" through the creature and rouses suspicion, caution, and other protective traits. Among the Inuit it is said that both fur and feathers have the ability to see what goes on far off in the distance, and why an <i>angakok</i>, shaman, wears many furs, many feathers, so as to have hundreds of eyes to better see into the mysteries. The sealskin is a symbol of soul that not only provides warmth, but also provides an early warning system through its vision as well.</span></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: right;">
Clarissa Pinkola Estés. <i>Women who run with the wolves: contacting the power of the wild woman</i>, Random House, London, 1998, p. 267.<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
A little inspiration: my board <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/kristienberghs/skin-fur-scales/">Skin, fur and scales </a>shows how other artists and designers explore this theme!</div>
</div>
</div>
kristienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689968309307631554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958418315089112580.post-87233142070156818812015-11-04T07:00:00.000+01:002015-11-04T07:00:01.118+01:00I'm listeningOn a lazy sunday (which seems rare these days) I've been painting the walls in the hall. I decided to finish the nearly empty bucket so I wouldn't be greeted with any more <a href="http://kristienberghs.blogspot.be/2015/10/an-unexpected-painting-opportunity.html" target="_blank">unexpected painting opportunities</a>...<br />
<br />
So while I was busy I decided to catch up with some of my favourite podcasts. I don't always have time to listen, but some tasks - like painting the walls, or when I'm knotting or stringing beads - are so inviting to listen to other people tell stories. I kind of miss the days of the radio plays... I remember taping a radio play about Felix Mendelssohn who wrote his first opera as a teenager and my nerdy 14-year old self thought that was so cool...and it prompted me to try some composing as well. I loved discovering composers, artists and other famous dead people and how they were as kids. It was reassuring that they were often just as awkward and weirdly obsessed with music or art or whatever their thing was.<br />
<br />
Now I still love to discover how artists live and work or what makes them tick, and if they're alive and well it's a big bonus! Hehe. So I listened to <a href="http://www.thejealouscurator.com/blog/" target="_blank">The jealous curator</a>, who has a conversation with a different artist each week. I love how relaxed the conversations are although there's room for the more challenging aspects of creative life (like that pesky inner critic)...but that's often exactly what appeals to me. The artists are usually new to me, mostly American or Canadian but there are some <a href="http://www.thejealouscurator.com/blog/?s=belgium&x=0&y=0" target="_blank">Belgians</a> on there too (not on podcast though). It's great to discover new artists!<br />
<br />
There are a couple of other blogs that also feature artists: for Dutch speakers there's the excellent blog of Hilde van Canneyt, <a href="http://hildevancanneyt.blogspot.be/" target="_blank">Gesprekken met hedendaagse kunstenaars</a>, and I also check <a href="http://www.freundevonfreunden.com/" target="_blank">Freunde von Freunden</a>. In this international blog a wide range of creative professionals over the world get interviewed and pictures of their home and studio are shown, but I don't always feel a connection with them. I guess it has to do with the more formal style of the interviews, the focus on success and confidence, and the often incredibly gorgeous interiors. I mean, they are fabulous and to some extent inspiring, but the they don't always feel lived in.<br />
<br />
This was so different in the <a href="http://www.terriwindling.com/blog/your-desktop/" target="_blank">On your desk</a> photo series on author and artist <a href="http://www.terriwindling.com/blog/" target="_blank">Terri Windling's blog</a>, which consisted of just a few personal snapshots of the studio work table or the writing desk of writers and artists who visited her blog, often with glimpses in their book cases or the pinned up inspirations and their feline or canine companions... It felt way more real to me, and intimate. Our (creative) lives aren't polished, nor should they be...
<br />
<br />
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/22499153410/in/dateposted-public/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="thesis assistants"><img alt="thesis assistants" height="266" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/710/22499153410_93489e6de6_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On my desk (or rather next to it), a few months ago:<br />
my thesis assistants Assepoes and Isaura<br />
(and Takkie, my trusty USB dog)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
kristienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689968309307631554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958418315089112580.post-88778423204705622652015-11-02T08:20:00.000+01:002015-11-02T08:20:38.803+01:00a wall of books<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/22499157620/in/dateposted-public/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="the paper jungle"><img alt="the paper jungle" height="279" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5682/22499157620_f7ddbbe0e7_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the first things that took form after I moved here: a home for the books.<br />Check out the titles if you're curious on <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/22499157620/in/dateposted-public/" target="_blank">flickr</a>!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>kristienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689968309307631554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958418315089112580.post-89908113153179449142015-10-27T11:31:00.000+01:002015-10-27T11:31:10.387+01:00an unexpected painting opportunity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/22525891321/in/dateposted-public/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="an unexpected painting opportunity"><img alt="an unexpected painting opportunity" height="640" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/711/22525891321_97af3778c3_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
So this morning I woke up to a painting bucket that was turned upside down. All four cats looked perfectly innocent... I contemplated freaking out, but the whole situation just made me laugh. It's one of those days...(and an all white floor would look kinda nice, no? ;-) )</div>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>kristienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689968309307631554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958418315089112580.post-35469695959974920972015-10-20T09:30:00.000+02:002015-10-20T09:30:53.006+02:00clay to glass // glass to clay<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/22114548812/in/dateposted-public/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="clay to glass // glass to clay"><img alt="clay to glass // glass to clay" height="640" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5619/22114548812_c8dd5827a0_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raw materials, calculating ingredients for recipes, measuring exact quantities, ... A challenge for this absent-minded brain but at the same time I love it! A bit of "work" for the playfulness that comes with good, well-measured recipes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Some time ago I came across this simple clay recipe that consisted of 50% clay and 50% glass, for a clay body that was supposed to be wonderfully translucent. It was linked with the first European attempts in the 18th Century to recreate Chinese porcelain; at first they didn't manage to find the high firing recipe but developed several low firing ones, like the one I'm researching.<br />
<br />
What fascinates me about this history isn't so much the fact that they did, in the end, find a real, high firing porcelain clay body but the wildly experimental, alchemical process of developing these recipes that have all sorts of interesting properties in themselves.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/21505996943/in/dateposted-public/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="clay to glass // glass to clay"><img alt="clay to glass // glass to clay" height="300" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/569/21505996943_7281b85691_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">prior to mixing the batches: putting the necessary and clearly labeled quantities <br />
of glass (square boxes in front with white powder) and clay <br />
(soup buckets behind; greyish powder) together</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
It also tickles me to explore the boundaries between ceramics and glass. With a recipe like this, is it still clay? Does it look like glass or not? So what I'm doing now is making a binary series of this recipe: a gradual mix of the ingredients, with 100% clay on one side, and 100% glass on the other, and then I mix them with amounts of 10%.<br />
<br />
The clay mix consists of 50% kaolin and 50% ball clay; the glass powder is the finest clear Bullseye frit.<br />
<br />
This phase is very technical, there's not a lot of room for creativity yet... but I'm curious what will come out of it. If this goes well, I'll have a whole range of clay/glass bodies to play with!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/22127117595/in/dateposted-public/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="clay to glass // glass to clay"><img alt="clay to glass // glass to clay" height="400" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/602/22127117595_5b85f58df5_z.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the clay part is in itself a mix of two clays:<br />
kaolin (this is the white powder; the main ingredient in porcelain)<br />
and ball clay (greyish powder; a very plastic clay)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/22284905502/in/dateposted-public/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="clay to glass"><img alt="clay to glass" height="400" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5726/22284905502_0b74febb90_z.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">making clay: adding clay powder to a certain amount<br />
of water (and mixing and sieving again later on)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
More photos of the working process on <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/albums/72157659678659940" target="_blank">flickr</a>!<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>kristienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689968309307631554noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958418315089112580.post-12052503567866015672015-10-14T20:36:00.000+02:002015-10-14T20:36:00.879+02:00inside the lines<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/15778879574/in/dateposted-public/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Coloring in the lines..."><img alt="Coloring in the lines..." height="400" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8594/15778879574_d406fa0c2b_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: start;">What do you do with a thick, lined, grey notebook? </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: start;">Filling it with color. </span></div>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/16213709348/in/dateposted-public/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Coloring in the lines..."><img alt="Coloring in the lines..." height="300" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7292/16213709348_7317512b7c_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>kristienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689968309307631554noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958418315089112580.post-6183500126687378892015-10-09T09:56:00.000+02:002015-11-18T09:02:19.204+01:00reading by candlelight: "The creative habit" by Twyla Tharp<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Work? What I live for. <br>
Play? Work.</blockquote>
This is a little snippet from Tharp's creative autobiography, one of the exercises in the book. It gives you an idea of how she writes: I love her direct and accessible language, and even just in the words you can feel the rhythm and movement coming through - she dances in her texts!<br />
<br />
I've been looking for a certain lecture she gave (in the 90's I think) where she was talking and started to make little movements with her hands and body as a companion to her words. It was fascinating! Words can only express so much, I love how she emphasised it with her movements. I can't find it right now but will keep looking and post it when I do. For now, if you're not familiar with her vast oeuvre, have a look at her homepage: <a href="http://www.twylatharp.org/">www.twylatharp.org</a><br />
<br />
<b>Tharp, Twyla & Reiter, Marc</b>. <i>The creative habit: learn it and use it for life: a practical guide</i>. Simon & Schuster, New York, 2003. <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/creative-habit-learn-it-and-use-it-for-life-a-practical-guide/oclc/52587546" target="_blank">Worldcat</a>kristienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689968309307631554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958418315089112580.post-73527092494239685222015-10-07T18:08:00.000+02:002015-10-07T18:08:00.303+02:00the kick wheel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/19643410641/in/album-72157655373965479/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="potter's wheel"><img alt="potter's wheel" height="400" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/275/19643410641_493ac580c2_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
So I was in need of a potter's wheel for the ceramics studio, searched for it for a long time. Electrical throwing wheels are pretty expensive, and my "studio" (which is just the old garage) doesn't have any electricity yet, so I got this rather romantic idea of finding an old mechanical one; a kick wheel. I envisioned hauling it into the garden during the summer and working en plein air... (yeah, I guess I have some hippy tendencies! Hehe)<br />
<br />
This machine is operated by kicking the big wheel underneath with your foot, which takes some getting used too coordinating hands and foot... it also turns a lot slower than an electrical wheel, although you wouldn't get that impression from my silly little time-lapsy video. Enjoy the demonstration and an unimpressed Assepoes!<br />
<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/19638978885/in/album-72157655373965479/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="kickwheel"><img alt="kickwheel" height="400" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/495/19638978885_12420554f6_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/20272291633/in/dateposted-public/" title="first attempts on the kickwheel - timelapse"><img alt="first attempts on the kickwheel - timelapse" height="360" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5644/20272291633_9991a18dfa_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>kristienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689968309307631554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958418315089112580.post-42181171594923194342015-10-04T11:15:00.000+02:002015-10-04T11:15:45.577+02:00Happy world animal day!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/17132502597/in/album-72157607427612006/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Clair-obscur housetiger"><img alt="Clair-obscur housetiger" height="266" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7791/17132502597_31d2d27082_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Assepoes in clair-obscur, in the very last sunrays of the evening</td></tr>
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<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>kristienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689968309307631554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958418315089112580.post-71913519815636513972015-10-03T17:36:00.000+02:002015-11-02T08:27:14.589+01:00Hello surface!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/21725424928/in/dateposted-public/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="tulip bulbs!"><img alt="tulip bulbs!" height="640" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/592/21725424928_07fa7e0d3e_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the tulip bulbs are eager to go underground again...</td></tr>
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It almost seems to have become a <a href="http://kristienberghs.blogspot.be/2013/10/in-grimani-also-hello-again.html">yearly</a> <a href="http://kristienberghs.blogspot.be/2014/10/its-been-while-since-my-last-post-so.html">ritual</a>, returning to this virtual home of a blog in October. I like the term "resurfacing", as if life takes part under the surface of the earth for a period, seemingly inexistent...until it suddenly pops up again, showing its face. Springtime in autumn, hehe.<br />
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Well, most of my invisible, underground work in the previous months consisted of dealing with Dad's Alzheimer's and the changes it brought to his and our lives, and working on my Master's thesis for art history (which I finished in August). It has been a turbulent period but we're all in a better place now than we were before. And in the mean time I've also been adjusting to a new town, to this new (old) house and a neglected garden that I've been tending to.<br />
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Creatively I haven't been as prolific this past year as I wanted, as I needed to focus on other issues. So even my creativity went underground. Luckily the garden has been a great teacher. Getting my hands dirty, learning about the soil, the plants, doing garden archeology, finding "treasures" (well... mostly just rusty beer bottle caps really, lol) and learning about the people who lived here before and how they treated the garden... And the best thing about a neglected garden, is that your imagination can take it anywhere!<br />
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Off you grow! Have a look at the <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/albums/72157655622863345">garden journal</a> on flickr and <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/kristienberghs/off-you-grow/">the inspiration</a> for it on Pinterest.<br />
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kristienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689968309307631554noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958418315089112580.post-43596400350224005572015-02-01T10:24:00.001+01:002015-02-01T10:24:45.628+01:00a room with a view*<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/16215416267" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="The room with the view by kristien berghs, on Flickr"><img alt="The room with the view" height="375" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8594/16215416267_01dbd7c4e0.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the morning spectacle seen from the master bedroom</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/16215102199" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="The room with the view by kristien berghs, on Flickr"><img alt="The room with the view" height="375" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7435/16215102199_d2d8d73b4a.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">on clear days you can see the hills</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/16215101619" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="The room with the view by kristien berghs, on Flickr"><img alt="The room with the view" height="375" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7361/16215101619_e2d1f90435.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the first light in a blue world</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/16399581221" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="The room with the view by kristien berghs, on Flickr"><img alt="The room with the view" height="375" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7402/16399581221_37a2f34010.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">for a few moments it completely lights up the sky</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/16375347056" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="The room with the view by kristien berghs, on Flickr"><img alt="The room with the view" height="375" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7454/16375347056_8d2846b162.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pinpricks in the landscape</td></tr>
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*<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2641" target="_blank">this book</a> & <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091867/" target="_blank">this unforgettable movie</a>kristienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689968309307631554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958418315089112580.post-83278657516007627892014-12-15T10:17:00.000+01:002014-12-15T10:17:16.136+01:00near the pond<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/15836318047" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="december near the pond by kristien berghs, on Flickr"><img alt="december near the pond" height="333" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8682/15836318047_b2340e0558.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/15406802843" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="december morning mist by kristien berghs, on Flickr"><img alt="december morning mist" height="333" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8573/15406802843_739ea9b154.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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a magical microcosmos in the garden, on a frosty december morning (more on <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/sets/72157614607904303/" target="_blank">flickr</a>) - little moments that help me keep calm in the eye of the storm...</div>
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kristienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689968309307631554noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958418315089112580.post-23149967409190800662014-11-15T07:00:00.000+01:002014-11-16T10:16:27.976+01:00patterns on the wallAn old house comes with many treasures... like old wallpaper!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/15493919409" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="2014-06-19 11.27.40 by kristien berghs, on Flickr"><img alt="2014-06-19 11.27.40" height="375" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8627/15493919409_d836226097.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">these big 70's flowers and geometric design are in a walk-in cupboard. <br />
They're a bit over the top. But I like them! They can stay...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These cosy flowers decorated the toilet... <br />
they got painted over except for the back wall, <br />
so the beige toilet doesn't look so very beige against all the white... :-p</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This one I adore! it was under the stairs, going down to the cellar, <br />
but most of it got removed for the renovations (luckily I took this photo). <br />
It has such a wonderful folksy 70's vibe! I love those colors!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Japanese textile pattern in the stairway to the 1st floor. <br />
I loved it but looked fairly degraded, and a bit dark and busy <br />
for the narrow space it was in...so this became white too.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/15494406248" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="2014-06-19 11.26.32 by kristien berghs, on Flickr"><img alt="2014-06-19 11.26.32" height="375" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3944/15494406248_ef11ed38bc.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a random snapshot during the renovations. <br />
The previous owners had taken such care of the decoration of this piece of multiplex<br />
that possibly covered the wood stove (or perhaps part of a cupboard).</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/15494595707" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="2014-10-14 17.35.58 by kristien berghs, on Flickr"><img alt="2014-10-14 17.35.58" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3944/15494595707_3c8b12c82b.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh, and before I moved in there had been squatters too. <br />
The back door didn't have a lock... They left this smiley among other things that weren't so cute. :-p<br />
Smiley can stay for now.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/15494596947" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="2014-10-14 17.35.46 by kristien berghs, on Flickr"><img alt="2014-10-14 17.35.46" height="333" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7577/15494596947_33a894f312.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love what the runny spray paint did with the textured wallpaper...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/15060438143" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="2014-09-12 12.16.34 by kristien berghs, on Flickr"><img alt="2014-09-12 12.16.34" height="333" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8602/15060438143_24fcee855a.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and like that I'm turning the house into a blank canvas, ready for a new life!<br />
I love how everyone who lived here has left some sort of mark, I don't need to erase it all.<br />
Now it's my turn to make my own...</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D7958418315089112580%23editor%2Ftarget%3Dpost%3BpostID%3D2314996740919080066&media=https%3A%2F%2Ffarm9.staticflickr.com%2F8627%2F15493919409_d836226097.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.35&description=2014-06-19%2011.27.40" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 103px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 60px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D7958418315089112580%23editor%2Ftarget%3Dpost%3BpostID%3D2314996740919080066&media=https%3A%2F%2Ffarm9.staticflickr.com%2F8627%2F15493919409_d836226097.jpg&xm=h&xv=sa1.35&description=2014-06-19%2011.27.40" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 103px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 60px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>kristienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689968309307631554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958418315089112580.post-19344861829850749912014-11-05T07:30:00.000+01:002015-12-28T11:57:26.953+01:00flashy and freshThis is a piece of bread I baked some time ago with a good dose of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turmeric" target="_blank">turmeric</a>, which gives it this lovely bright shade of yellow... just in case you wondered in my <a href="http://kristienberghs.blogspot.be/2014/11/out-in-autumn-sun.html" target="_blank">last post</a> how it looked like. The juicy redness on top is beet salad, and there's a <a href="https://flic.kr/p/6j42vU" target="_blank">buttercup</a> and a leaf of <a href="https://flic.kr/p/89GEnr" target="_blank">melissa officinalis</a>. Hopefully I can get into the bread baking thing again soon, once the kitchen is done!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/5939612676" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="more colorful food! by kristien berghs, on Flickr"><img alt="more colorful food!" height="333" src="https://farm7.staticflickr.com/6129/5939612676_c30f63857d.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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kristienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689968309307631554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958418315089112580.post-50937677380067389932014-11-01T08:00:00.000+01:002014-11-01T08:00:00.970+01:00out in the autumn sun<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fern at the edge of the forest</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/artemissne/15052433434" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="2014-10-27 17.58.18 by kristien berghs, on Flickr"><img alt="2014-10-27 17.58.18" height="333" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7488/15052433434_cd178a4ca6.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">lots and lots of fine spider threads, carried by the air</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the landscape I'm learning to call my home!</td></tr>
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My friend Liesbet took me on a walking trip somewhere between Ronse and Brakel, on a very beautiful, scenic route that I didn't know yet (those are our shadows in the right bottom corner). The air was fresh and leafy and our boots got properly muddy. Afterwards we had a ginger latte (she brought with her, yum!) and carrot-ginger-curcuma-almond cake (my very yellow experiment).
kristienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689968309307631554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958418315089112580.post-26516962122184083942014-10-09T07:35:00.000+02:002015-11-02T09:07:36.436+01:00It's been a while since my last post so it's about time I give you an update! The summer has passed like a storm, and meanwhile I'm back at college finishing my master's degree this semester, while continuing with my liberal arts degree at Sint Lucas in the 2nd semester.<br />
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So I'm a bit late with my Master's but I hope I can get it done now. I have to redo a couple of courses and finish writing that thesis... That wasn't the plan, mind you; I was hoping to be finished by September. But the summer proved to be quite much.<br />
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Perhaps it was to be expected: moving to my new house, renovating it, working on a lecture on my thesis and all the little and big things that come with moving into a new place didn't give me much of a break (although I had help on many levels from some truly awesome people! :-) ). And hardly had I moved in or we heard about my dad's accident and hospital stay, so mom and I dropped everything and took care of things in Antwerp. He's fine now although some things have changed (I'll talk about that some other time).<br />
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And so I've been catapulted into a new school year, a little exhausted but equally positive that everything will work out this year. If I stay mindful of the traps of burnout, things will be alright. I was in worse shape last year, after three years of intense studying and having combined two studies the year before. I've been doing pretty well in my studies, but I'm an idiot for not seeing that it would become too much. Or at least I knew I was playing with fire, having had <a href="http://kristienberghs.blogspot.be/search/label/CFS">energy issues</a> before, but this was such a wonderful chance and I wouldn't want to miss it for the world. So I took that chance, and I'm not looking back.<br />
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Still I tumbled into an episode of burnout a year ago. Exhaustion, inertia and big emotions: it's a mess. Literally and figuratively! But it helped me realise I had to change the way I handled things (thanks to a wonderful therapist) and have been working on them since, one of which was the place I lived in. As much as I had loved living in the cute little house in Ghent, I had grown too big for it over the years (a bit like <a href="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/02/25/opinion/alice.533.gif">Alice</a>!). So the hunt for a new place was on, and with mom's help we found it the day before my birthday! I wasn't planning at all to move to a small town like Ronse (my mom lives here), but when we visited it we knew it was "the one". I'll gush about it next time, with all the proper pictures and renovation stories! No worries. So I scheduled to move after the exams in June and that's how that roller coaster of a summer started...<br />
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And now you know what I've been up to.<br />
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I long to get back on the blogging horse properly, sharing some hopefully inspiring things, books and people, and keeping you updated on my projects and adventures... But I'm learning to take it a day at a time, so I won't make any promises I can't keep. I'll do what I can and thank you for understanding!kristienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689968309307631554noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7958418315089112580.post-16523802746535867322014-07-10T16:10:00.000+02:002015-11-02T08:48:30.566+01:00a change of scenery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieO4cwK9csSzEc8OGcaZLa7BBxdyJeGcK9nypzclVqiGm7Jd6uvUzitqa6WtRSyN9oFLEUBx0_spvlQKAc6tGD_bTLTKqRy-GRZWm9a7LD1imucb_1b4SjTAchBVhtsVdSdd0-1u832lVD/s1600/verhuiskaartje.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieO4cwK9csSzEc8OGcaZLa7BBxdyJeGcK9nypzclVqiGm7Jd6uvUzitqa6WtRSyN9oFLEUBx0_spvlQKAc6tGD_bTLTKqRy-GRZWm9a7LD1imucb_1b4SjTAchBVhtsVdSdd0-1u832lVD/s1600/verhuiskaartje.JPG" height="400" width="375" /></a></div>
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In between thesis projects I've moved to a new town!</div>
<br />kristienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11689968309307631554noreply@blogger.com0