Just one to show for 2012 - polymer clay box

I made several boxes or glases with polymer clay (Fimo classic) as gifts for christmas. They take some time to make, every single one, but I just love the details and how they look. But being stressed at that time (christmas, work and Rumpel and me moving together) I only managed to take some fast picture of one of all the boxed made. One... I just realized this after christmas ^^ 

I made them in different colours and sizes, adding some glas nuggets and beads in some of the surfaces...

..and stamped with metal stamps (stamps used for book printing) the year 2012 on top. I also didn't manage to make on for myself. Even if my first idea was to create one every year with the date included just to see how my methods and style will evolve during time. And being in south corea at the moment I don't have any possibility to make one now. The apartment from the university in which I can stay is really great and has a very high technical standard but it misses an oven. They don't use them here... so no clay work for me until coming back!

And just to mention it again: I really prefer working with fimo classic over fimo soft. Especially for structures and stamping techniques the classic is firmer and holds the details way better than the soft version. The colours are different thought but still using so many layers of acrylic colours and metal paints there is not much left of the original colours anymore ^^

Critters at the hotel (Jeju island, south corea)

The hotel at Jeju island was really beautiful and also a little bit over the top but in a way that made me smile. The service was perfect, as well as the food and everything else. I don't like to go around an expensive hotel (with a Louis Vitton and similar shops inside) and take pictures. But seeing the critters I just had to! :)

On the streets: Critters (Gwangju, South Corea)

See the little ants? I was on my way home after my first evening (after my first few hours!) in gwangju. I was invited for my first dinner in a restaurant which prepared and served traditional corean food. They asked me in advance what I would like to try and therefor they chose this restaurant for me. It was so great! There were so many different kinds of vegetables, of seafood and also meat, of sauces and soups.  There was also nothing which was too hot! Spicy, oh yes, really spicy! But only for the moment of taste, there is no burning afterwards! I was introduced into the people I will work together for the next time. It will really be an exchange, because there are things, tips and tricks, which I brought with me and also there are the same things I will learn here. This is a nice balance to give and receive at the same time and I believe this will be a good basis for working together. 

The ants seem to belong to this art studio! lack on the walls and white on the ground. 

It just made me smile to find such thoughtful street art on my first evening at the other side of the world (for me ^^). 

On my way to south corea...!

...or rather: My first life sign! Because I'm already here since tuesday evening (corean time, what would be +8 hours to germany). The last days were so full of meeting new people, so many new impressions and so much to do! I really fell so welcome by everybody! 

This is the plane waiting in frankfurt (Main, germany) which took me to Seoul, Gimpo, south corea. 10.30 h but the fly back will be even longer (11.45 h) because it will be with and not against earth rotation. Most of the time it was dark outside. Except for the last one or two hours when we were above china... over the gobi desert. It was such a stunning view! I was not able to take pictures because my camera was not able to handle this bright view: The sun above snow and ice. In every direction you could only see white. The snow was covering everything. There was nothing else than snow. Such a strange view, even perfect for a science fiction film like "ice planet" because it also looked so strange. Nothing was there to hold the view. No wood, nothing manmade, no mountains, no sea... just plain white snow. Often the snow formed interesting structures due to the wind. 

From Seoul the way went to Gwangju, where I will live the next two months. I am situated in an apartment owned by the university. I will share it with a PhD student (I know him because he works in a group of a friend of me in leipzig) but at the moment I am still on my own. Just some first impressions from the apartment (I will take more as soon as the weather is better). 

And the view outside the apartment (to the back). Also I will change this with better fotos. You see how cloudy it was and also with a lot of fog around us. We are quite high! But it is so nice to have forest and mountains around you! And don't forget: It is also winter time in south corea!

More over the next days, because I also already was on Jeju island which is a unesco world heritage site and also listed as one of the seven new natural world wonders. But at first I have to go through the pictures and also get more used to some corean words. Up until now I can only say hello and thanks and that is not enough! ^^