Wednesday, March 30, 2016

I'M SEEING SPOTS

Looking as much like a chawan as possible this yuteki-temmoku guinomi is by master of iron glazes, Kimura Morikazu. The rich, densely spotted surface engulfs the form and as with many really good guinomi, without a scale reference, the form could easily pass for a chawan, the trick is all in the proportions at which Morikazu obviously excells.  What is particularly interesting or curious depending on your perspective is that the size of the spots seems to cluster in bands around the guinomi which you can easily see on the inside, from small to large to small to larger again. I thought this helped define the volume of the piece both inside and out and made for an added bonus to the overall yuteki appearance. I have seen a wide array of pottery from Kimura Morikazu and whether large or small, chawan or guinomi, I am rarely disappointed and love finding the little details, points of distinction within the pottery that separates his work from the rest of the field.