LEAVING WELL ENOUGH ALONE

When I start using a new glaze, I am constantly trying to figure out its limits and limitations. By pushing the glaze I can get differing surfaces, running qualities and sometimes a glaze that bares no resemblance to the original. Maybe it is the wannabe alchemist in me that makes testing, retesting and altering what already works an enjoyable part of making pots.

Taking a minor cue from Tsukigata Nahiko, I have been playing with the iron content and thickness in the glaze that started out as my “new” partridge feather glaze. As I have nudged it a bit, here and there, I have been seeing a new glaze quality periodically that resembles some modern Tamba pottery. In my most recent firing, I glazed a severely paddled teabowl in my temmoku and tetsu-yu glazes and the illustrated bowl is the result. It is a really nice mixture of runny ash and iron intermingled in the one glaze. I wonder why I just can’t leave well enough alone, but the real question is why would I want to, it is just not in my nature.

“There is only one thing stronger than all the armies in the world, and that is an idea whose time has come.” Victor Hugo

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

I am constantly sketching out ideas and filling folders with ideas for pots, surfaces and decoration. Over the time period of making pots, I am afraid I am probably responsible for the single handed eradication of a tree with all the “scrap” paper I have used for these sketches. Despite the fact that I will not live long enough to persue all of these ideas, or even want to, periodically I flip open a folder and decide to make something that is out of the norm and not as comfortable as just throwing a pot.

This weekend, flipping open the folder, it opened up to a series of sketches of slab built bottle forms. So without thinking it through, I went down Sunday afternoon and rolled out slabs for a Monday build-a-thon. I set about cutting slabs to a form I had sketched out and set about building several bottles. I should interject here that I am not a great hand-builder by any means and the process is slow, tiring and wrought with problems along the way. After a full day of working and trying to set the lines of the piece to something akin to straight and even, I end up with two bottles with thrown necks. The larger bottle, illustrated, is about 18” tall and what I didn’t take into consideration was how to glaze them. The bottles ended up much wider than my current glaze buckets. Should have stopped, smelled the coffee and thought this one through to its conclusion.

In the time I built these, I could have easily thrown a dozen pots or more. Now remind me please, what was my motivation?

IN SITU

Anyone who has been to Japan and visited historical residences, castles or temples can attest to the fact that the decoration in most is sparse with objects set about to punctuate the space rather than overwhelm it. For westerners, or at least this westerner, it always struck me as, where the heck is all the stuff? The Japanese are fond of cleverly storing their stuff in wood boxes in closets, under the floor boards, in tansu of every shape and size imaginable (including a stair kaidan tansu), kura (secured and fire resistant storage building) and elsewhere. The preference was to use singular objects to accent the mood, season or occasion. In time, these objects are repacked in their storage boxes and rotated out for other pieces.

Since my wife and I started living with art and craft, we have basically done the same, with a few pots out and then rotated when the mood hits us. The same goes for Japanese scroll paintings, kakejiku, which are also picked to express a visual mood or co-ordinate with the seasons. Living with art and craft to create the ideal environment is a very old concept and is very much alive and well today among collectors of all sorts. Today the concept of blending East and West is very common and having seemingly disperate objects on display takes a keen sensibility and a good eye to create “that” harmonious balance.

A friend of mine went from collecting western painting and glass, to include modern Japanese pottery to the mix. Despite having enough dogs to qualify as a kennel, his home is perfectly suited for the display, above ground level, for pottery and he has built a very nice collection over time. Under the watchful eye of his significant other (she is an interior designer/decorator), his pottery is intermingled with other objects of glass and his painting collection.

Illustrated is a wonderful Uraguchi Masayuki large seiji tsubo under the watchful glance of a very complimentary oil by American 20th century master, Ben Shahn. Though this combination may seem out of sync, especially if it was described to you, in actuality, the two works work create a visual counterpoint to each other. Living with “stuff” is a great way to control your own environment and replenish the spirit often diminished in a hectic, demanding and fast paced world. Enjoy what is on view, at least for now.

(Photo used with the kind permission of a private collector)

EXPERTUS, TESTIS, EXERTUS

Anyone who has spent time at the Cleveland Museum of Art can attest to the fact that if you want to see good pots, you are certainly at the right place. The pottery spans each time period and collection from ancient Greece, Egypt and Rome through the Art Nouveau, Arts and crafts and modern studio pottery movement. It really is a great place to see and study pottery. Among the large collection of Japanese and Chinese pots there was a wonderful display of small and intimate Jun Yao wares. Those soft and atmospheric lavender blue glazed pots with vivid splashes of deep purple or crimson coming up through the glaze were among our favorites to look at and ponder.

From time to time I have experimented with trying to recreate a nice soft looking jun-yao glaze. I have been moderately successful and then for some inexplicable reason, the glaze just stops working. While in the midst of testing several months back, I got out a test pod that showed some promise. It had that quality I was after where it breaks hard on raised areas and sharp lines. Some tweaking here and there and here is the latest result. The underglaze decoration is based on copper and the actual glaze has a slightly more lavender tone to it. I am going to try and tweak the glaze a bit more and come up with a purple underglaze decoration that isn’t as refractory as the previous attempts. All in good time and I suspect that I will no sooner get it to work just the way I want that it will just stop working yet again.

MONDAY BLUES II

Having had a number of years to develop different styles and glazes for a variety of temperature ranges has distinct advantages. Though I generally throw, decorate and glaze to specific commissions, orders or requests, there are always small nooks and crannies of the kiln to be filled with smaller pots. This allows me to throw teabowls, utility bowls, tokkuri, yunomi or other small pieces as fillers and then decorate and glaze them in a variety of styles. It helps make for a kiln packed with variety and sometimes intense color as well.



Periodically I find the need to throw some fritted whiteware teabowls and decorate them up with modern style black designs that works well under the Persian blue glaze that I use. The clay body is an old trial and error formula I came up with back at CSU. I make it up into a liquid, like a slip and pour it out on plaster to dry. When ready, I peel it off the plaster and wedge it up and use it. Though these pieces are not intended for heavy, everyday use as the clay body is not really thoroughly vitrified, the end product justifies the process. The vivid soda blue glaze works well with the quick design and makes for a bridge between the old raqqa wares and modern pottery. Coming out of the kiln, that bright and fun blue is just a great way to jump start and Monday.

A FEW KODAI

This Friday is foot day. Illustrated is a group of kodai from four chawan I have seen somewhat recently. Each one has something very unique to say and a unique way to say it.

#1 Karatsu chawan by Tanaka Sajiro with a very nice chirimen clay texture and off centered foot ring reminiscent of a mikatsuki sickle moon

#2 Shigaraki chawan with excellent and vivid hi-iro by Komori Shoan with resisted areas from the clay pads the foot ring rested on during the fire

#3 Narumi-Oribe chawan by Suzuki Goro, soft and lyrical in appearance though very thoughtful in execution and the simplicity belies the poetry of the foot

#4 Enbu-Shino chawan by Yamada Kazu with exceptional clay color and classically addressed interior of the foot ring

NOT MUCH TO DO WITH POTTERY, BUT ESSENTIAL

I have mentioned before that music is an essential part of making and dealing with pottery in my studio. Yesterday I grabbed a handful of cds on my way into the studio and among the group is a compilation cd of great modern Irish music, all uptempo and great to get motivated. On the cd is one of the greatest collaborations ever, THE IRISH ROVER covered by the Dubliners with the late, great Ronnie Drew and The Pogues fronted by the infamous Shane McGowan, oft times described as Gin in 3-dimensional form.


As the song comes on, it is just envigorating and transcendant in its story telling and I hit the repeat button on the player and listen to it over and over. I forget what I was doing in the studio and am basically transfixed by the lyrics, cadence and tempo of the tune. As I have said before, if I am in the studio, the music is certainly the soundtrack of my work.  I hope you will enjoy this as well;

GRAVITY

With the simple thud of an apple, Sir Issac Newton, informed the world of what potters had know since the earliest times. As you throw a pot, something, let’s call it gravity, acts on the pot and tries to bring it all crashing down. It is in essence, just one of the physical principles that can be easily observed while engaged in making pottery. Gravity is just a law we must all just give into, like it or not. Newton may have formulated the principle, but lets face it, even a prehistoric kid knew when he tossed a rock up into the air and it bonked him on the head on the way down, what goes up, must come down.

That being said, gravity isn’t so bad. Illustrated is a tall cylindrical Iga vase by Kishimoto Kennin. The vase was wood fired in an anagama over a long period of time, perhaps 5 to 7 days. During the course of the firing, ash built up heavily on the shoulder and in time, together with sufficient heat, the dam burst and the ash began to cascade down the pot in rivers of green glaze, wonderful bidoro. Though there are a great many times that a potter may dislike and even battle with the laws of physics and gravity itself, this is not one of those times. In time, I think I can even learn to like gravity……………….

IPTV; CARVING A TERRA COTTA BOWL

For your Friday viewing pleasure, here is a short video of my (Craig Bird) carving a small terra cotta bowl through applied black slip in my X & O pattern. This is the same bowl seen in a video I posted back on 5/20/2011 for your reference. Also illustrated is the finished bowl, glazed in a clear glaze. I call this carved style, tebori, which means, hand carved.

SOMETSUKE

Kondo Yuzo (1902-1985) was arguably one of the greatest sometsuke potters of the 20^th century and for his dedication to his art, he was made Juyo Mukei Bunkazai in 1985. I have always been captivated by the elegance and simplicity of most of his work and the stark white background plays perfect host for his bold and quick sometsuke blue brushwork.

Illustrated is a prepatory sketch for one on Kondo Yuzo’s small blue and white hachi plates and though the accompanying plate is less involved in design, you can easily see the fact that through his repeated painting of the persimmon, time and time again they appear nearly identical. Like Hamada Shoji who brushed his iconic “sugar cane” motif thousands of times, Kondo Yuzo has achieved the same repetitious spontaneity, characteristic among many of the great potters of 20^th century Japan.

UNDERSTATEMENT

“The art of tea Way consists simply of boiling water, preparing tea and drinking it.” Sen (No) Rikyu (1522-1591)

It may sound rather niave, but I have long been fascinated with Rikyu’s assessment of the tea ceremony. Not since Julius Ceaser’s commentary, “Vini, Vidi, Vici” has a statement been so simple and to the point though in the case of Rikyu, the actual accomplishment of tea is anything but simplicity. With all of the formality, aesthetics and the grace and posture involved in chanoyu, the art is the absolute definition of the “complexity of simplicity”. In the end, like a great chawan, the art is to make it look simple and uncontrived. It is this simple “Way” as Rikyu puts it,that can take a lifetime.

IPTV; TEABOWLS IN CAMBRIDGE

I am not sure how many of you may have seen this video produced by the Ceramics Program at Harvard of a recent demonstation of four potters making teabowls. The video highlights Suzuki Goro, Tsujimura Shiro, Richard Milgrim and Jeff Shapiro as they throw, tool and talk teabowls. It is certainly worth a watch!

ON THE VERGE

I really like to throw teabowls occasionally that push the boundries of my abilities and the laws of physics. I have long admired the altered and casual chawan by such notable greats as Tsujimura Shiro, Suzuki Goro and Kakurezaki Ryuichi to name just a few. Interestingly enough, if you look closely at their works, you can see a pattern emerge. Through their apprenticeship and later while working, they have developed a formulaic approach to creating chawan. This formula allows them the freedom to create a series of bowls in a naturalistic manner with subtle nuances that differentiate between the pieces. On closer examination, there is an evolving form and idea that has sprung from a similar idea. This is both taught and learned over years of working, it is the “potters’ evolution”.

For the most part, in the West it is all about trial and error. Since the bulk of my work is very functional and Western in its approach, it has taken longer to develop repeatable formulas for the altered teabowl. The illustrated bowl was basically beaten into submission, beaten to the verge of collapse. This bowl was thrown off the hump, giving me lots of room to maneuver around the form with my paddle. Once heavily paddled, the bowl was rethrown from the interior and and gentlely cupped from the base and pushed oval. Once leatherhard, the foot was addressed with a sharpened bamboo hera and the the excess clay all cut away leaving an oval foot. After the bisque, it was glazed in my temmoku and haiyu glaze giving it a Karatsu feel in appereance. It doesn’t show now, but there was a moment, when this piece was on the verge of collapse and being wedged for yet another try.