HAPPY NEW YEAR

I just wanted to take a moment and wish everyone, in each and every time zone, a very Happy New Year.

Illustrated is the aftermath of some spirited pottery debauchery in which the Hagi chawan by Miwa Kyuwa XI was neither stained nor damaged. This photo was staged by a trained professional and I do not recommend you try this at home.

(Photo courtesy of a deranged and somewhat eccentric, private collector.)

SETTLED IN

Illustrated is a  Bizen mizusashi by veteran Bizen potter, Masamune Satoru (d. 2006). The surface is a diaphanous blend of hi-iro and flashed ash deposited on the pot with areas of shadowed resist creating halo like effects. This is another one of those pots who's charm derives from the posture and baring of the piece, it gives one the sense that it is all settled in and just ready to be used. Though high fired, this mizusashi gives the impression that it has a softness to the piece, a product of the rolling curves created when the pot was first thrown and then subjected to the  scrutiny of  the fire.

LAST KILN FOR 2011

I fired off what will most likely be the last firing of 2011, last week. I can't really complain about the results, 99% of the pots came out meeting my expectations or better. The few last minute orders were packed and shipped out, with most arriving in time for the holidays. The kiln had a wide variety of pieces from serving bowls and plates, covered jars, vases and the ever present teabowls and yunomi. 

Illustrated is a  teabowl that has been hanging around for several months. It has white slip with vertical bands of grey and black slip over and I finally decided to glaze it up in the my clear and saffron glazes. I was pleasantly surprised with the results as the glazes created areas of grey-green and blue-black under the saffron surface. The second illustration is of a partridge feather and saffron glazed yunomi with a rather runny surface and the two varying glazes contrast well together. Neither of these where planned out, both just sort of happened as I was rushing to get pots glazed. Sometimes it is the "no-thought" approach that yeilds something new and worth

pursuing.

"The truth of a thing is the feel of it, not the think of it." Stanley Kubrick (1928-1999)

SEASONS GREETINGS

كل عام وأنتم بخير
祝圣诞节快乐
Glædelig Jul og Godt Nytår
Prettige feestdagen
Bula Vinaka
Hyvää Joulua ja Onnellista Uutta Vuotta
Joyeuses fêtes
Frohe Feiertage!
uoo”kZ dh ‘kqÒdkeuk;sa 
Gleðilega hátíð 
Buone Feste
メリー クリスマス
즐거운 연휴 되시길 바랍니다 
 Linksmų švenčių!
God Jul og Godt Nytt År
تبریکات فصلی
 Boas Festas
Crăciun fericit 
Felices fiestas 
Tilokotfo taKhisimisi
God Jul och Gott Nytt År 
I apologize for the myriad of languages I have missed, but the sentiment stands, where ever you are reading this from.

For those so inclined, here is the best rendition of T'WAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS as read by Basil Rathbone (1942), it is worth a listen. Don't bother watching the video, just listen to the reading. It is by far my favorite version of this Christmas classic and I have been listening to it for decades.

HIKIDASHI

Up today is another excrutiatingly short video of the hikidashi (pulled out) technique at the Shigaraki anagama of Sawa Kiyotsugu and Sawa Katsunori (seen in the video). Hikidashi is used in Shigaraki to freeze the bidoro glass over the surface of the pot. This is accomplished by the quick cooling once the pot is snatched out of the kiln creating the rich glassy surfaces. Hikidashi is a technique most commonly used in Raku-yaki, Seto-Guro (Hikidashi-Guro) and Shigaraki, though its use is ever expanding to other styles and traditions. Currently there are a number of potters also using the hikidashi technique for Shino; Kumano Kuroemon is at the forefront of that movement which accounts for the wonderful pale jade-green ash surfaces on some of his pots. When all is said and done, there is nothing more exhillerating than pulling a 2300 degree pot out of a fiery kiln to get the heart pumping. It is unlike any other experience in making ceramics.

A CAUTIONARY TALE

It all started with the click of a button, or should I say, it didn't start. At issue is my ongoing battle with technology, which many or us, myself included, have become dependant on. As I set about to start my computer (PC) last week, I pushed the button and nothing happened. Like a bad starter, the computer was simply not going to co-operate. After a series of phone calls, the culprit was diagnosed, the mother board fried and the power supply had simply given up on our aged computer. The "experts" concluded that the repair would far exceed the value of the old PC and buying a new one would simply be smarter and more economical.

At this point, I wasn't too worried, though a bit anxious as I had just last week, backed up my important data to my external hard drive. We went out and bought a new PC tower and set about getting it up and running, when the gliches began to appear. The new PC runs on Windows 7, all our old stone age software is just obsolete, so off to buy new software. At this point, I am still more annoyed than worried. We now set about installing all the necessary software and low and behold, all would seem to be fine. My primary concern at this point is to move all my documents, data and misc. picture files to the new computer, I attach the external hard drive to the new PC and "what to my wondering eyes should appear", well actually, nothing! Since the external HD was a different operating system, there was nothing there, or rather the new refused to acknowledge the old (ain't that the way!). Now I am worried. I have a wide array of articles,hundreds of pages of notes about pottery and paintigs, my blog notes and posts, all of my Trocadero descriptions and pictures and a variety of other data that is irreplacable.

I scramble and make some more phone calls, more like desperate pleas and am told, for a tidy price (per hour) all of my HD data can be retrieved, but it is a techy and tricky process. In the midst of this debacle, we find our way to S-Mart (Shop smart, shop S-Mart) and out of the set-in desperation I feel, I decide to query the electronics guy about my situation. Turns out, he is rather computer literate and tells me, the fix is simple, go to a particular big electronics store and buy a hard drive docking station and provided the HD is fine, you can retrieve all of the data. Off to the electronics store to buy the last eSATA+ USB 2.0 docking station. It is a simple device, with even simpler set-up and as soon as I push the button, the HD whirls and whines to life and our new PC reads it as an external HD. Several hours later, all of my data is retrieved, with a new back up on the original external HD.

I realize for most people, this computer stuff is rudimentary and even rather simple, but for a guy who spends his days working with clay and experimenting with glaze alchemy, this was somewhat daunting to say the least. I wrote this to act as a cautionary tale, when even backing things up routinely isn't always enough. My new back-up regiment will also include burning important documents and files to data dvds once a week as well. I guess at the end of the day, alls well that ends well.

"It is a good thing to learn caution from the misfortune of others." Publilius Syrus (Lived during the First century B.C.)

INTERSECTIONS

"Any intellectually conceived object is always in the past and therefore unreal. Reality is always the moment of vision before the intellectualization takes place. There is no other reality."  Robert Pirsig (b.1928)

Illustrated is a porcelain teabowl with an etched design under my haiyu glaze. The design, though similiar to the "landscapeman" design is in fact based on a drawing on a chalkboard in a scientists office from a 1950's science-fiction movie. The design always reminded me of two solar systems or universe intersecting and the resulting shockwave that occurs when this would happen. It would seem to be a good fit under the flowing and iridescent effects of the haiyu glaze.

SENTINEL

Illustrated is a very large and bold Iga vase by one of my favorite contemporary Iga potters, Kojima Kenji.  Standing sentinel, this is a very gestural piece, though it has a monumental presence and the interaction between clay and fire has created a very evocative surface. Between the rich fire red hi-iro and areas of ash and bidoro, the pot is swept in a variety of changing tones and effects.  Though very decidedly Iga, or possibly Ko-Iga, this vase shows the influences of Bizen pottery, which is where Kojima served his early pottery apprenticeship. I see this in a lot of his earlier works and occassionally, even now, some elements of Bizen-yaki creeps into his pottery. I think at the end of the day, when you are dedicated to producing medieval style works, there will always be some general overlap between many of the ancient Roku-koyo and I think this pot admirably displays the cross currents of the older, medieval wood fired traditions.

"We perceive and are affected by changes too subtle to be described." Henry David Thoreau

YUME (NO) HI

To anyone that frequents my blog, it will come as no surprise that though I love all kinds of pots, I hold a special place for wood fired pottery, particularly Shigaraki and Iga. Through a number of trips to Japan, including a stay in Asanomiya, outside of Shigaraki to study, our base of operations was Kyoto so that we could take a number of day trips to both Shigaraki and Iga to see the pottery and potters there. With treks to visit Kohyama Yasuhisa, Furutani Michio, Honiwa Rakunyu, Tani Seiemon, Takahashi Rakusai and Shunsai, Otani Shiro and others, my exposure to wood fired pottery cemented itself above all others.

Among my favorite contemporary Iga and Shigaraki potters is Kishimoto Kennin (b. 1934). Kishimoto is truly one of the renaissance potters who has specialized in very controlled and exacting Iga firings for many years. In addition to his Iga wares, Kishimoto has worked and mastered a wide array of pottery styles, including; Oribe, Iga-Oribe, Shino, Ki-Seto, celadon and several others. Having first started working in the early 1950’s, he has had a number of years to study and perfect each style along the way, though his kannyu celadon and Iga works are among his best in my opinion. From my perspective, his celadon and Iga pots rarely disappoint and each one unique in its presentation, they all have something rather profound to say.

Illustrated is a large and generous Iga chawan by Kishimoto Kennin. The way in which the form is articulated, mimics the contours of the lip creating an inviting and gestural bowl that truly begs to be handled. The form together with the blend of ash and hi-iro is the paint the canvas needed to complete the chawan. One of Kishimoto’s real talents is creating pots and masterfully firing which animates the keshiki, landscape of the pot to best highlight the form and the marks of the potter. Kishimoto Kennin is a potter who very skillfully paints with fire.

You can see more pictures of this chawan here;
http://www.trocadero.com/albedo3studio/items/1116136/item1116136store.html#item

SOUNDTRACK

It is a rather busy day of packing, shipping and misc. running around today, so I thought I would share this iconic, cultural nugget from 1983; SONG FOR A FUTURE GENERATION by the B-52s. If you are a fan of 80s music, it doesn’t get any better than this and on a personal note, I have made more pots to the B-52s than possibly any other music I can think of, it is my soundtrack to making pottery. I know, how does that speak to my character?



Enjoy!

A FLARE FOR THE DRAMATIC

Just recently, I was fortunate to be able to study a wonderful tsubo by Tokoname legendary potter, Osako Mikio (1940-1995). This tsubo was truly the embodiment of the medieval tradition of Tokoname and was the epitome of simplicity, strength and grace. Osako Mikio, together with his teacher, Ezaki Issei and fellow student, Takeuchi Kimiaki, ushered in a rebirth of medieval Tokoname styled pottery, re-establishing the idiom and tradition. The trio borrowed from the past to re-establish a contemporary Tokoname, the oldest of the 6 ancient kiln sites, Roku-koyo

Using cues from old Sueki wares, Sanage-yaki (glazed medieval pottery) and the yakishime pottery fired in large O-gama which fired to 1300 degrees c., Osako carved out a vital niche in Tokoname pottery. He arrived at ceramics late in life, starting to study with Ezaki Issei at the Tokonmane ceramic Research Center in 1968 and staying with his teacher until he built his first kiln in 1982. Known for his yakishime and ash glazed pottery, Osako won a number of prestigious awards including including first prize at the International Ceramics Exhibition in Vallauris.

Osako Mikio, who came late to ceramics, left well too soon at 55 years of age. His profound understanding of wood firing, post firing and pottery in general was exceptional and his forms and surfaces are mature beyond his years of experience. A fitting quote by Dr. Frederick Baekeland from the catalogue; MODERN JAPANESE CERAMICS IN AMERICAN COLLECTIONS, sums up the true nature of the potter and his pots; “The strong, conventional potting and rich sobriety of Osako’s ceramics appeal to the modern taste and accords well with the aesthetic canons of the tea ceremony.”

Illustrated is a meihin (masterpiece) tsubo by Osako Mikio made in 1982, the year he built his anagama and won the Vallauris prize. It borrows strongly from the ancient Sueki pottery found in Tokoname and has a spectacular ash surface composed of both applied ash and natural ash (shizen) that formed while the pot was wood fired in a Tokoname style anagama kiln. The fullness of the pot, culminating in the wide, flared neck puts me in mind to one of those timeless pots, born of the medieval tradition, yet executed in the modern day. Measuring about 12” x 14”, it is a pot of nobility and purpose and among the finest pots by Osako Mikio, I have ever seen


(Courtesy of a private collector)

HOPELESSLY INFLUENCED

Ever so often I think back to all those years in front of the TV looking for forms to “recreate”. One of the shows that was a constant influence was the genie’s bottle from I DREAM OF JEANNIE (1965-1970). It has a definte graceful form and scale and the fact that Barbara Eden lived inside, didn’t hurt my recollection of the bottle either. Since I began making pottery, the genie bottle has worked its way into my vocabulary of forms, from the near identical copy to bottles loosely based on the idea.

Illustrated is a recent genie’s bottle form, about 13” tall with a series of rings around the form and decorated in my temmoku and medieval green glazes. Where the sharp angles are created, the glaze pools around the mouth and body forming think green glass, very much like bidoro. As far as my pottery goes, quite a bit of my work is hopelessly influenced by television and movies with a keen interest in turning the 2-dimensional images into 3-D reality.

ROZOME

It has been a while since I have worked in the style I refer to as rozome. I tend to go off with something new and many times, forget the established style until an order, inquiry or commission comes my way. Now for those wondering why I use the term rozome, mostly associated with wax resisted fabrics that was actually where the idea came from many years back while strolling the streets of Kyoto. We saw an exhibit and demonstration of rozome and I was immediately drawn to the directness and immediacy of the process. The actual term for wax resist on ceramics is ronuki, of which Kawai Kanjiro was the undisputed master of the 20th century. The other reason I have stuck with the term rozome is that once the wax is applied, the “background” color is then applied, much the way in which I work; this is applied to the raw clay with slips and wax allowing the heat of the bique kiln to remove the wax. I know the same can be said for ronuki as well. In the end, toe-may-toes, toe-mah-toes.

Illustrated is a stoneware rozome influenced jar and shallow wall bowl both with spirali e tagli designs under my medieval green glaze.

THE ROCK ON IPTV

For those that have not seen the documentary, THE ROCK OF ST IVES, here it is, in three parts posted up on Youtube. Though certainly not in HD, the grainy video, often with poor sound is still an outstanding testament to Bernard Leach and the movement around him including footage of Hamada Shoji, Michael Cardew and David Leach. Well worth a watch and a great insight into a potter and pottery of the period.

THAT INCURABLE SPARK

“Book collecting is an obsession, a disease, an addiction, a fascination, an absurdity, a fate. It is not a hobby. Those that do it, must do it.” Jeanette Winterson (b. 1959)

I have been fascinated with this quote by acclaimed British writer, Jeanette Winterson. It is an insightful and very accurate perspective of the psyche of a collector, not necessarily a book collector, but any collector who has that spark, a passion for what objects they surround their lives with to nourish the mind and spirit. For me, this quote could have started out by saying; “Pottery collecting”. Over time, making pottery and living with pots has become an obsession and this obsession does not necessarily bow to reason or logic, it is an incurable spark. The owning of pots is not for me the end all of the obsession, rather it is wanting those specific pots around to study, to learn from, to converse with and maintain a meaningful dialogue with. Living with pots is the important part, the ownership is secondary as no one can really own anything, at some point, it gets passed along. It is the time you spend with these objects and what they do to help you maintain a truer path in life that is important and each and every successive owner will learn their own lessons from each object they enter into the dialogue with.

Illustrated is a large, O-Tsubo by Karatsu veteran potter, Nakatsuka Takaya. Tell me, what is not to be obsessed with?

BACKFIELD IN MOTION

I like Bizen pottery, probably as much as the next guy, but the one thing about it is at a certain level, much of the pottery looks about the same. Much of Bizen appears to be the same forms, same surfaces with very little to distinguish it from other potters and kilns. Enter a select group of Bizen potters who never fail to disappoint or impress with their exceptional knowledge of firing, wonderful forms and great and varied surfaces. One potter who fit into this group was Ningen Kokuho Fujiwara Yu (1932-2001). Though a lot of his work is on the very pragmatic end of Bizen-yaki, Fujiwara Yu is best known for his well fired tsubo and hanaire, some of which have withstood the extreme crucible of wood firing.

Illustrated is a truly exceptional hanaire by Fujiwara Yu. The surface is alive baring witness to the extremities of the firing; the ash is suspended in motion as if someone just hit the pause function on the remote. Obviously fired on its belly, the botamochi areas are surrounded by liquid tamadare runs, some ending in monumental drips of vitrous brown glass. All in all, a rather totemic form with a surface any collector or potter would be more than happy with.

HAPPY THANKS GIVING

I just wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving to everyone out there. I know we (my wife and I) have much to be thankful for, thankful for work, family, friends, pottery and so much more. Also, thank you for visiting my blog. Any thoughts or input is always appreciated.


If you are taking a break from stuffing yourself to the limit, the following “editorial” is worth a read. It comes from potter, Michael Kline’s blog and is a look into a simpatico viewpoint about the “state of simplicity” (copyright!) by veteran potter, Don Pilcher;

http://michaelklinepottery.blogspot.com/2011/10/put-in-my-place.html



Illustrated is asteroid YU55 which recently passed between the Earth and the Moon. In celestial terms, this 1300 ft chunk narrowly missed the Earth through no lack of trying on the part of Klendathu. Despite assurances of astronomers, scientists and news casters (yes, you Brian Williams), I am exceedingly thankful that it missed our little planet.

MAGURO (!)

I am a huge admirer of design from the 1950’s and its spill over in the 1960s. The pottery world was just moving at a million miles an hour during those decades and many great designer and potter made not only a name for themselves, but also left a lasting impact on the field. When I think across the myriad of designer/potters of the period, I constantly go to Kyoto native potter, Shinkai Kanzan. For me, his work is all about movement and fun and you can not help but have some of the positive buzz of his works rub off on you.

Shinkai, born in 1912, made use of a wide array of materials, glazes and decoration, but one style that stands out is his “sprigged” on design work which I associate from the 1950s to 1980s. Throwing stoneware as the basis for his pots, he would then sprig on porcelain decoration encompassing a wide variety of decoration, though birds and fish appear quite often. Using a number of carved stamps, Shinkai would cut out the basic porcelain shape for his design(s) and then impress a wide array of texture to help animate the design prior to sprigging it onto the stoneware surface. He had a profound knowledge of technology and technique and was adept at marrying the two materials together and then glazing them over in a number of different glazes, many being alkaline based glazes.

Illustrated is a close up of a bowl with a sprigged on porcelain fish design with a number of textural stamps being used to bring the piece to life. Though its start was born in the 1950s, this work has a playful and timeless quality that most likely, will stand the test of time.

TIME OF YEAR

I just finished packing a commissioned personalized “utensil jar” with the name of the soon to be owner on it. Personalizing, is one of the advantages of the carved slip or black & white slip trailed work. Once this piece is mailed out tomorrow, I am completely caught up with commissions and orders for the holiday season. Last Friday was the trek to CT to deliver work out to Wesleyan Potters (and to Nick’s a cheeseburger/onion rings) and last Saturday to Syracuse to drop off work at Eureka Crafts and to pick up some clay supplies at Clayscapes. Over the past several weeks, with trips to the post office and UPS, I have either hand delivered or shipped out quite a bit of work for holiday shows, gallery orders or individual orders and commissions. There may still be some odds and ends to finish, but from past experience, mostly smaller pieces (in terra cotta) to contend with, though I do remember a year where on Nov. 21st, I received an order for dinnerware, place settings for eight. Dinner plates, luncheon plates, soup bowls and handled mugs, all in painted terra cotta and needed to arrive before Christmas, that was fun.

Though it feels rather good to be all caught up, this is the period that happens every year in Dec. and Jan., the down time. This is not to say I am not making pots, though the first week usually revolves around cleaning the studio and doing a comprehensive inventory of materials and other supplies. As winter closes in on central NY state (we received about 6” of snow today!), it is important to get any materials I may need that can freeze and freezing temperatures are just around the corner hear. The studio management can only last so long and then back to working on tests and throwing, starting slow with teabowls and moving on to covered jars, teapots and plates. I may be finished with my orders and commissions, but based on the volume of sketches and notes, I am hardly done with what I want to make. Maybe in a lifetime of two, I can finish of what I have yet to do. Iguess the down time doesn’t have much “down” in it, after all.

On a side note, now through Dec. 25 I am offering a 20% discount on any pots made by me (mostly in the #4000 series) on my Trocadero marketplace. Please come by and take a look;

http://www.trocadero.com/albedo3studio/catalog.html

Illustrated is a carved black slip porcelain bowl with a modified bloesem design.

“I feel the greatest reward for doing is the opportunity to do more.” Jonas Salk (1914-1995)

PERFECTION

It is amazing to me that the concept of perfection could be such a broad and nefarious concept that for modern pottery, it could encompass the beautiful porcelain works of a Brother Thomas and the intentionally distorted and even misshapen works of Arakawa Toyozo. How is this possible? Over time, I have come to terms with finding perfection in objects that seem diametrically opposed, but at a conceptual sub-atomic level, in fact have much more in common that it would seem. Both ends of this perfection have spent their lives pursuing the pinnacle of their vision, the one making objects based on recognized archetypes of the classical realm, the other to create objects of organic, contemplative beauty born of the Momoyama era. One may find perfection in the intellect, while the other defines its perfection through emotion. Has either of these failed to reach the lofty perfection of their craft (art)? At either end, it is the refinement of the spirit of these pots that ultimately defines their perfection.


“If a man should happen to reach perfection in this world, he would have to die immediately to enjoy himself.” Josh Billings (Henry Wheeler Shaw 1818-1885)

IPOMOEA NIL

Illustrated is a very Rimpa influenced scroll painting and a pottery platter (hachi) by noted potter Wakao Toshisada (b.1933). Born and working in Tajimi, Gifu Prefecture, Toshisada is one of the truly gifted Mino tradition potters and is exceptionally well known for his Rimpa inspired Shino pottery, a style that goes back to the days of Honami Ko’etsu (1558-1637, Tawaraya Sotatsu (d. 1643?), Ogata Kenzan (1163-1743) and his brother Korin (1658-1716). The water color scroll of a Japanese morning glory (ipomoea nil) is reminiscent of paintings by Sakai Hoitsu (1761-1828) and his student Suzuki Kiitsu (1766-1858) who is particularly well known for his rendition of morning glories. Though it evokes comparisons to older paintings, anyone familiar with his work can see his hand in the portrayal and in the way the image fills the frame of the scroll as if he was thinking of it as a tray or platter.

This illustration of a ceramic hachi by Wakao shows how closely his paintings and pottery go hand in hand. This vivid Rimpa tray is glazed primarily in Nezumi-Shino with areas of iron slip showing through the glaze and painted gold accents to bring the design to life. It is truly wonderful to be able to see the scroll and pot side by side and get a glimpse into a potter’s creative process. Toshisada’s works are an exceptional addition to the Mino tradition and help usher the Rimpa pottery tradition well into the 21st century.

SIMPLE GOALS

“That is what I try to combine in my work; the right clay (Iga clay), the right temperature, the right fuel (wood).” A quote from Iga potter, Kojima Kenji when asked about how to achieve the correct look of Momoyama Iga-yaki.

It is a wonderful thing to have such clarity of vision and such highly thought out, yet simple goals. Kojima Kenji is a masterful potter, who’s modern Iga exudes the presence of the old (Ko-Iga) as well as the spirit of the new. His work is so casual and honest, that it born of his love and conviction to the old while living and thinking in the now.

Illustrated is a simple, yet exceptional Iga chawan by Kojima Kenji. The posture and rhythm of the bowl animate the pot and suspend it in perpetual motion.

“Nothing is more simple than greatness; indeed, to be simple is to be great.” Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

UNE V-CUVETTE

Illustrated is a close-up of a recently fired V-bowl. I am rather fond of this particular form and it is the most thrown object I have made as a potter. Over the years, I have constantly been asked if throwing the same thing over and over again is monotonous, but how can doing something you truly enjoy be anything but fun. This particular v-bowl is glazed in my temmoku with a partridge feather iron glaze trailed over. If you look at the temmoku glaze, the background, you can see that the area is proliferated with small oilspot like effects and where gravity pulls at the trailed glaze, it is forming tendrils which are moving their way into the center of the bowl. You have to love gravity when it comes to glazes, not so much when throwing.

This V-bowl is very similiar to a bowl that I posted a video of me throwing for a previous blog entry. The video can be seen here;
http://albedo3studio.blogspot.com/2011/04/iptv-throwing-v-bowl.html

“Monotany is the law of nature. Look at the monotonous manner in which the sun rises. The monotony of necessary occupations is exhilarating and life-giving.” Gandhi (1869-1948)

HAIKABURI

Illustrated is a magnificent, thrown and squared yohen-haikaburi Shira-Hagi mizusashi by Ningen Kokuho, Miwa Jyusetsu XI (1910- ). Unlike most Hagi-yaki, this monolithic form mizusashi has a wide variety of color and texture from the use of a rich iron slip under the glaze, iron over the glaze and the results of an intense wood firing in which areas of the pot have been covered with ash as well as reducing areas of the underlying slip. As much sculpture as it is tea utensil (chadogu), this pot is a tour de force by Kyusetsu and aptly depicts why the Miwa “dynasty” leads the way among all of Hagi. The real brilliance of this style of pot was succinctly pointed out as having “prioritized form over function” by Miwa Kyusetsu XII (formerly Ryosaku), son of Miwa Jyusetsu (formerly, Kyusetsu XI). Once able to break away from the convention of absolute utility, this body of work has added a new vocabulary to the Hagi tradition. Today, Jyusetsu’s works act as a new, modern archetype for anyone interested in Hagi-yaki.

(From a private American collection)

ANOTHER STARTING POINT

Here are two (okay three) formulas for very nice base glazes (Cone 9/10) that come from Cleveland State University. I am not sure if they originated there, but well before I got there, they were being used as a jumping off point for a variety of glazes by a number of students. I am also including a formula that acts as an approximate substitute for Cornwall Stone. I used the 2001 base more frequently than the 1001 base and was able to come up with a large number of Cone 9 glazes. They are dependable and worth a shot. With the right base glaze, the possibilities are nearly endless.


1001 BASE
Cornwall Stone 75
Whiting 15
Gerstley Borate 10


2001 BASE
Nephaline Syenite 33
Kaolin 15
Whiting 20
Flint 32


CORNWALL SUBSTITUTE (Approximate)
Custer Spar 67
Flint 22
Kaolin 11


Illustrated is a large severely paddled, covered mizusashi form glazed in one or another of the base glaze concoctions that I developed at CSU.


“Results! Why, man, I have gotten lots of results. I know several thousand things that won’t work. “ Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931)

WHAT HE SAID

“Use has many meanings. To hold and use something on a daily basis is one meaning, but display is also another type of use. Will (one of his pieces) be a display piece, or put away as a household treasure, or be physically used as a utensil? That is up to the owner. I try to make pieces that can play any number of roles.” A quote by Matsuzaki Ken from the book BURNING TRADITION


I can’t think of any potter that I know, have met and have read about, that didn’t have exactly this thought about the pots that he/she makes. At the end of the day, how someone uses a pot, is entirely up to them. I have seen mugs used as small planters, tumblers for pencils, pitchers as vases, covered cassorles used to store misc. objects from tacks to keys and I have even seen a Kawai Kanjiro chawan being used as an ashtray (it was rescued from that use!)! The use is all up for grabs and certainly the simple act of displaying a handmade pot is probably the most useful use of them all. The beauty of the handmade on display can only brighten up ones mood and make one’s environment, that much more satisfying. Go ahead, make my day, take a mug out for coffee or tea………….

"Beauty is not caused, it is."  Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)

MONDAY BLUES IV

For a long time I have been interested in making pots that are just on the verge of instability. Through trial and error, I realized that there is a fine line with these leaning pots and if they are ultimately to be functional, there is only so far askew that they can go. In the end, I figured if it works for a famous leaning tower in Italy, it can work in pottery. The two illustrated mugs were thrown round, cut, darted and end up with a distinct lean. The pair is terra cotta with slips and a Persian glaze over. Though neither leans that much, the really interesting part of these is that when filled with liquid, the liquid is level to the surface they stand on and the lips curve down to the contents. It presents a rather fun dimension to the mug and sometimes gives you the feeling the cup is moving. Probably the perfect cup for a different perspective, to start another week.

“I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I am going to be happy in it.” A Quote from the Zen master of innuendo, wit and sarcasm, Groucho Marx (1890-1977)

ELEMENTARY

Over the years, I have certainly watched more than my fair share of movies. From classics to modern action, I have a veracious appitite for the moving image. Among my favorites has always been film noir and the detective films with such notable characters as Philip Marlowe, Sam Spade and Shelock Holmes. I was particularly biased toward the 14 Sherlock Holmes movies made by Basil Rathbone, one of my favorite actors. Little did I know, all those movies would play into my study of pottery and pots.

“Elementary, my dear Watson”, what I am actually getting at is the detective end of things when a Japanese pot shows up at the door in its hastily inscribed wood box and no other information or identification. At the heart of this detective mystery is a modern Japanese chawan in its original box which is signed and sealed, but in this case, by whom? Many an unidentified piece has come my way over the years and trying to identify some of the potters is next to impossible and in fact, some are never identified. The research end of Japanese pottery has always intrigued me and armed with some essential tools, I set about doing the necessary due diligence.

Since the calligraphy on the box is nearly unreadable and the seal is in modified seal script, the first thing I do is translate out the description, which in this case was rather easy; ONI-SHINO CHAWAN. I know have a time reference as the term Oni-Shino originated in the early 1970’s with Tsukigata Nahiko. Next consulting the SHIN SHODO JITEN (a book on the various ways to write kanji), I find the first kanji nearly right away. After a few false starts, I am able to crack the second kanji and now have the GO (art name), in this case; SOSHU. I consult the GENDAI TOGEI SAKA-IYE JITEN only to find out he is not in there or in any of the other conpendiums I have. Well, when I have exhausted all my reference books, there is only one other option, check the internet.

Though I was extremely skeptical that the internet would yield information on what I suspected was an obscure potter, I was happily surprised when I stumbled on a single entry for the only name I had. The potter’s name is Kajiura Soshu (Shintaro), born in 1916. He is from Ichinomiya City in Aichi prefecture and studied with Hayashi Sekko and Kimura Giichi and is known to have been active through the Heisei era. Besides making pottery, he also did calligraphy and paintings. Beyond this info, it is possible to gleen additional info regarding his work, the chawan in question is obviously wood fired, with a level of skill that should indicate familiarity with that style of firing. As mentioned before, this bowl was definitely made after 1972 and indicates another potter working outside the conventional box of modern Shino.

It is very satisfying cracking the who/what/where/when conundrum in regards to Japanese art, but sometimes it is simply a matter of coincidence, happenstance, serendipity, plain old fashioned luck or cosmic confluence that you ever figure out who the artist is (was). This one goes in the win column, case solved.

Illustrated is the chawan in question, by Kajiura Soshu, circa 1975. The bowl is low and broad and the face is covered in naturally occurring wood ash over tetsu-yu and Shino glazes. The most amazing feature of this chawan is how light it is, considering the intensity of a wood firing. Despite its weight, it has not sluped at all with minimal distortion around the lip.

POSTURE

As much as anything about pottery, I love the posture of a good pot. It conveys attitude, mood, presence and purpose. One of the reasons I am particularly fond of Japanese pottery for tea ceremony is that the pots are created to help the narrative of the tea ceremony. They aid in setting the visual tale that a chajin (tea person) wishes to express through their skillful use of pottery, kakejiku and floral arrangement.

The illustrated pot is a predominantly hi-iro Bizen vase by the late Bizen potter; Masamune Satoru also known as Kengo (d.2006). This pot captures the movement of softly thrown clay and conveys an animated spirit and casual and relaxed posture that few can achieve. The neck is next to collapsing, yet made it from greenware to fired pot and compliments the sagging base which was intentionally distorted. The key to any manipulated pot is to have the contrieved appear uncontrieved. This pot succeeds where others may fail.

YES, MORE TESTS

In the first group of my recent tests, I have been working on inlaying glaze into other glazes. I am using wax, latex and masking tape as resists and these tests are using glazes I already know to work, so no surprises beyond the normal. Several of the glazes are crawling away from each other, some are coming out so-so and several are proving to be somewhat promising. In this group there was also an odd result on a saffron glazed yunomi. Using a clear glaze and the saffron glaze, I inlaid a tomato red glaze into the surface. What is odd about the results is that the saffron glaze is rather runny and for some reason, it ran along the edges of the tomato red, as if somehow deflected from the surface. I wasn’t expecting this and am running the same test again to see if this is how these glazes react to one another. It makes for an interesting effect and now I am hoping I can repeat this test. It never fails, one thing really does lead to another. Isn’t testing wonderful?

“I haven’t failed, I’ve found 10,000 ways that don’t work.” Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931)

TORUKO-AO GUINOMI

Illustrated is a sweet Turoku-ao, Persian style guinomi by Kato Kenji (1933-2008). The soft curving bowl shape rests on a perfect pedestal style foot and is decorated with casual and fluid underglaze black decoration under a soda blue glaze. Kato Kenji was a veteran Mino potter who made works in a wide variety of traditional styles, but in my mind, he was a Persian specialist. His Persian styles consisted of this wet, transparent glaze, a thicker, more opague blue glaze and his overglaze enamel decoration in Persian, almost Scythian motifs. Though greatly influenced by various archetypes, Kato Kenji’s pots are readily identifiable as his work. Though modern (20^th century) in exectution, the one thing that Kato captured above all others, is a sense of timelessness. When encountered, there is that lingering question, are these new or are they old?

TESTING; ONE, TWO, THREE

There are times when I wonder if I am a potter, chemist or alchemist. There are also times when I wonder why I am compelled to continue the incessant testing that follows nearly every cycle or so. My current testing is revolving around altering my soda based clear glaze into a variety of “colored” glazes with a focus on trying to produce a nice powder blue Claire de Lune style glaze. So far, the results have been muddy or washed out. It is unfortuneate having a predetermined glaze in mind and falling short of the mark, thus far. It reminds me of a student back at CSU that was trying to “perfect” a green glaze for his anatomical sculpture that he was making. For months pieces would go in the kiln only to be broken when they would come out. After this when on for quite a while, I confronted TB and asked him what was up with all the broken heads? His answer was simple; they didn’t match 100% with what he saw in his mind’s eye. I made it clear, they looked great and NO one else would know they weren’t exactly how he saw them. He stopped breaking them.

The truth is that for me, testing is an essential part of the process. It keeps me thinking and new glazes mean new surfaces and the larger the visual vocabulary, they more I can draw from. Over the years testing has lead to some rather nice glazes and surfaces from oilspot (yuteki) to copper red, a myriad of shino(s), ash glazes, iron glazes and even reduction luster style glazes. Illustrated is a close-up of a tiger stripe yuteki glaze that I came up with by using iron chromate and dark yellow ochre. The truth about testing is that like fishing, you are never sure what you will end up with at the end of the day and some are bound to be keepers.

UN REGALO

“I don’t make pots as a blank canvas for decorating. I consider my glazes as clothing for the pots, you have to accept that clothing for what it is.” Warren MacKenzie

Illustrated is a large “simple” thrown stoneware bowl with temmoku and oatmeal trailed glazes by Warren MacKenzie. The pot is solid and the epitome of functional; it performs its given task well and tells its story while in use, at rest or on display. Warren is truly gifted in the art of understatement, yet the casual and lyrical decoration has a lot to say. The use of a lighter glaze, effortlessly trailed over the temmoku brings the piece to life and infuses it with movement. Truly a remarkable feat, for someone who doesn’t even think of his pots as a canvas.

KORE WA KIYOMIZU-YAKI DESU KA?

Though somewhat less than a dinner and a movie, maybe more like an M&M and a teaser, this short clip is an interesting portrayal of an early 17th century potter at work from the classic movie; MIYAMOTO MUSHASHI SHOWDOWN AT HANNYAZAKA. There were five movie serializations from 1961 to 1965 staring Kinnosuke Nakamura based on the novel by Yoshikawa Eiji (1935). In this series there is also a wonderful glimpse into the relationship between Musashi and Honami Koetsu, sword connoisseur, master potter and arbiter of taste. At one point in the series, Honami Koetsu is showing a commissioned Aka-Raku chawan to the steward of the Hosokawa daimyo, complete with its wood storage box. The devil is certainly in the details in great old films.

In this short scene a potter is at work on the outskirts of the Kiyomizu-dera, an area known for its pottery production to this day. Musashi is known to have taken every opportunity to study master artists and craftsman at work and is shown studying the potters movements, no doubt in an effort to make use of the potters art in his own art, the way of the sword. It is worth a watch as is the entire series of films.



“Study the way of all professions.” From the BOOK OF FIVE RINGS (GO RIN NO SHO) by Miyamoto Musashi

A PLANE IDEA

Starting in the early 90’s, we were fortunate to take a number of trips to Japan. One of the real eye opening experiences that came along with this was the lengthy plane rides that went with getting to and from. Departing from Cleveland or New York, you are able to see the country from a wonderful perspective giving new insights into the heartland as well as such incredible sights as the Grand Canyon and eventually Mount Fuji from 30,000 feet. One outcome of this travel was seeing the farmland of not only the US, but Japan from an entirely new vantage point. The sectioned and furrowed farmland, rivers and roadways painted a wonderful design that I translated into a wide ranging series of designs I refer to as Landscapemen.

I use the Landscapeman design primarily in the tebori carved ware, black and white slipware and the ishime-ji inlaid engobe pottery. The design has a myriad of uses as it is easy to adapt from form to form, from plate to jar and most pots in between. I have enjoyed using it and seeing the design morph as each style and pot are decorated in a somewhat spontaneous manner. The space, form, volume and curve all dictate how the design evolves on each pot. With each new pot, comes a different design. It surely keeps the process from becoming boring.

Illustrated is a mizusashi form; thrown in stoneware and decorated in a grey-black engobe and then has a white engobe inlaid in the incised decoration, the interior is glazed in a clear liner. The design was cut into the stoneware while still wet using a sharp knife made of bamboo. With each turn of the pot, the design changes and presents a different landscape that makes me anxious for my next plane ride!

AM I BLUE

Illustrated for another blue Monday, is a wonderful soft blue celadon koro, incense burner by master renaissance potter; Kishimoto Kennin. This kannyu-seiji-koro is thickly glazed with the ridges having been thinned down to show off iron highlights around the pot, breaking up the celadon surface. The koro measures just shy of 9” tall and was prominently featured in a book on Kishimoto Kennin’s Seiji works.

To round out this Monday, we have the great Hoagy Carmichael and Lauren Bacall duet from the excellent Humphrey Bogart classic; TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT. Short, but sweet, enjoy.


(Illustration used with the permission of a collector.)

MULTIPLES II

I think back to stories from Warren Mackenzie, Bill Klock and Jeff Oestriech discussing the series, multiples of pots they were responsible for while at the Leach Pottery. I have heard this very same thing from a number of potters working with the likes of Hamada Shoji, Shimaoka Tatsuzo and many others. For some potteries, the multiples were the standard ware of the kiln, sometimes impressed with the masters’ seal, other times clearly defined as work of the kiln and not the master. For some potters, especially Hamada, Shimaoka and Kawai, there were a variety of molded pieces, henko, etc. made by the students or specialists which were then later decorated, marked or glazed by the master of the kiln.

I am unsure where I came by the illustrated picture, but it clearly shows Kawai Kanjiro surveying a large grouping of multiples in various stages of completion. To the left are a group of finished pots, most of which are molded forms with iron and clear glazes and various colored underglaze decoration. In the middle of the photo is a group of recently molded greenware pieces, ready to be bisque and then decorated and glazed. The group on the extreme right appears to be a group of bisque molded covered box forms ready to be decorated, glazed and then fired. I have always been fascinated by this photo as it shows Kawai’s multiples in each stage of completion and is one of the few photos of this type that I know of. I guess it is true; you can never have enough of a good thing!

IN PROCESS

I have just finished firing my third kiln load of terra cotta, with quite a number to go. So far, the loss rate and seconds have been minimal, which is always a relief. I fired off a number of medium sized plates (16 to 17 inches), oval bakers, covered serving bowls and misc in several different styles including; IT’s STILL LIFE, ABSTRAKT RESIST, TEBORI and Black & White slip trailed pieces. Making the transition from the high fire stuff to the low fire is a challenge and almost always starts with my making a series of molded tray forms. This is the bridge that gets my mind back to the terra cotta and the challenges it poses in terms of throwing and decorating. It is an entirely different mind set working with color and low fire technology than it is working with stoneware, ash glazes and more earthy surfaces. Now that all the pots are made, decorated, bisque and glazed, all that remains is firing them all.

Illustrated is a small group of my Abstrakt Resist work. The plate is about 17” in diameter and the two oval bakers are about 17” long each. All three are in a “spirali e tagli” design.

CONVERSATION

If every pot and potter has something to say, what does this Tsukigata Nahiko have to tell us? In most of Tsukigata’s Oni-Shino pottery, there is an aggressive battle played out between the glazes and the encompassing fury of the fire. These pots have a masculine, bushi like (samurai) nature dependant on the past, but essentially timeless. The shape of the chawan hovers, raised up on it well addressed kodai, inviting it to be handled and studied. The landscaped surface bares witness to the epic struggle of its fierce battle with the anagama like a badge of honor. I suspect, this chawan has a lot to say, conversant in a differing dialogue with each individual who views it.

As I study this bowl more, I am reminded of the Zen maxim;

SHIKITOKU SUREBA SANGAKU (NO) KOTO OWARU
(“If you grasp this, your study will be complete…………”)

It will be a while before my study is complete.

You can see more pictures of this chawan over on my marketplace website;

http://www.trocadero.com/albedo3studio/items/1102675/item1102675store.html#item

CERTAINLY NOT POTTERY RELATED

Seeing as how it has been a very long week of sanding, decorating, bisquing and glazing, not to mention I am in an odd mood, I have had this “spoken word” song running through my head for part of the day and thought I would try to pass it along;




It is a catchy tune, which, for me, goes back to the early 90’s and listening to Dr. Demento while we lived in Cleveland. This National Lampoon version is a satire (parody?) of Max Erhmann’s DESIDERATA (1927). Though the National Lampoon version is a great watch or listen, the Desiderata is worth a read for the stark comparison;

DESIDERATA
Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

IRIDESCENCE

Though my photographic skills are somewhat lacking (!), every once and a while fate, lighting and timing conspire to get a picture of what I am after. Illustrated is a kushime wan-gata style teabowl with my ame and haiyu glazes over slip. As you can see in the picture, the surface is covered in a halo style iridescence that is subtle under most lighting and by handling the bowl just right, you can see the surface come to life. Being somewhat photographically challenged, it is difficult to convey the surfaces of many of my pots as they are a bit more complex than one would guess at first glace. Luckily, every once in a while a picture comes along that helps convey the depth of the glaze technique.

KEEPING ONES DISTANCE

“Do not make a new form and design from an old pattern, I was always told. Turquoise is one of the oldest colors used in ceramics. It was produced by applying hashokuzai to copper, and copper oxide can still be seen in this type of pottery in the ME (Middle Eastern) countries. We marvel at the new molding and design techniques we have created in the modern age, but often it turns out that similar techniques already existed in the past. Truly original creation is so hard in this age, which is dominated by imitation. This thought is uppermost in my mind as I try to create.”

The above quote is by Mino potter, Kato Kenji (1933-2008) who while working in the tradition of TORUKO-AO (Turkish Blue) clearly understood the necessity to find his own voice and vocabulary in an idiom that would be easy to imitate what had come before. Kato was well trained during his apprenticeship with two Ningen Kokuho; Tomimoto Kenkichi and Kondo Yuzo; his broad abilities are a reflection of both of his masters. Kato worked within the traditional Mino field producing wonderful Shino wares as well as iron rich glazes, iro-e overglaze enameled works and both transparent and opaque Persian blue glazes. By looking at his body of Toroku-ao work, you can see that he kept his distance from simply copying what had gone before. He constantly strove to add something to an age old tradition, making this work his own.

This paddled henko-tsubo is very typical of Kato Kenji’s opaque Toruko-ao works. It stands about 10” tall and has wonderful brushed decoration under his lush and vellum textured glaze. Despite having the appearance of a traditional raqqa style pot, the form and decoration speak of a pot born out of a foreign ideal but distinctly Japanese in execution. Together with Ningen Kokuho, Kato Takuo, Kato Kenji helped extend the Silk Road all the way to the doorstep of Gifu Prefecture out of the past and into the present day.

PRUNUS MUME

Illustrated is a very simple and noble hexagonal mizusashi by Iga potter; Banura Shiro (1941-2001). This mizusashi is presented with two faces that alter the vision of the piece rather dramatically, one with a ceramic lid and the other with a lacquer lid. The simple ash glaze over a fluid underglaze decoration of a plum blossom tree and plum blossoms compliments the form and the varying lids adds to the versatility of the piece. The stark simplicity of the design and hexagonal form was part of Banura’s ongoing investigation into the relationship between pottery and painted design as he sought to add to the modern day Rimpa tradition of pottery. Using Ogata Kenzan as a foundation, Banura, along with several painters who painted on his pottery, had succeeded in adding to a long standing tradition that continues to this day.

SIMPLICITY REVISTED

“Simplicity is the glory of expression.” Walt Whitman

Though I am not sure this quote can apply to my work, illustrated is what I consider a simple serving bowl. The decoration comes about where the bowl was dipped into a secondary glaze and my fingers acted as resist. There are times when it is painfully obvious to me that the bulk of my work is not simple. Sometimes fussy, over decorated or just too busy, but there are times, when the right frame of mind, the right music and the right pot all conspire to simplify what I am doing. I look at this bowl as an example of a simplicity I can reach out for.

ASH CASCADE

Like Nakazato Muan to Karatsu, Arakawa Toyozo to Shino and Miwa Kyusetsu X to Hagi, Ezaki Issei can be considered to be the catalyst of the modern Tokoname tradition. On top of teaching several of modern Tokoname’s potters, Takeuchi Kimiaki and Osako Mikio, Ezaki began to make large scale tsubo and hachi that owed there inspiration to the medieval wares of the region. Using a variety of wood and rice ash glazes he recreated the spirit of ancient Tokoname in his modern work and passed on this ideal to his students and contemporary potters. He is best known for his crisp and insightful forms that used the medieval tradition as a basis, while maintaining a decidedly modern quality to his work.

Illustrated is a medium sized tsubo that has a massive presence because of its solid form with ash cascading down, creating a wonderful sense of movement. The uniquely cut lip of the neck adds to the mystique of a true pioneer potter.

(Illustration used with the permission of a collector)

INCOMING Et Al

After several emails and a couple of phone conversations, it looks like I have another group of pots coming in to find homes for. This time they are from two different collections, but both are parting with the pots for the same reason, refocusing and downsizing the collection. Speaking from personal experience, as a collector, one is always shifting priorities, refocusing on what is of the most interest and needing to part with pots, just because there is a concern for where the heck do you put them all. One collector I know has a very ridgid policy concerning his collecting; “one pot in, one pot out”. It allows him to have a constantly rotating group of pots in a very space conscious environment.

The group that is coming in, or already arrived is as follows;
A stellar Kuro-Raku chawan by Iga & Raku specialist; Konishi Heinai II
Nanban-yaki (Tanegashima) mizusashi by Nakazato Takashi
Museum quality Aka-Shino chawan by living master potter; Hayashi Shotaro
A few other pieces…………

These pieces, and a few others should arrive by the end of next week and hopefully with hit my Trocadero website by Thursday (9/22), please watch for them. Illustrated is the phenomenal, exhibition quality Aka-Shino chawan by Mino tradition master; Hayashi Shotaro.

In other news, with the weekend approaching, we plan various movie nights. I have spent a good portion of my life watching movies of all kinds from the classics, to foreign, to action and everything in between. Being very visually oriented, I consider movies to be an important part of my life. At lunch, my wife suggested a comedy tonight and well, there can only be one answer to that;


For those unfamiliar, A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM is a comedy masterpiece with an adundance of action, excellent acting, music, comedic timing and superb direction under the helm of Richard Lester. Lester also is responsible for two other favorites of mine; THE THREE MUSKETEERS and THE FOUR MUSKETEERS. All three movies are worth a watch if you haven’t seen them or haven’t seen them in a while. Can there be any of life’s simpler pleasures that can beat a great movie, an ice cold Sapporo and fresh Pretz, I think not!

IN DUE TIME

Though I am still in the midsts of throwing, tooling, slipping, bisquing and decorating terra cotta, my mind is constantly wandering back to making some stoneware pots. I am likely to be involved with terra cotta through the middle of October, when inventory sheets and orders are near due, but I am anxious to get back to throwing a clay that is more responsive, more forgiving and easier to manipulate than the red pudding I call my terra cotta. In my last stoneware firing, I had a hand full of pots glazed in my new Iron Yellow glaze and I am eager to continue with that surface and have been working on how best to show it off. It is always somewhat frustrating to have recently developed a new glaze and then just take a 6 to 8 week hiatus from it. Any inroads made, start to fad away and lessons learned concerning glaze application begin to dim a bit. Luckily I take good notes and photos along the way to help jog the memory.

In addition to a new glaze, there is a series of glaze tests I want to proof in an actual firing. That gives me the best and most accurate account of the results. What would another firing be without more glaze tests and even a couple of new forms I have been sketching out recently. New forms also dictate having some understanding of how to address the surfaces. This, as any potter knows, can be a bit tricky as what looks great on one pot is simply an eyesore on another. An excellent example of this is copper red. Back at CSU, I tested and made up a large batch of copper red based on a Tom Coleman recipe. This glaze was made up for the students and because it was RED, everyone decided that every pot should be glazed copper red. Though a few students used the red with discretion and fore-thought, the sheer number of inappropriate red pots that came out of the kiln, forced Dick Schneider to put the kibash on the “copper red experiment”. A good thing to, as it was running off most of the pots!

Illustrated is a tall cylindrical vase glazed in my temmoku and iron red glazes. This pot was in the last stoneware firing and is another typical example of the drippy and runny glazes that I am rather fond of. These styles of glazes certainly owe their inspirations from some of the early 20th century glazes of the Art Nouveau and Arts & Crafts movements.

CHAWAN SCROLL

Illustrated is a close-up of a kakejiku by legendary potter, Arakawa Toyozo. The scroll depicts a Shino chawan with underglaze iron pigment decoration of a field or village. The prominent kanji on the scroll can read “field” or “village”. This scroll painting in monochrome ink tones is typical of a number of pieces Arakawa painted during his lifetime. Most of this style of painting illustrates historical chawan or other pottery pieces or pots that he made himself. Though this design most likely owes it origin to the Muramachi period (1333-1573) and the monochrome ink painters, Shubun and Sesshu, I am inclined to think this painting is of his own pottery and may have accompanied the chawan it depicts. In fact, this decoration is very much like the sugarcane motif of Hamada Shoji, it appears on a large number of Arakawa’s Shino chawan. I have always admired Arakawa’s paintings and calligraphy in this style, there is a wonderful blend of the lyrical and casual, much the same can be said for much of his pottery as well.


For another look at Arakawa as painter, please take a look at a previous, similar post; http://albedo3studio.blogspot.com/2010/12/arakawa-as-painter.html

AND THE HOLY GRAIL................

Speaking in the colloquial sense, every die-hard collector has his eyes set apon a holy grail object of his collecting field. It doesn’t matter if you are collecting Pez dispensers or Impressionist paintings; collectors have a certain piece that is the ultimate for their collection. Though there can be several penultimate pieces, there can be only one holy grail and it sometimes the search is long and the expense is usually in the realm of sheer insanity. I believe it takes a certain amount of maturity to decide what is or isn’t that piece that will make a collection. From my perspective, what I would have classified as my ultimate 20 years ago, is just not what I would classify as my holy grail today. I had to see a lot of pottery in numerous private and public collections, as well as gallery visits and even trips to Japan, to hit on what was that one thing I held above all others. It should go without saying; this is a very personal and introspective journey.

My decision to write about this comes just days after the third collector in a row acquired their holy grail pot. At the beginning of the summer, a collector friend, who specializes in painted porcelains, happened on a museum quality Imaizumi Imaemon XIII large platter. It is what he was looking for over a decade and is so far above most of his pots that it has set a new standard. The second collector I know went all in on a magnificent Tsukigata Nahiko Oni-Shino chawan that has been published. Like the Imazumi platter, it has set a new standard for the collector and set the bar very high. Lastly, just this week a friend of mine completed some complex negotiations for his holy grail pot, a masterpiece and museum quality Oni-Hagi (Ogre-Hagi) O-buri chawan by Miwa Kyusetsu (now Jyusetsu) most likely made in the late 90’s or early 2000s. Like the previous two pots, it has set a new and nearly impossible standard, leading to questions about his collecting strategy. For some collectors, that I am pleased to know, it has been a good summer for pottery.

Bare in mind, I am a potter and living on a potter’s salary, for most of us, still reaching and searching for that holy grail, the constant hunt and narrow misses are only further compounded by the taunts of others who have secreted away "our” pots. For this, it is necessary to fortify body and spirit and what better way than taking a moment to watch this instructional video;

LASTING IMPRESSIONS

During my decade in Cleveland and numerous trips to NYC and Boston, besides taking the time to look at pottery and Japanese art in the different museums, I would always take time to study the ancient Chinese bronzes. The forms and patinas of the bronzes are fascinating and compelling, but to my eye, the intricate patterns about the surfaces articulate the pieces and bring them to life. The variety of repeat patterns and other designs take hold and create a dialogue between even the most casual viewer and the piece.

In time, I began to create pots so that I could impress articulated pattern around the forms. Carving impression stamps out of clay, the patterns were hit or miss, some worked, some did not. By working with this idea on and off over nearly 10 years, the right forms, impressed designs and glaze or glaze combinations began to make sense. In a way, it was like developing a “standard” to work with this style of pottery. The actual impressed designs were created to be reminiscent of the old Chinese bronzes, Persian design elements and Greek design and fretwork. Besides creating an overall design, it adds to the tactile experience as the design stamps have made a lasting impression on the pot and hopefully the viewer as well.