Vera Tamari by Rana Anani

Transience Set in Clay

A meeting with Ramallah artist Vera Tamari

by Rana Anani

I met Vera Tamari in her modest studio in Ramallah and began by asking her whether she had a specific idea in her mind before she started working or whether she allowed the clay spontaneously to mold her creativity.

"Before I start working, " she said, "I always have a subject that's been crystallizing in my mind for a long time. It will have come from certain impressions I have had in my daily life. I let it float in my mind until the idea settles. Occasionally I'll draw preparatory sketches for the work I'm going to do, so that I will have a clear idea of where I'm going. But I usually choose a subject that needs to be treated from various angles, in other words, something that I can tackle through a series of works.

"Recently, two subjects have particularly interested me. The first are paintings inspired by the natural landscape in Palestine, hills, trees and grass. I usually concentrate on texture and liveliness, and try to reflect these in my work. The second subject I'm interested in now is family portraits. I've been looking for old photographs of my family from the twenties and thirties, when they lived in Jaffa. I try to create works that reflect the spirit of that period, but through my own eyes.

"I don't look at these old photographs in a conventional way. I try to see something tin the spirit and atmosphere of the picture that will reflect the true warmth that existed between the members of the family. Families used to sit all poker-faced in front of that modern contraption, the camera. I can't help thinking how there are intimate ties between the people, yet one-dimensional expressions presented to the camera. So I don't draw the sitters' faces - it's not relevant to know whether this is my father, brother, uncle, or even me.

"The idea came to my mind as a result of the feeling that we lack the family atmosphere these days, and the large extended families we had have been scattered throughout the world. My mother has often talked to me about how close-knot was our family in the past. But we don't seem to have that closeness nowadays. Sometimes they would all meeting together in family gatherings, and I've tried to record those moments. In a sense I felt I was putting myself in touch with that past family existence. So far, I've done eight or nine works on this subject.

"Usually I make the people in the colors of the natural clay, but I'll color the background. This seems to give a suitable atmosphere.

"So as to include elements other than just wood and clay, sometimes I make the frame part of the painting. I might do this more and more in the future. In one of my recent works, I used wood and other natural materials, like twigs and grass. I add these to the work once it has been substantially completed. In other works representing scenes from nature I use old broken pieces of clay that I've collected.

"As to the way I prepare clay, I insert a large piece of clay into the wooden frame and work it until it fills the whole area. This is a tiring process that needs a lot of hard work and kneading. the clay must be even and moist. It's like bread dough, but heavier and harder. Then I start making the figures. Gradually, the idea starts to emerge. Then I begin to add decoration and detail.

"Throughout this stage, I maintain the dampness of the clay, and cover it so that it will not be exposed to sun or draughts. Usually the paint takes a week to dry. So it's a slow and difficult process. Sometimes, I envy painters because their work doesn't demand the time that mine does.

"After the piece is completely dry I remove it from the frame and fire it. I always try to fire several pieces in the oven at the same time, to make full use of the heat of the oven. The pieces need to be fired for several hours, and a day to cool. only then can I begin to paint them.

"The subjects I tackle in my clay plaques, particularly propel, have an intimate nature, so it would not work to make then large; they would lose their meaning. I usually take the idea from a photograph, enlarging it slightly. But if it becomes too large it loses its meaning. Besides, large clay items have a tendency to fracture during firing. My studio is small too. But having said all that, I do wish that I could work on larger pieces.

"I've never tried, for example, to make public statues. My largest works are clay jars. They are closer to the idea of sculpture. I have also done some murals, one in the Notre Dame Center in Jerusalem. I've also been commissioned to create small wall decorations in some houses, and have continued to use clay for that. I think it's effective mounting these pieces on a utilitarian background. One thing complimenting the other. When I have enough time I'll continue with that.

"The clay I use is, of course, imported. I have to fetch it from Tel Aviv. It comes either from America or Holland. I prefer it to local clay because it doesn't need sifting or purifying. It also has the ability to withstand high oven temperatures without fracturing. It has a good deep ochre color, whereas local clay is very pale, almost white. I prefer darker colors.

"Imported clay is machine processed, so it always has a consistent quality, but local clay need a lot of extra preparation and attention.

"In a sense the pottery industry here is in its infancy - if we're not speaking of the traditional village pottery which has its own heritage, made by women who instinctively know how to make balanced and harmonious jars. They also know how to decorate and apply natural colors. This tradition was very beautiful, but unfortunately it's dying out. But a pottery department has been opened in Al-Tireh College, so that young women will now be trained in this.

Vera Tamari comes from an artistic family. Her brother Vladimir is a creative artist, and her sister Tania Nasser is a singer. They were all brought up in a climate of interest in music, literature and visual art. Vera studies fine arts at Beirut Girls College, before going on to study ceramics in Florence, supplemented by courses in Britain and Japan.

She took a masters degree in the History of Art and Islamic Architecture at Oxford, and now teaches those subjects at Birzeit University. She has exhibited in Baghdad ('Arab Women Artists, 1980) and in Jerusalem in 1986 contributed to the first Palestinian feminist exhibition. She also contributed to the British Museum publication, The Palestinian House.

[22 November 1996]

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