Three of my ceramic bowls were accepted by the International Macsabal Museum in Wanju, Jeonbuk, Korea for their collection. The “macsabal” refers to the simple bowl used in the daily meals in Korea.

A second piece, Jade Abora Vase was selected for the 3rd Annual Clay and Glass Biennial Exhibition to be held at the City of Brea Art Gallery, 1 Civic Center Circle, Brea, CA from January 24 to March 6, 2015. The clay juror was Lana Wilson, a ceramic artist, teacher and author.

My work SnowFall 2014 has been selected for the Potters Council 2014 Juried Show that will take place at the Rhode Island Convention Center during the NCECA Conference, March 25 to March 28. The juror was Holly Goring, Editor of Pottery Making Illustrated.

My Winter Open Studio will take place on Saturday and Sunday, December 6 & 7 at my gallery in Portola Valley.  I will be showing new works influenced by my travels to Korea and China this year.  I will also be featuring new hand-built pieces.

Three of my 2014 ceramic pieces had been accepted to this year’s CLAY & INK 40 Exhibition. All three pieces submitted to juror, Phyllis Green, were selected – Desert SunFlower, Strata Covered Jar, and Jade Abora Jar. The exhibition will be held at the Kellogg University Art Gallery at Cal Poly Pomona from Saturday, September 13 to October 23, 2014. Happily, this is my fifth time participating in this competition.

A busy time last week, my work was accepted into two exhibitions:

22nd Annual Strictly Functional Pottery National Competition held at the Market House Craft Center in PA. This is the fifth time my work has been accepted into this exhibition. The work is entitled Winter Sunflower. The exhibition dates are from September 20 to November 1, 2014.

Influenced & Inspired by…Big Ideas 1950 – 1970: Influences in Modern Ceramics held at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts in California. This exhibition focuses on the clay works of current ceramic artists who were influenced by thirteen seminal artists from the 50’s and 60’s. The work is entitled Oribe SunFlower. The exhibition dates are September 11 to October 25, 2014.

Postcard for the next national competition exhibition. Shipping the piece tomorrow.

For link, click here.

Coverage of the Palo Alto Clay & Glass Festival in the local paper. I am pleased with the picture and exposure.

My newest work, Jade Abora Vase, has also been selected for the Visions in Clay 2014 exhibition at the LH Horton Gallery at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton. This is my fourth time to be in this national exhibition. This year the competition was juried by Garth Johnson, Curator of Artistic Programs at The Clay Studio in Philadephia. The exhibition runs from August 22 to September 19.

A set of my classical pine-textured sunflowers and vases ready to bisque fire for the Palo Alto Clay & Glass Show. See you there at Booth #19.

I am getting ready for the ACGA Clay & Glass Show in Palo Alto, July 12 and 13. Here is one of my newest carved works (Coke can for scale) ready to bisque fire. See you there. Booth # 19

WHEN: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 12, 2014, and 10a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, July 13, 2014.

WHERE: Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303.

Please join me for the 2014 Palo Alto Clay & Glass Festival Saturday and Sunday, July 12 and 13. Hosted by the Association of Clay and Glass Artists of California (ACGA) and presented with the Palo Alto Art Center, the festival features a large selection of the best traditional and contemporary clay and glass art. I am delighted to be part of the 150 juried artists participating in this show.

Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the show is at the Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Road in Palo Alto. I will be located in booth 19.

Admission is free, and there’s plenty of free parking. There are also free art demonstrations and a clay art project suitable for all ages.

For more details about the show, please visit www.clayglassfestival.com.

My Desert Sunflower – 2014 has been accepted in the Contemporary Clay Biennial 2014 at the Western Colorado Center for the Arts in Grand Junction, CO. This is my third time to be selected for the exhibition. 65 works by 53 artists were accepted.

The biennial was juried by Jim Romberg, Professor Emeritus, from Southern Oregon University where he headed the Ceramics Department for nineteen years. The exhibition is open from May 16 to June 24.

My Winter Sunflower – 2014 has been accepted in the 25th annual California Clay Competition at the Artery in Davis, California. This is my fifth time to be selected for the annual exhibition. Very happy.

The exhibition is open from April 25 – May 23. The 25th Annual California Clay Competition is sponsored by The Artery and held in conjunction with the California Conference for the Advancement of Ceramic Art.

Our new exhibition ACGA-SMArt Gallery Invitational 2014 opened tonight at the SMArt Gallery in San Francisco. Six ceramic artists: Nuala Creed, Joe Kowalczyk, Lee Middleman, Kathy Pallie, Jan Schachter, and Tiffany Schmierer will be exhibiting their work until March 29. The gallery is at 1045 Sutter Street, San Francisco and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11:30am to 5:30pm.

My work will be showcased in a local exhibition entitled Best of Kind, San Francisco Bay Ceramics. This exhibition is sponsored by Smith Andersen Editions, a local fine arts press established in Palo Alto. The exhibition will be held at 440 Pepper Avenue in Palo Alto from March 15 to April 26, 2014.

Two of my newest vessels have been selected for the show to be held at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts in Sebastopol, CA from January 9 to February 14, 2014. The exhibition was juried by Khysie Horn, founder of the Quicksilver Mining Company Gallery in Sonoma County.

For my Open Studio on December 7 & 8, I will be showing my new vases and jars with modified textures and incising. For example, this Sand Dollar Jar. Come see them all.

The Potters Council has just published the 2014 General Wall Calendar. My work Sea-Foam Carved Vase was selected as the August 2014 image.

Please note the date for my next Open Studio: Saturday & Sunday, December 7 & 8, 10am to 5pm

See the new Strata Vases and Strata Covered Jars.

I just returned from a two-week ceramics symposium in Zibo, China. We made and wood-fired work at the Zibo Taishan Ceramics Co. Ltd. Great group of artists from 15 countries. Work that I brought from my studio was accepted by the Taishan Ceramics Museum and the new Museum of Ceramics Glass Art at the Qilu University in Jinan, China.

I was honored to be made a Guest Professor of Art at the Qilu University of Technology in Jinan, China

I leave for Zibo, China tomorrow to participate in an international ceramic workshop sponsored by the Taisan Porcelain Ceramic Company in Zibo City, Shandong Province. This will be my fifth time at this worshop. I look forward to meeting old friends, new artists and experiencing a new adventure.

Two of my 2013 ceramic pieces had been accepted to this year’s CLAY & INK 39 Exhibition. Snowfall Globe – 2013 (shown) and Winter Sunflower – 2013. The exhibition will be held at the Kellogg University Art Gallery at Cal Poly Pomona from Saturday, September 14 to Saturday, October 26, 2013. The clay juror was Stanton Hunter from Los Angeles. Happily, this is my four time participating in this competition.

On Thursday, I leave for three weeks of woodfiring ceramics in northern Japan at the Tsugaru Kanayama pottery. See these links: for earlier workshops I participated in there and the pottery website. This will be as small gathering of four artists from the USA and Turkey hosted by my friend Ryoji Matsumiya.

My work has also been selected for the Visions in Clay 2013 exhibition at the LH Horton Gallery at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton. This is my third time to be in this annual exhibition. This year the competition was juried by Peter Held, Curator of Ceramics, Arizon State University Museum. The exhibition runs from August 22 to September 19.

A view of the selected works for the Visions in Clay 2013 exhibition.

I just received a phone call that my piece SnowFall Globe received the IMCO vendor award at America’s ClayFest, the former Feats of Clay art show and clay competition. Ceramic artist Richard Shaw from the San Francisco Bay area, selected 79 pieces for the show this year with entrants from the United States, Canada, and Europe. The show runs May 10th through June 1st 2013 at the Blue Line Gallery in Roseville, CA.

With the very successful Open Studio this past weekend, I am now focused on the next big event: The Palo Alto Clay & Glass Festival in July. It is scheduled for July 13 and 14 from 10 to 5 each day. The location is the Palo Alto Art Center on Newell Road at Embarcadero Road. It is a great show sponsored by the Association of Clay & Glass Artists of California (ACGA). This is an exhibit and show of over 160 juried Exhibiting Members of ACGA. Here is a link to more information: ACGA

Our exhibition Eight from ACGA opens tonight at the Davis Art Center . See the local papers news article at:http://www.davisenterprise.com/arts/eight-from-acga-opens-at-davis-art-center/

My stoneware pieces were selected for the 2013 California Clay Competition (CCC) in Davis, California and also for America’s Clayfest (formerly Feats Of Clay at Gladding, McBean) in Lincoln, California. This is my fourth time in the CCC and I participated in Feats of Clay twice before. These exhibitions take place in April and May.

Recently, an article about my approach to texturing was published in the national Chinese magazine China Ceramics Illustrated in Beijing in 2012.

My next Open Studio is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, May 4 & 5 in Portola Valley from 10am to 5pm.

I have posted two articles about my work on new pages of the website.
The first is entitled: Three Ceramic Artists Influential To Me.


The Second is entitled: About Textures

You can find them under the About menu

I will be showing my work with 7 other ACGA artists in Eight from ACGA at the Davis Art Center in Davis California. This is the third time my work has been selected for this juried exhibition. The exhibition runs Friday, April 26 through Friday, May 25.

This exhibition is in conjunction with the 24rd Annual California Conference for the
Advancement of Ceramic Art.

Davis Art Center, (530) 756-410

1919 F Street
Davis, CA 95616

ACGA got nice press coverage for the exhibition ACGA Clay & Glass National on NBCNEWS.com website and the Orange County Register. My works in the competition also received a nice comment in the article.

Happy New Year! This is the annoucemernt for the ACGA Clay & Glass National Competition in Brea, California.

Two of my 2012 pieces were accepted to the ACGA Clay & Glass National Competition in Brea, California. The exhibition at the City of Brea Art Gallery runs January 26 to March 1, 2013.

My work will be displayed in the ACGA exhibition entitled Good Company, Great Clay & Glass in California 1932 – 2012. “Good Company” speaks to the history of clay and glass in California and celebrates contemporary works by members of the Association of Clay and Glass Artists.

Reception: Saturday, January 21, 2-4pm
Petaluma Art Center, 230 Lakeville Street, Petaluma, CA 94952

Soon I leave for 3 weeks in Vadadora India to participate in a ceramics forum, exhibition and studio time with 18 members of the International Ceramic Artists Association. The events are hosted by the Uttarayan Art Foundation. Although I have been to India twice before, this is my first time focused on clay.

Please note the date for my next Open Studio: Saturday & Sunday, November 17 & 18, 10am to 5pm

See the new large Snowfall platters and wallhanging art.

Ceramics Lee Middleman, Bob and Sandy Kinzie, Linda Mau, Diane Levinson, Jo Killen and Tri Tran have an exhibition, Fire Inspired, in the San Jose City Hall Lobby. A reception is now set for November 7 from 6 to 8pm at City Hall, 200 East Santa Clara Street.

We hope you will attend. See the announcement/invitation attached.

Just returned from a Wood Firing Symposium at Hacettepe University in Ankara, Turkey. 21 Turkish artists and 11 foreign artists will create ceramic work, present at a symposium, fire the wood kiln, interact with students and enjoy Ankara.I have posted images from the event at this link: Images

My Korean ceramic artist visitors, Ahn Si Sung and Kim Young Soo, and I were interviewed on local Korean TV, KTSF. The program is The Journal Journal with host Sarah Kim-Lee. We had a great time.

I am currently participating in an international exhibition at the Hae Gang Ceramic Museum, Icheon City, Korea. The museum is a tribute to the ceramic artist Haegang (Yoo Kun-hyung) who spent his life’s work on the revival of Koryo celadon techniques which had been neglected for over 500 years.

Entitled ‘Fire Inspired: Asian Techniques and Traditions in Ceramic Art’, this exhibition of works by six San Francisco Bay area cerarmic artists is on display in the San Jose City hall lobby through 2012. To see images of the exhibition – click here.

My work has also been selected for the Visions in Clay 2012 exhibition at the LH Horton Gallery at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton. This is my third time to be in this annual exhibition. This year the competition was juried by Joe Bova, Professor Emeritas at Ohio State University School of Art. The exhibition runs from August 16 to September 13.

I work Sunflower – Winter Series 2012 has been accepted into the 20th annual Strictly Functional Pottery National. There were 1088 pieces submitted and Jack Troy selected 109 pieces. The exhibition runs from September 15 to November 4 at the Market House Craft Center, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. This is my fourth time in this national competition exhibition, so I am very happy.

The Ink & Clay 38 online catalog is now up and running! My work is there.

My Open Studio is coming up soon – April 28 & 29, 10am to 5pm

Come visit and see my latest work. Pictured here is a closed form with my new Fire Glaze

I will be showing my work with 7 other ACGA artists in Eight from ACGA at the Davis Art Center in Davis California. The exhibition runs Friday, April 27 through Friday, May 25.

This exhibition is in conjunction with the 23rd Annual California Conference for the
Advancement of Ceramic Art

1919 F Street
Davis, CA 95616
(530) 756-4100

The Contemporary Clay Biennial 2012 has selected my Snowfall Globe. The exhibitiion will be held from May 18 to June 23 at The Art Center, Western Colorado Center for the Arts in Grand Junction, CO

My Carved Bottle – Sea Foam, 2012 has been purchased to be a part of the Forrest Merrill Fine Arts Collection, Berkeley, California. This collection contains the work of many California artists, both past and present.

Good news. My work Portola Sunflower has been selected for inclusion in the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art in Logan Utah. The museum on the Utah State University campus has an excellent collection of Western ceramic art. The collection has grown to more than 1,200 objects and represents the vessel tradition crafted by over 400 artists. This collection has become the largest regional repository of modern and contemporary American ceramics. I am happy to have my work in this collection.

My work Pine Globe – 2011 has been selected for the Ink & Clay 38 National Exhibition juried by Carol Sauvion at the Kellogg University Gallery at California State University in Pomona, CA. Lee’s work has also appeared in this annual exhibition in 2010 and 2008. The exhibition runs from March 15 to April 27, 2012.

My new license plate. Happy Holidays

I leave for Korea on Sunday. I will visit the International Ceramics Invitational Exhibition in An Yang City, Gyeongg-Do. I have ten works in the exhibition.

I will then make work and fire an ancient onggi kiln with Korean potters in Gimje. We will have an exhibition in the Korea Craft & Design Foundation Gallery in Insadong following the kiln opening. Large onggi jars shown here.

I just received notice that my ceramic piece Sunflower 2011 will be in the 2011 National Biennial Juried Ceramics Exhibition at NAU Art Museum, North Arizona University in Flagstaff. The exhibition runs from October 20 to November 23.

My work has been selected for the 19th annual Strictly Functional Pottery National Competition. This is the third year that my work has been selected. This piece is part of series of bottles recently carved and finished in my studio. The exhibition is open September 24 to November 6, 2011.

Market House Craft Center, East Petersburg, PA

My work is exhibited in the national exhibition Visions of Clay. It has awarded Third Prize by juror Judith Schwartz. August 18 to September 15, 2011

And one more video, this made by the Mid-Peninsula Media Center. Helen Willoughby-Peck, Liz Burkhouse, and I discuss our work and the Palo Alto Clay & Glass Festival. See it on YouTube (click here)

Jack Hanson of KGO-TV interviewed me for Comcast Newsmakers TV at the Tech Museum in San Jose, May 25, 2011 See it on YouTube (click here)

KMVT Television interview – Part B by Suzanne Barnett with ACGA Exhibiting Members Lee Middleman, Lynn Wood, Bill Geisinger, and Phyllis Pacin. See it on YouTube (click here)

KMVT Television interview – Part A by Suzanne Barnett with ACGA Exhibiting Members Lee Middleman, Lynn Wood, Bill Geisinger, and Phyllis Pacin. See it on YouTube (click here)

My ceramic piece Carved Sea Foam Bottle won an award and cash prize at the California Clay Competition last month. This was the third time my work has been accepted into this competition exhibiotion and the second time I have received an award and cash prize.

I will be participating in the popular 19th Annual Palo Alto Clay & Glass Festival – a fabulous, free, fun-filled 2-day celebration of Clay and Glass Art, Saturday & Sunday, July 9-10, 2011, 10am-5pm. Featuring both fine and functional art, the Palo Alto Clay & Glass Festival is the largest show of its kind, with 180 juried artists displaying their work. Meet the artists and learn about their art. Enjoy a variety of engaging activities, including hands-on pottery-making and wheel-throwing demonstrations.

New Location! RINCONADA Park, 777 Embarcadero Rd, Palo Alto
(across Newell Rd from Palo Alto Art Center)
(Newell Rd. at Embarcadero Rd.)

Good news. My work has been selected for the exhibition The Art of Clay presented by the American Museum of Ceramic Art (AMOCA) in Pomona, California. Three of my signature pieces will be displayed.

The Art of Clay is a biennial invitational and juried exhibition and is held in conjunction with American Ceramic Society – Design Chapter of Southern California. It takes place from June 9 through July 30, 2011.

Several of my pieces are also a part of the AMOCA permanent collection.

Ah, I do like to carve.

My work has been accepted for the CALIFORNIA CLAY COMPETITION EXHIBIT. Sponsored by The Artery and held in conjunction with the California Conference for the Advancement of Ceramic Art, the exhibition will feature 39 works from 39 artists selected by juror Nancy Servis.

Exhibition dates: April 29 to May 27, 2011

Opening Reception: Friday, April 29, 7-10 pm

My Open Studio is coming up soon – April 16 & 17, 10am to 5pm

Come visit and see my latest work. Pictured here is a spiral carved bottle

I will be exhibiting my work at the 54th Annual Saratoga Rotary Art Show. This is my first time at this art show, one the best, juried fine art shows in the western United States.

The Rotary Art Show will be held on the campus of West Valley College in Saratoga on Sunday, May 1, 2011 from 9AM to 5PM.

I really like the crackle surface on a white stoneware when glazed with a great celadon.

Here’s real close-up.

My next venue is:
Ikebana Exhibition – San Francisco

March 19-March 20
Ikebana International, S.F. Bay Chapter

Saturday & Sunday
10am – 4pm

Hall of Flowers
9th Avenue at Lincoln Way
San Francisco

Come visit my Open Studio

December 11-December 12
or by appointment, please call

Saturday & Sunday, 10am to 5pm
At my studio, 16 Coalmine View in Portola Valley

See map under CONTACT LEE

The Woodside Priory celebrates “One Town, Four Ceramic Artists“

Lee Middleman, Jan Schachter, Nina Else, Peggy Forman

An exhibition of functional and sculptural ceramic art from
November 22 through December 5, 2010.
At the Kriewall-Haehl Gallery
Rothrock Performance Hall, Woodside Priory,
302 Portola Rd, Portola Valley

(650) 851-8221
For directions call or visit: www.woodsidepriory.com.

In late October through mid-November, I was one of 16 artists from around the world participating in the International Ceramic Art Forum in Zibo City, Shandong Province, China. I presented a lecture entitled
Contemporary Art in California to the Forum and an invited lecturer at the Shandong University of Art and Design in Jinan, China and the Qingdao Techinical College in Qingdao. The work I create there in Zibo was on display at the Qingdao Art Museum in Qingdao City.

Lark Books has published a new book entitled 500 Vases. My Sunflower Vase – 2010 is featured in the book.

I have just returned from a three-week trip to Korea focused on ceramics. There I visited two ceramic artists (Sim, Jae Cheong and An, Si Sung). For two weeks, I worked in their studios, learned new techniques, and was inspired by their work. After visiting them, I participated in the 13th annual Macsabal Ceramic Festival in Osan organized by Kim, Yong Moon.

As a result of the visit, I was invited to participate in the 19th Sosabeol International Art Expo 2010 in Pyeongtaek, Korea. The expo takes place in October.

I have been selected to participate in two ACGA (Association of Clay and Glass Artists) exhibitions this Winter.

The first exhibition is ACGA @ MAH, an exhibition at Museum of Art & History at 705 Front Street in Santa Cruz, CA. The show runs December 18, 2010 to March 13, 2011.

The second exhibition is at the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts in Ojai, CA at 8560 Ojai-Santa Paula Road. The show runs from November 13, 2010 – January 2, 2011. See the website at: http://www.beatricewood.com/index.html

My piece Pine Globe was selected for the 18th Annual Strictly Functional Pottery National. This is the second time my work has been selected for this competition. The juror, Bill van Gilder, selected 109 pieces from 949 entries. The exhibition takes place at Market House Craft Center in East Petersburg, PA, from October 1 to November 14, 2010.

esterday I was interviewed by Sarah Kim-Lee for the TV program Korean Journal on KTSF. It was about my interest in Korea and Korean ceramics. It will be broadcast on KTSF this Saturday morning, April 17 at 6am (blah, so early) on Cable channel 8 or broadcast channel 26.

I have been selected to participate in the Contemporary Clay Biennial at The Art Center, Center for the Arts, Grand Junction, CO from May 14 through June 26, 2010. This is the third national Biennial Contemporary Juried/Invitational Exhibition.

My work has been selected for the national exhibition Feats of Clay XXIII. This is the second time I have participated in this competition. This exhibition will be held from April 24 to May 30, 2010 at the Lincoln Arts in Lincoln, CA.

Lincoln Arts, a non-profit public arts organization, was founded in 1986 to promote the arts, culture, and history in California.

The Ink & Clay 36 exhibition (at the Kellogg University Art Gallery at Cal Poly – Pomona) has selected my work for a cash prize – one of five prizes to be awarded at the reception on Sunday, March 21. This year’s exhibit features 91 pieces from 72 artists, covering a wide range of forms, styles and content. Here is a link: http://polycentric.csupomona.edu/news_stories/2010/03/ink-clay-36.html

What a surprise, after introducing my visiting Korean potter friends to the Korea Times, a local newspaper. They produced a front page article about me this week. See these links: ARTICLE and http://www.koreatimes.com/article/581472

My work will be exhibited in Ink & Clay 36, from March 18 to May 1. This is an annual competition, established in 1971, of prints, ceramic ware, and sculpture sponsored by the Kellogg University Art Gallery of California State Polytechnic University. My work was also selected in 2008.

I have been selected to participate in the juried group exhibition Eight from ACGA. This exhibition will take place in conjunction with the 21st Annual California Conference for the Advancement of Ceramic Art (CCACA), April 28 to May 21, 2010.

Juried by Marc Lancet, author, artist and ceramics professor, the exhibition will include of a body of work from eight ceramic artists who are members of ACGA.

The American Museum of Ceramic Art (AMOCA) has accepted the ceramic piece entitled Sunflower – 2009 for the museum permanent collection. This is my second work to be included in the collection.

My work has been selected for two exhibitions during National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts conference in March. The work Sunflower – Desert Series was selected for the Potters Council show Fill-adephia 2010.

The second exhibition entitled Strictly Functional Pottery National: Then and Now is an invitational show based on people who won awards in previous Strictly Functional Pottery National exhibitions. Lee received the Innovation Award in 2006. Lee will display Snowfall shown here.

An article about the Best American Ceramic Art appeared in the popular magazine Readers in China last month. This is the centerfold spread.

The catalog from the exhibition The Best American Ceramic Art at the 12th Beijing International Art Expo in Beijing, China just arrived. My Sunflower 2009 vase is featured in the catalog.

I am happy to announce that Black Bean Ceramic Art Center Gallery is the newest gallery to exhibit and sell my work. They are located at 561 Emory Street in San Jose, CA.

During my Open Studio December 5 & 6, I will be offering ceramic art I woodfired in China and Japan during 2009. These pieces are distinctly different from the shapes and surfaces I make here in the US. I will, of course, also be showing new textured work developed in Portola Valley.

The kiln construction has begun at the Goshogawara Woodfire Festival here in northern Japan. You can see images here and also by visiting our Japanese language blog at:
http://blog.livedoor.jp/tsugarunpo/

This year 14 artists from 11 countries are participating. We will construct a salt kiln (shiogama) here and fire it and two other wood kilns. View the festival activities by going to the ‘INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP’ menu, click on ‘Japan and the ‘Goshogawara International Woodfire Festival 2009’

My work, Sunflower 2009, has been accepted into the exhibition ‘The Best of American Ceramic Art.‘ It will be displayed at the 12th International Art Exposition, August 27 to 31, 2009. The art expo is located in the China World Trade Center in east Beijing.

An article I wrote about the 2008 International Ceramic Forum in China has been published in the Turkish ceramics journal Seramik Turkiye in March 2009

I have posted images from the recent International Macsabal Woodfire Festival in Osan, Korea and the International Ceramics Forum in Zibo, China. You can view these images by going to INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOPS and scrolling down to the country of interest. Also see the recent journal and newspaper articles by going to the menu item ABOUT and scroll down to INTERNATIONAL PRESS.

New Videos Added to INTERNATIONAL VIDEOS I have uploaded videos of Kim Yong Moon and Park Soon Kwan working in my studio and at De Anza College here in California in March and April 2009.

Korean Potters Kim Yong Moon and Park Soon Kwan have been visiting for two weeks. They have made many pieces using traditional Korean techniques.

The website has been updated and refreshed. Please enjoy the new images added to many pages and the Flash images on the home page. Other pages have been reorganized and refreshed with a new color scheme.

Korean Potters will visit February 26-March 11

Kim Yong Moon (pictured) and Park Soon Kwan will visit and work in my studio. They are excellent potters who create both very traditional pottery and more contemporary work. Local artists and pottery lovers are welcome to come and visit, just call me first at 650.851.0295

My work entitled “Sunflower 2007” has been acquired by The Ceramics Collection of the Olympic City of Maroussi. Athens, Greece.

My work is featured in the new book “Selections of Ceramic Art From International Masters” published by the 2008 International Ceramic Forum in Zibo, China.

Finally, I am founding member and North American Chair of the newly established International Ceramic Artists Association.

Solar Powered! My Bailey front-loading electric kiln is now solar powered. These solar panels, mounted on the roof, generate 30 kWh per day, enough energy to power a typical firing.

This article recently appeared in the Goshogwara newspaper Too Nippo. In addition to interviewing me about the Woodfire Festival in Goshogawara, the article describes my “struggle” to make this new form. I do not recall saying “struggling”, but I did describe how the great throwing properties of Kanayama clay allow me to try new things.

The International Woodfire Festival ends today. We have fired three kilns and made many pieces. As new friends, we now return to our home countries with new ideas and perspectives.

We are now busy making work for our first firing next week. Here Lee adds black slip over a textured globe vase. See more images posted. Go to menu item INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOPS, then click on Goshogawara International Woodfire Festival – Japan 2008

The Goshogawara Woodfire Festival is in full swing. To see the artists and the activities go the website menu and click on INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOPS, then select Goshogawara International Woodfire Festival – Japan 2008

I will be participating in the Goshogawara International Woodfire Festival in Aomori, JAPAN. The festival will be held from July 1 to July 31, 2008. Artists from Japan, Korea, India, Pakistan, Turkey, Belgium, Romania, Uganda, Malaysia, Australia, USA, and Canada are participating. We plan to exchange techniques and share presentations about our work and ceramic activities in our native countries. Work made by the artists will be sold at Kanayama to support future festivals.

We will be firing noborigama, Hai Kabur, and Olsen cross-fire kilns during the month.

The participants for 2008 included:

Japan – Ryoji Matsumiya, Risako Noro, and Toru Chubachi
Belgium – Joelle Swanet
Canada – Lauren MacLean
USA – Lee Middleman, John Baymore
Turkey – Sevim Cizer
Pakistan – Raania Azam Khan Durrani
Australia – Rowley Drysdale
Malaysia – Yeow Seng Cheah
Uganda – Vicent Nsubuga
Romania – Ciprian Ariciu
Korea – Kang Hwa-Su, Ryu Nan-ho, Kim Se-ｗha
India – Meyyavelar Rengasamy, Ramiah Thangiah

After July 1, to see photos of the festival in progress, go to the menu bar, click on International Festivals, and select:

Goshogawara International Woodfire Festival – Japan 2008