Girl from the Town of Ceramics

As an immigrant to this country of Canada, I have never been particularly patriotic towards my home country or culture.  While familiar with the food, tradition and general culture of the region of  Poland, there was more encouragement to amalgamate or become part and a representation of Canadian culture as opposed to that of our home country.

In many ways it made sense to take upon the culture of the country to which we have come to live as opposed to holding on to a culture of the past, a culture which had represented a great deal of cultural upheaval.

As a student of archaeology, I learned about the importance of the role of the pottery pieces and  our ability to examine shards of them in order to identify changes within ancient cultures.  Pottery has been often utilized as a means of measuring the start of or end to a time period.  As well, pottery also  often documented outside influence(s), such as invading cultural influences, trade with different cultures and/or changes within a culture in and of itself.

Kelley who does the topic more justice than I feel I ever could at this moment in time) of Never a Dull Day in Poland is an American expatriate living in Poland and has done a fairly extensive and relatively recent post (2013) of her adventures within and experience(s) of  Boleslawiec and the lower Silesian region here and an historical post that's a little bit more in depth here.   But enough of the **academic blah, blah, blahs for today.

...We're talking imagination and inspiration...'Cause you know that's how this blog rolls...

* Peacock Pattern 

  While always having know of the prevalence of the pottery, and being given a few pieces by way of my grandmother over the years, I had never really took an interest the pottery, until that is a few days ago.

I was out and about and saw a sign in a shop window advertising that they sold ceramics from the Boleslawiec region, see: Distinctly Tea, I wandered in noticing that they carried stoneware ceramics from my home town and I became curious to see the extent to their collection.  I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered was that there was an entire wall, and several tables dedicated to ceramics from the Silesian region. 

 * 1. Blue Daisy Design 2. Shelves of Boleslawiec Pottery 3. Official seal of authenticity 4. City Centre Boleslawiec Photo here. 5. Peacock Pattern Design

While wandering and being overwhelmed by the beautiful and somewhat bohemian designs of the ceramics, the feeling swept over me that I wanted to purchase a piece for myself.  Out of all of the choices which you see on the shelves the choice was vast, I was drawn to the mug on the left, the so called blue daisy design. These mugs are popular and believe it or not, like any designer item (as these are often considered to be), fakes abound.  I contacted my resident certifier of ceramics aka mom, who had once apprenticed at the ceramics factory in Boleslawiec where the stoneware is made.

In the video you may see how the artist gains their inspiration and how the ceramics from start of finish are based upon the artist's inspiration.

If like me you are keen and curious about how all things are inspired, and the journey they take to becoming a reality, and if you're super super curious, nerdy and/or studious about the process check out this:

I think or at least I've found my life, that things (i.e. people books and in this case pottery), find you when you're ready for them. Even though I was always interested in cultural history, it was my own cultural history to a great extent which I have been denying.

As  I get older, and as I find that I am losing connection with the sources of culture information (i.e. grandparents), considering it a bit more closely I found that the mug was perhaps a moment of inspiration, to reconnect with my cultural heritage or to incorporate it a little more reality in my day to day life, perhaps in In a very nostalgic sense through way of pottery. But this is all in retrospect, of course.

At the time, all I knew is that I wanted to take one of the mugs home.  Once I found the appropriate contender (see the mug above), and having received the "official" go ahead, being called a 'silly girl' on top of it, (I care not, say what you wish), I scooped it up and ecstatically carried this mug away to it's new home. 

 As I type this, and reflecting on the day's adventures  enjoying a hot chocolatey cup of spicy hot chocolate, I hope that you're also keeping warm on this very snowy evening.

X,

MWiktoria



* Photos of products taken by Marta Komar for MWiktoria blog, this is not a sponsored post.  Pottery, teas, and the like may be found at Distinctly tea locations.
 **(Pssst, if you really like the academic twist you can always, and I would encourage you to check out the 'Museum of Ceramics in Boleslawiec)

Baby It's Cold Outside

Gizzy: "Are you ready for this?" Me: "Yeah I'm ready!...I'm not ready, I'm not ready, I'm not ready!"

This  was my response to the 'blowing snow', that I had found myself  slowing moving through, on a freezing Monday night in January through   two sets of glass doors, steadily moving away from the warmth and comfort of the indoors to venturing into the cold abyss after a watching the weather wreaking havoc outside of the window all day.  It was early evening, and it was necessary to leave in order to at least try and make it home in one piece.

At a pace of...well, that no way would've, could've or should've outpaced a snail, we made our way precariously through a wintery like sandstorm of epic proportions. 

While we drove at a crawl, well, she drove,  I tried to look out for potential dangers which may befallen us, the mild winters of Southern Ontario to which I would daresay we had all become accustomed, were a distant memory. In case you were wondering, we made it...or did we?

[insert dramatic suspenseful music].

Living in Canada, it seems that to individuals abroad, there is a prevalent stereotype  that all Canadians are accustomed to living in Igloos, frolicking with polar bears and "Eskimo" kissing.  Granted Canada is a vast expanse of land, for the most part the regions which are the coldest are often not inhabited with the majority of the Canadian population is located in the southern most geographical region(s).  Meaning most of us live very similarily to residents of the United States of let's say for point of reference, New York City.

Source: http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/as-sa/97-550/vignettes/img/map-2006-pop-density-canada-sz01-en.gif

  

The weather we're used to...is well, for the past five to six years has been...the poor man's winter, as opposed to the winter wonderland one might envision when daydreaming of winter Canadian style. This year, was the year that winter decided to sucker punch North America with its full force of cold weather.  It seemed that everyone in some way shape or form experienced changing weather pattens of the dramatic kind.  Poking around the internet a teeny-tiny bit, suggests that the dramatic change in temperature earlier this week had to do something to do with the shifting jet-stream? Global warming? Polar shift? 

I'm sure there are perfectly reasonable scientific explanations, theories and conspiracies for global shifting weather patterns.  My body decided to go into survival mode.  With the drop in temperature, I cursed modern day grooming habits and the evolutionary lack of fur present upon my human form, I put on the heat as high as it would go dressed in layers and enviously watched Lily the cat frolic in her unabashed fur covered nakedness. This would be a good point at which to mention, that I do not generate my own body heat, I steal everyone else's.

As The weather moved away from the aesthetic of weather representative of a winter wonderland, and had become representative of a 'deep freeze', I went into survival mode.  Yet instead of hoarding, akin to Macaques relaxing within the hot-springs, the mission which I had bestowed upon myself was one of finding that same warming relaxation.  I found that in my need to escape the cold I was drawn to items which I believe are representative of comfort, warmth and in a very modern and digital sense I took to the internet. I found was that I was drawn to layers, knit textures, warming beverages and sweet indulgences.

1. Macaque in Japanese hot spring.  Here. 2. Pine trees. Here 3.  Knit layering. Here 4. Morning Coffee. Here 5. Strawberry Smores or one's of your choosing. Here 6. Icelandic Sweater Here 7. Mexican Hot Chocolate Here 8. Fair-isle chevrons cowel Here 9. Inspirational fire-side. 10. Bedded Bliss. Here 11. Embracing the Cold. Here

The things that I found drawn to were the things that I found that I, for the most part, sought protection against the cold.  Warming, comforting and indulgent.  All of these little bits and pieces I believed would help me stave off the sometimes harsh cold. At least for a time.  As I became accustomed to the idea of potentially being thrown into another ice age, I also found that I slowly came to embrace the cold.  Some of the images above harken to this change in attitude towards the cold.  If anything, the ostentatious change in weather patterns of the January cold reminded me of the tremendous impact weather has upon all of us.

The temperature drop also reminded me how fortunate most of us are to be able to have access to all of little indulgences in order to help us through months of cold.  One of the indulgences which always helps to remind me of the beauty of the cold is the song 'Olsen Olsen' by the Icelandic band Sigur Rós.

Finally, these are just my thoughts on the cold.  I would be curious to know how you handle the cold.  Do you embrace its bite, or do you attempt to create a nest of warmth and relaxation?

X,

MWiktoria