INEVITABLITY

"Just when I thought I was out................they pull me back in". After completing a large number of orders, commissions and pots for several holiday shows, I thought my terra cotta run was at an end, for now. However, it started off innocently enough with an email asking if I could make a covered serving bowl in my Falling Leaves pattern, then my wife says, well, as long as you need to fill the kiln, I could use 4 shallow bowls in the Tenot pattern (carved with white slip). Next thing you know, I am making a few of these, a few of those and I am in the midst of another terra cotta cycle. I am also going to make a few extra Falling Leaves and Tenot pattern pieces just to have some of the newer work around. It never hurts to have spare pots in the works, someone may even want them.

Illustrated in the foreground is a terra cotta hand-built vase with small lugs, it currently measures 14" tall by 12" long. I thought it would make a nice platform to decorate and it was a spur of the moment project though I will likely make another to fit up the back of the kiln. If you look in the background you can see the four bowls that Mindy requested for our cupboard along with the rest of one afternoon's throwing. Considering I have been throwing terra cotta, stoneware and porcelain for nearly two decades, it is rather inevitable that I will be throwing the red menace for some time to come.

ITS ALL IN THE WRIST

Illustrated is a fine shikishi by legendary potter; Kato Tokuro. This shikishi is painted in a rich, deep black with areas of "flying white" appearing like a noble pot, balanced in the center of the card with the depth of his spirit evident in the bokki of the image. It is quite possible it is all in the wrist, but far more likely it is the spirit of the potter that creates these dramatic calligraphies. Over the years I have seen quite a few shikishi and kakejiku by Kato Tokuro that depict the kanji for "tsubo" (pot) and each one is a bit different and unique, just like the pots of the master himself.

SHIZENYU

Illustrated is a Bizen chawan by Masamune Satoru who I have written about before in my blog. There is some connectivity that I feel with much of his pottery as I also do with another Bizen potter who left us much too early, Kaneshige Michiaki (1934-1995). I am not trying to insinuate that there work is similar, rather both potters pot and fire in a way that for some reason I naturally relate to; each has decidedly created a style that is identifiable and comforting. This chawan by Masamune is large and was well fired with a natural build up of ash with the interior covered as well and appearing wet. The form just asks to be grabbed up and handled and from foot to lip, this is the type of chawan that has a lot to offer and a great deal to say.

Teabowl²

I fired off the first group of squared teabowls in kaku-gata style with the cut square feet last weekend. They were glazed in a variety of glaze combinations ; tetsu-yu and temmoku, iron yellow and alkaline clear, haiyu and temmoku and medieval green and temmoku. Each presents a very different appearance, though the form s are all very close to about the same in shape and size with a little variances between them. I put two of the first bowls up on my Trocadero market place on Monday and they can be seen here;

http://www.trocadero.com/stores/albedo3studio/catalog/query.php

Illustrated is a stoneware teabowl, first thrown round and then paddled and the edges lightly rasped to define the form. First a white slip, then wax resist with black over and once bisque, glazed in my medieval green and temmoku. The use of the spirali e tagli design, compliments the individual panels that frame the form of the teabowl squared (teabowl²).

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone, everywhere a very Happy Thanksgiving. There are always a myriad of things to be thankful for and like most, Mindy and I have many reasons to be thankful; from a roof over our heads and food on our table (on hand made plates) to health and family.

The last time we were in Japan, it was over Thanksgiving and with the cool weather and exceptional fall vistas, the trip was one of our favorites. Illustrated is a rarely seen angle, looking up the massive support trusses of the Kiyomizu-dera through the dense red foliage of maple trees. From our perspective, this is the best time to visit Japan and we were richly rewarded with a panorama of Kyoto bathed in the colors of fall and even a few snowflakes!

(I AM) A LEAF ON THE WIND

There is something so evocative and elemental about a rich blue decoration against pure white porcelain which is both contemplative and intoxicating. Modern sometsuke pottery harkens back to an earlier time; to the dawn of the 20th century when studio potter like Seifu Yohei, Makuzu Kozan and Miura Chikusen perfected the art and much further back to the early days of the Edo Period (1600 to 1868). My first exposure to modern sometsuke wares was at the Ningen Kokuho and the Kikuchi exhibits seeing the wonderful blue and white porcelains of Kondo Yuzo and Kato Iwao. Kondo's works are well known in the West, while Kato Iwao is less so, though his sometsuke pots are both subtle and powerful statements in blue. Kato Iwao (b.1930) is a Kyoto potter,  who apprenticed with Kusube Yaichi and has dedicated his life to sometsuke porcelain of mostly exceptional floral design. Some of his pieces are accented with bold gold overglaze decoration adding to the exuberance and nobility of his work.

Illustrated is a hira-chawan by Kato Iwao. This chawan is rather broad at nearly 6.5" and has a subtle, drifting leaf incised and accented with shades of blue. The design is skillfully executed and is suspended in mid-air, as if a leaf on the wind.

ITS A WASH

Long before the stellar painted porcelains, potter Tomimoto Kenkichi (1886-1963) made his way through everything from Raku, slipware and decorated stonewares. His friendship with Bernard Leach and Yanagi Soetsu exposed him to a wide array of pottery and pottery techniques as well as painting and print making, all of which he was more than enthusiastic to try for himself and designs of this type are heavily influenced by mingei. The illustrated ink and watercolor shows his keen sense of form, perspective and decorative interests with washes of subtle color helping to define the design. Elements of this particular design can be seen on a number of Tomimoto's stoneware and porcelain pots made throughout his life while the sometsuke rendering of this style of decoration in varying shades and washes of cobalt on porcelain remain among my favorite. They are stark, simple and dramatically to the point.

"There is no eloquence without a man behind it."   Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

SQUARE DEAL

Though I am in the final stages of finishing up my terra cotta run, I have been interjecting the occasional test piece here and there. A couple of weeks back, I decided to try taking some thrown cylinder teabowls and playing with the forms a bit to see what I could come up with. The first couple of bowls, were thrown and paddled triangular, which were okay, but not very satisfying or practical in terms of function. The latest group I decided to keep simple. The bowls were paddled square, rasped to define the edges and then came the tricky part, how to address the feet. I have made squared bowls and forms before and in the past, most had wheel tooled feet, though it works, I wanted something a bit more complimentary and to seem less like trying to fit a round peg in a square hole. This time around, I defined the actual foot and then proceeded to cut away the excess, leaving a square foot which better complements the form. The interior of the foot was cut out to tie in to the swirl in the interior of the bowl. I have plans for how to glaze these and if all goes well, I'll post up the finished results in a down the road.

"Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely."    Rodin (1840-1917)

DETAIL ORIENTED

Back, when I used to contemplate how many angels could dance on the head of a pin, I was reminded constantly through my parochial education and the use of a ruler; "the devil is in the details". When I look at a pot, I start by addressing the whole and then break it down into its components or pieces, studying the details. Do the details end up being more important than the whole or vice versa? These are obvious keys to judging the quality of a pot as well as identifying the potter. That being said, I thought it would be interesting to showcase close-ups or details of pots, that short of handling or seeing in person, are lost to most. From the obscure to the famous, the devil is invariably in the details.

Illustrated is a close-up of an abstract design from a mizusashi by Shinkai Kanzan (1912- 1996? ). Shinkai was a prominent Kyoto artist who was more interested in creating an array of forms complimented by a myriad of decorations, rather than solely creating works for the tea ceremony. Though he had a large set of technical and decorative skills, he was well known for and particularly adept at attaching stamped (decoration) porcelain onto a stoneware body to create vivid designs of fish, birds, abstract design and others ( see an earlier blog post for an illustration). This particular piece was thrown and then had paper resist placed on the surface and thick slip both brush and dabbled on to the pot, after which, the paper was removed. The pot was later glazed in a vivid sancai technique which further highlights the thick slip and recesses. A rather simple technique that has yielded a rich and extravagant atmosphere.

THE SIMPLE PLEASURES

We made a trek down to CT, dodging the after affects of Sandy and the recent Nor'easter, to deliver pots to Wesleyan Potters for their annual holiday sale. The trip and hand-off of pottery went smoothly and we took some time to go to a great bakery in Guilford for chocolate covered cannoli and to have lunch at one of our favorite dinners, NICK'S PLACE in Madison, CT. As predictable as I am, I indulged on my favorites, a char-broiled cheeseburger with all the traditional toppings and very well done onion rings, the simple pleasures. What could possibly beat a really good cheeseburger and  well done onion rings?

Somewhat related to the topic, for all you Parrotheads;

OUTSIDE THE LINES

I am not sure why, but I truly enjoy the eccentrics in Japanese art. The bravado and daring to follow an eccentric vision interests me and the idiosyncratic nature of the work is a lure, a beacon while standing outside the traditional convention of the field. The only drawback to the work of the eccentrics is that their appeal is mostly limited to those who also enjoy work outside of the norm and bucking convention. Over the years I have been drawn to the likes of painters Murase Taiitsu and modern painter Sato Katsuhiko, while the pottery of Isamu Noguchi, Tsukigata Nahiko and Kumano Kuroemon has managed to get my attention. It is the uniqueness and innovation of the eccentric artists that is captivating in technique and spirit. I say uniqueness, but in reality, most of the eccentrics use traditional idioms and through dedication to their vision bend them to their own by working outside the lines of convention, creating something entirely new, bold and pivotal to their art. In the end, I see the eccentrics as the pioneers who, like an engine, drive and help propel the possibilities of their various pursuits.

Illustrated is a guinomi by eccentric and dedicated potter, Kumano Kuroemon. The guinomi is simple in form with a surface that narrates the violence of the firing in which a thick coat of melted ash coats the Shino glaze creating a surface that looks like frozen ice complete with fissures and drizzling tamadare style ash moving down the piece.    A side affect is part of the real beauty of these eccentric works, the surface has a luminescent quality to it and depending on the light source, the viewer is seduced by its unique presence and power.              

BLUE MONDAY VIII

Back in the mid-80's, my wife and I became acquainted first hand with the works of both Morino Taimei and Miyashita Zenji (1939-2012) through Joan Mirviss in New York; since that time, the two have remained among our favorite non-traditional ceramic artists. Sadly, Miyashita Zenji passed away this year, his absence will certainly leave a void in the field of sculptural ceramics of which he was among the best. The works, based on what would appear to be a simple idea, was an achievement in technical skill as well as a mastery of form. His unique sensibility brought his ceramics into motion, animated with various hues and all of those crisp, torn edges, stacked one on top of another creating a narrative that brings the viewer, round and round the vessel.

Illustrated is a close-up of a vase form by Miyashita Zenji that is like looking into a distant landscape of row after row of mountains at dusk, the starlight barely illuminating the ranges in varying hues of blue. I am reminded of the landscape paintings of Fu Baoshi,  though there is so many things one can see in Miyashita's work, the possibilities are endless.

"After you cross the mountain, more mountains." An Indian Proverb

IN THE SPIRIT OF GOJO-ZAKA

Of all the students that Kawai Kanjiro taught, there is one standout who managed to infuse his master's syle with his own unique vision and that was Kawai Takeichi. Kawai Takeichi, also Bu'ichi, (1908-1989) was both nephew and student of Kawai Kanjiro spending a long while as student and assistant to the master. For a time, Takeichi also assisted in instructing the apprentices at the  studio and kiln at the studio/kiln in Gojo-zaka of Kawai Kanjiro.  Though his work has that distinct Kawai-mon (Kawai school) flavor and is at times mistaken for the work of his master, if you see enough and study the works of Takeichi, it is rather easy to see the differences between master and student. Takeichi had a son who has gone on to make pottery, KawaiToru (b.1941). Toru  studied first with his grandfather, briefly from 1964-1966 and then with his father. Toru's works differ quite a bit from his father and grandfather though it still bares that distinct Kawai school flavor. There is absolutely no gosu blue, like that of the Kawai school.

Illustrated is a wonderful, Chinese influenced mizusashi by Kawai Takeichi glazed in a soft and streaked Chun glaze with vivid accents of purple boiling up through the surface. The edges of the mizusashi have been effected to help create a frame that encapsulates the form and it is done to great effect. This mizusashi clearly illustrates the style of Takeichi ,created in a mold and is much more straight forward form than those used by Kawai Kanjiro. This is not to insinuate that Takeichi was less imaginative, but rather the path he decided to espouse was based on, but not copying that of his master.