french guiana

For the next month I will be traveling in French Guiana, a tiny country with the population of 200,000. French Guiana is an overseas department of France, located on the northern coast of South America. It is part of the European Union, and the currency is the Euro. The climate is 80 degrees consistently throughout the year, with the rainy season raising the humidity to 100% during 6-9 months out of the year.

The country is mostly an impassable rain forest, and that is exactly where I will be spending most of my time. More specifically, I will be helping Alec disassemble a walking bridge suspended between two trees at one of the CNRS science stations. Here is a link describing this organization and the two stations I will be visiting, Inselberg and Pararé. Inselberg is armed with a satellite internet connection, and I will try to send updates from there.

Alec has been at the stations since October, and I am pretty fortunate to join him there. Only scientist are allowed. Click here for an entry from Alec's blog describing some of the environment. Being an Earth Monkey under the Chinese Zodiac, this is the perfect place for me.

chartreuse, not just a color

For my B-day, my friend Lauren gave me a gorgeous bottle of Green Chartreuse. The bottle is stamped and sealed with wax, very Medieval. We discovered this liqueur together while hanging at the bar of Thee Fez, one of the few places in Providence that carries this extraordinary drink. Green Chartreuse, 110 proof or 55% alcohol, is a naturally green liqueur which is flavored with extracts from 130 herbal plants. Its color comes from chlorophyll. It is named after the Grande Chartreuse monastery in France, where it was formerly produced by monks. It is now produced, under the supervision of those same monks, in a factory in the nearby town of Voiron. You can read up on its full history, which is quite fascinating, on Wikipedia.

If you Google "what does Chartreuse taste like?" one answer you will get is, "Nyquil". And that is because it was originally developed as medicine. A medicine for long life. As I sip some of it now, and trust me, you only need a sip of it, its herbal essence radiates its way through my body. I feel warmer already, which is helpful since its 12 degrees outside. The green glowy color is truely stunning. For freezing winter days, it's a cozy companion.

Here is the official website, you must be of legal drinking age to enter it.

sustainable and local ingredients

It is important to me that I do as little damage to our planet as possible. I reclaim (use again) all my discarded clay bits and leftover glaze. None of the clay materials I work with end up in our water. It is equally important to me to support local farmers, and eat real food, not packaged. I love food that sings with its natural flavors, and that means buying food that is organic.


I picked up the book "Simply Organic" because I liked the title, and the way it was designed (I once picked out a VCR because I thought it was cute). "Simply Organic" is much more than a good title and a pretty cover, it's filled with delicious, easy to make recipes that use seasonal ingredients. The author, Jesse Ziff Cook, has a great eye for combining the most unusual items; like the pear, brie, and olive tart (which I made, it was delicious). I am cooking my way through the "Early Winter" section, with delicacies like chard and feta pie, and roast chicken with mashed celery root (I never knew what to do with celery root before) and potatoes. Everything turns out yummy.

This book inspires me to have dinner parties, I love cooking for other people. This weekend I am going to make the pot roast with winter vegetables. I'll let you know how it turns out.

christiane perrochon

I have been a fan of Christiane Perrochon's work for some time, one of her bowls was always present on my photo shoots. Perrochon's ceramics has the simple elegance and subtlety of form that touches the soul. Her glazes and colors are complex and multi-layered. Her website is just as compelling as her pieces.

simple and beautiful

I would like to spend my winters in a house like this; minimal, cozy, with stunning views. More photos here and the full article in NYTimes.

what's in your pantry...

An excellent article in the NYTimes about what to keep and what to toss from your pantry. Now that I have all this free time, I have been cooking much much more, and loving it. This article gives me great simple pointers.

food-centric

An Australian-based blogger, Ms. Gourmet, of Gourmet Worrier, revels in hunting down exceptional cooking ingredients while exploring gourmet food stores, cheese emporiums, boutique bakeries, gorgeous cafes and exclusive delicatessens. She found my little shop on etsy, and has written an amazing review of my work. Ms. Gourmet describes herself as being "Food Centric", revolving her blog around everything food-related, including what food is served in.

a field of butterflies

The north-east coast is about to be hit with more snow over the next few days. Ah, winter. It's a good one this year. For those dreaming of warm summer days, here is a field of butterflies, my new line of bowls.

valenki, my valenki

I have to laugh that these traditional Russian peasant boots keep popping up in the style section of the NYTimes. I wore these all through my childhood, treading through St. Petersburg snow to school, never as a fashion statement. There were just not many other alternatives when it came to foot wear during Soviet times. They are indeed warm, and with galoshis, water-proof. If you are looking around to buy some, here is a link to a traditional Russian clothing store. Peter the Great supposedly favored these as they are rumored to help with flu, rheumatic disease, and offer a scratchy feet massage. Hmmmm.

P. S. My mom, after reading this post, reminded me that socks end up sliding down into the toes of these boots as you walk. This is due to valenki's aerodynamic design. So wear tights!

a true russian new year's eve

It's Dec. 31, and there is a blizzard outside my window. Providence has about 6 inches so far, in just three hours. The snow is gorgeous, and transports me to my childhood winters and New Year's Eves in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Since there were no religious holidays under the Soviet regime, I grew up celebrating New Year's Eve as Christmas is celebrated in the U.S. We had a New Year's tree, and Santa Claus came, but he was called Grandpa Frost. He also drove a sleigh, but Rudolph wasn't at the lead. Everyone got one present from Grandpa Frost. And it was incredibly special and magical. I usually got a yellow teddy bear. This is because I lost my yellow teddy bear every year. How did Grandpa Frost know that I lost mine again?

A few days before New Year's, my family gathered at my grandmother's house. She was born on December 24th, and it was a joint celebration of her birthday and the upcoming New Year. Here she is under the New Year's tree, a Russian princess.
And here is her legendary table setting for twenty two guests:
Since my family is technically Jewish, we have not had a tree since arriving in the U.S. I miss its piny aroma permeating the rooms, though I don't miss the dried up needles that ended up in everything for months long after the holidays.

Outside my window the view gets whiter and whiter. Happy New Year, grandma.

a merry merry

Every year I celebrate Christmas at my friends' Matthew and Agnethe's house. It is my home away from home. This year Agnethe set the table with some of my ceramic pieces. The bowls for the soup (which I was supposed to make, but got stuck in traffic instead) and the white goblets which double up as vases looked beautiful on the festive tablecloth. It was an evening filled with delicious food, great conversation and inspiring company.

I ended up making the soup the following day, it is a Japanese sweet potato soup with mushrooms. I puree it so all the flavors truly get to know each other.

Asya's Japanese sweet potato with mushrooms soup:
3 large Japanese sweet potatoes (they are white, and not super sweet)
1 large onion, sliced
1 lb of crimini mushrooms, sliced
2 liters of veggie stock
2 cloves garlic, diced into small pieces
salt and pepper to taste

1. Saute the garlic in some olive oil in a large soup pot until the garlic is slightly brown. Add the onions and continue to saute until the onions are translucent and begin to brown.

2. Add the mushrooms, stir in with the onions, cover the pot and let cook until the mushrooms are soft.

3. Add the veggie stock and the potatoes, peeled and cut up into small pieces for faster cooking. Cook everything until the potatoes are soft.

4. Mash the potatoes slightly, then puree either with a hand blender or in a standing blender. Add salt and pepper to taste. I leave the soup a little bit chunky for texture. This soup is hearty and makes a great meal when served with bread. It is even tastier the second day. You can also freeze it.

things made by hand

I just read such a good story in the NYTimes. It is about a small print shop in Dumbo, Brooklyn. The 26-year-old printing company had won the bid to produce one million gold-and-black engraved invitations for the inauguration of Barack Obama. The 20 workers are working 20-hour days in two shifts to be able to deliver the invites on time. I love this quote from the owner: “This is a real economy,” Mr. Donnelly said of the printing business. “This is not that bogus economy of Wall Street. This country used to manufacture things.”

gleena studio

My studio is located in an old warehouse which has been converted to artists' space. I love the feeling of history in this building with its huge windows, high ceilings and gorgeous (and very worn) wooden floors. My view is of the rooftops of Pawtucket, and on a snowy day like today, the north light comes in soft and fluffy.

My studio is broken up into different areas to accommodate my process.

Shown above is my slip casting area. The original shapes I either throw on a wheel or carve out of plaster. I then make 3-10 molds from the original. I pour porcelain slip into the molds, aiming at a delicate thickness.

This is where I glaze the pieces after they have been bisque fired. I mix my own glazes, it gives me greater control over finish and color. I would like to experiment with some new glaze formulas over the next few months. Mixing glaze is like following a baking recipe. You can follow the formulas, but then add a little here, or subtract a little there to make it "taste" better. With my glazes I aim for a soft finish, something that will feel great to hold, and juicy color.

I also have a little space for finished product where customers can come and browse. It's the very beginnings of a "store". But one has to start somewhere.

doing my own thing

This is my second week of being freed from full-time employment at a corporation. It still feels amazing and liberating. Today was the perfect day. I got to my studio around 10am, poured a bunch of bowls for an order my friends Matthew and Agnethe requested, then did a little graphic design for a client.

Around 11am a woman I met at the RISD alumni sale stopped in with her mom to take a look at what pieces I have left after the sales. Her name is Marina and she is from Russia, too. It was pretty great speaking Russian with her and her mom, I don't get to do it that often. Marina walked away with two large organic bowls as well as requesting some custom items. Now that I am doing ceramics full time, I am able to fill custom orders quickly. Marina's will be ready next week.

I love selling my ceramics, which makes me feel that I should open a store some day. It's so satisfying when someone wants to purchase a piece I made. I love the wrapping up of the thing, and placing it in a bag, and putting a gleena sticker on the bag. Every part of the trasaction is highly enjoyable.

I also love talking to my customers, and asking them if they use the items they purchase from me. Many repeat customers say they use it every day, which makes me very happy. My ceramics looks fragile, but it's very durable. Porcelain is one of the strongest materials out there, really. In my home and studio I use my bowls and cups every day, and though I wash them in the dishwasher, they don't chip. How is that for a sales pitch?

Anyway, my dream is to open a ceramics and flower shop. There, it's out in the universe, let's see how long it takes me to realize it.