SALTY

Illustrated is a simple molded vase by Mashiko legend and Ningen Kokuho; Hamada Shoji. This piece was first molded and then had trails of slip applied as only the master could do and finally had pigment brushed vertically at various points to highlight the areas of pure white slip. The pot was then loaded and fired in a salt kiln creating this subtle but unique surface which in this case is covered in an extremely fine pebbled texture, likely fired somewhere in the back of the kiln, the front reserved for Hamada's best work and tea wares. Though hundreds of these pots were made, each is separate and distinct due to the individuality of not only the slip and brushwork but the effects and variations created in the salty atmosphere. I am particularly attracted to the slip decoration at the far left where the pigment has gone from a subtle blue at the top to a soft, spring like green at the bottom. I think the surface would keep even the casual viewer engaged in a conversation about all the distinct possibilities that salt has to offer.

ALTERNATIVE PERSPECTIVE

I was digging through images at the request of a client and came across this photo of a bowl I made some time back. The  saffron neriage teabowl was originally photographed using either a white or black background with a tungsten light source with a tungsten correcting "filter" in the digital camera and once I shut off the lights, the sun was beginning to set and was streaming into the room, just enough to highlight the bowl and shed an alternative perspective as to how the piece looks in various conditions. Though it will be somewhat redundant for me to say so, it never ceases to amaze me how a pot can look so different depending on the source or light or the placement of the piece. I remember being at a fellow collectors home and seeing a modest Tsujimura Shiro Iga pot on a bookshelf and then he pulled it down and placed it in the middle of a small Chinese style table and it was an entirely different  piece with a greater sense of commanding the space. I am not saying the various lighting makes my pots any better, but with this type of atmosphere, it certainly doesn't hurt any.

FAITHFUL SERVICE

After almost seven years of faithful service, my inexpensive Casio Exilim digital camera finally gave up and expired. Though with its demise, I felt somewhat rushed to acquire another camera, I impressed back into service my old Sony Mavica until a good and proper choice could be made. I spent a fair amount of time researching what would be a good replacement camera and after trying to use the Mavica and realizing it was no longer suitable, I needed to make a choice. I ended up ordering a Canon, 16 megapixel SX520HS. I have been using it and putting it through its paces and the photos and videos are light years ahead of my old Casio. I am still trying to get used to all of the setting and am still struggling with over lighting images, but overall the shots are pretty good and the videos, even from a real distance have proved to be quite satisfying. It will take some time to get used to a camera with more than just a few settings, but as time moves on, so doesn't technology and a necessity to keep up.

Illustrated is a close-up of a Kimura Morikazu yuteki guinomi. I was quite impressed with the macro features of the camera and rather pleased with the ability to capture crisp detail shots. The individual cells of the oil-spots are clear with the myriad of other effects rendered far easier to study than in a simple 1:1 photo. The detail shot shows the complexity of the glaze and the miniature universe captured in the surface that is hard to understand without the guinomi in hand. When you think about the size of the guinomi and the potential of the detail shot, it is rather amazing how easy it is to capture detail with the simple click of a button; whether the pot stays here or goes on to a new home, the photos act as permanent reference to what the appearance of the pot had to say in crystal clear pixels.

ON THE ROAD II

There is that saying, you'll always remember your first and after this weekend, I admit, it is undeniably true. This past weekend I was looking through several boxes that had been packed since all the way back to our move from Cleveland. I was looking for some elephant ear sponges when I came across a bowl well wrapped up in sheets of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Inside was the very first glaze test I had made dating back to 1989 while at Plattsburgh State. Not really knowing any better, I went to the library and using a formula from a ceramics book from 1948(?) with a few suggestions from Bill Klock, I made up 2000grams of a glaze I had no clue would work or even what the temperature range was. I glazed three pieces of which this shallow teabowl is one and loaded them in to the kiln which was a cone 9/10 firing.

Once the kiln cooled down sufficiently, I snuck out my tests like a thief in the night and was beyond surprised; the glaze worked but looked entirely different on each piece depending where it was in the kiln. This bowl was fired near the cone pack where the kiln had reached a soft ten and as one can tell, the glaze was beginning to decide to be on the shelf rather than the pot. Being the first of many thousands of tests, I thought that this was going to be easy if everything works like this each and every time but I was about to learn a myriad of things from "the first". I took the time to bask in the momentary success of glaze testing marveling at the wonderful fat glaze rolls, ethereal texture and color and the sheer fact that a handful of chemicals mixed about with water achieved what at the time I thought looked a bit like a "museum" glaze on a terribly bad teabowl. The gauntlet had been thrown down and I was on the road of testing, forever etched in my being, I am amazed that that simple memory and experience is as fresh today as it was 25 years ago, time surely flies.

Cat Stevens; ON THE ROAD TO FIND OUT (1971)

A SENSE OF BLUE

Illustrated is a Persian blue koro by Kato Kenji. The lyrical and wispy vertical decoration punctuated by a modest pedestal foot with piercing goes all around the foot and lid creating a simple yet practical vessel. Capturing the essential elements of medieval Persian pottery it is neither bogged down in the formality or ritual of its purpose welcoming in the viewer with a casual attitude. The decoration, standing majestically, evokes a natural and simple atmosphere while the pierced lid gives the form a feeling of perpetual motion fulfilling its distinct and aromatic function tying together  the senses of sight and smell; calling to mind a favorite field or garden of past or present.

FILL IN THE BLANKS

There are a lot of pots out there that have a rather fragile nature to them but this mizusashi is certainly not one of them. Made by Suzuki Goro, this E-Shino mizusashi is rugged, bold and eminantly solid in both its construction and appearance. There is a tremendous strength to the works of Suzuki Goro that are usually balanced with a casual sense of playfulness and experimentation; as I mentioned before there is a uniqueness to each of his pots, even those made in series.

I made this short slideshow to give the viewer a fuller persective of the articulation, volume and presence of the pot. Too often a single stationary image or even five or six pictures just dosen't give enough detail, hopefully, this may help fill in the blanks.

GORIBE

Oribe by its very nature has a history of playfulness to it dating all the way back to the Momoyama era and when you combine that with the whimsy and creative force of a modern potter you can easily hit a homerun. Illustrated is a playful yet dynamic mizusashi by Suzuki Goro that is a near definition of what Oribe (GOribe) is all about. The radically textured mizusashi is cloaked in varying hues of green due to the complicated topography of the piece while the form appears carefully balanced and stacked with ever so casual lugs applied to either side and topped with a lid with a visually dominating and highly functional lid and knob. Every pot from Suzuki Goro is a surprise, each unique and conversant in a multitude of visual languages running through his body of work is wit, whimsy and a playfulness that is not often seen in ceramics that find their foundation in the art of the Momoyama era.

मिट्टी का तन, मस्ती का मन, क्षण भर जीवन, मेरा परिचय

"A body of clay, a mind full of play, a moment's life; that's me."  Harivansh Rai Bachchan (1907-2003)

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

I recently received an unboxed chawan that was sent to me to try to uncover who had made it. The bowl was bought in Shigaraki in the mid-1980s and the owner had absolutely no recollection of the maker. It is a stout and well fired bowl but the mark was entirely covered over in natural ash glaze rendering it next to impossible to read. I had it on my desk, in front of the computer and I was using a 20 power loop to try to get a read on the mark and was getting no where so I pulled out my digital camera and set it on the highest resolution and just as I was to take the picture, my current research assistant and pottery helper decided he wanted a shot at it himself. In a proverbial, "I am ready for my close up" moment, instead of the bowl I ended up with an in your face photo of Khan the curious. Though he didn't help me uncover the maker, the use of the hi-rez picture did and I was able to determine the chawan was made by Furutani Churoku. It would have been much easier if I had the box or bio, but getting to the bottom of the matter was still made just a bit more fun with the aid of an inquisitive and curious feline.

"There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats." Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965)

黄瀬戸

I can only imagine that making pots for over six decades can lead to a number of adventures, discoveries and achievements especially if you live in the heart of the Mino ceramic tradition. Such is the case for veteran potter Kishimoto Kennin who has explored and conquered a wide array of Mino styles as well as mastering the art of kannyu style celadon and Iga wood firing. Along the way, Kishimoto studied and mastered the basics of Shino, Oribe and Ki-Seto solidifying a foundation that would in time lead to his modern works. His classic and traditional styles showcases his unique approach, creativity and firing techniques which have left behind an impressive and rather individualistic body of work.

Illustrated is a classic Ki-Seto chawan by Kishimoto Kennin. The form is definitely Momoyama inspired and the contrast of the wet and dry surface is a result of layers of natural wood ash depositing on the face of the bowl. This process has created a rich surface where the ash has landed to where it feathers out away from the center of the bowl making for a very modernist landscape. This style of bowl has a wonderful full feeling in the hand and the contrast between wet surface and the drier ash makes for a unique tactile experience that only wood firing can create. Few potters can boast such diverse expression across such a wide array of styles and traditions, thus securing Kishimoto Kennin a spot among a select group of potters of modern Japan.

MIXED UP

Illustrated is a mug that at its core is a bit mixed up. The mug is loosely based on a Western medieval jug while the glaze is distinctly influenced by Eastern Oribe glaze. Fusing the two together, the mug still has a sense of both of the medieval traditions while being very modern in its presentation. Combining elements in a reasonable fashion interests me quite a bit all the more so when it works. I have described the process like a blender where all the experiences gets dumped in and blended about; what comes out is a unique and functioning synthesis of any number of pieces parts that have come before. I have also found that Oribe is an incredible diverse set of glazes that works well and compliment a wide array of forms, styles, ideas and combinations, I am not sure what I would do without copper or the palette it affords me.

CRAZEY BLUE MONDAY

Illustrated is a kannyu seiji chawan by iron specialist, Takahashi Wasaburo. I have written about this potter several times previously in my blog and hold a special place for him as his was the first Japanese chawan that my wife and I ever collected. I am drawn to Takahashi's work as there is a casual, unfettered simplicity to his work, it just happens, he doesn't need to fuss to throw the least encumbered form. This chawan is a simple bowl with classic lines, thoughtful purpose and casual form with a rich, crazed blue celadon that coats the piece and brings it to life with the decoration created within the glaze itself. Where the glaze has run off the lip just a bit, the mouth is bordered by a slightly darker hue bringing attention up and into the interior. Though this bowl appears common in certain respects, there is nothing common about it and the kannyu crackle makes for an endless dialogue between chawan and user, the cha is just the added bonus.

"Simplicity is natures first step, and the last of art."  Philip James Bailey (1816-1902)

A crazy video for a Monday, Kate Bush; RED SHOES

MELTING SNOW II

I would appear that Spring has finally sprung in our neck of the woods. The real tell tale signs of Spring is the incredible melt off and running water that makes its way from the hills in to the river at the center of the valley. When I think of the last throes of Winter only recently departed and the onset of Spring, I am reminded of a fine chaire made by Tsukigata Nahiko. This Oni-Shino chaire shows drifts of snow being cut through by small ravines created by flowing water creating a microcosm that epitomizes the season in my mind. One of the reasons that I admire the Oni-Shino of Tsukigata is the complexity of the surfaces and the endless landscapes and memories that they can conjure.

REFLECTIONS

Last week I received an email out of the blue letting me know that my pottery was going to be part of the ten year anniversary exhibition at the AMOCA (American Museum of Ceramic Art). The pieces in question are a set of pots that were collected by the museum and to say that I am honored and flattered that they chose my work out of thousands of pieces for an exhibition where the poster showcases pots by both Bennett Bean and Betty Woodman would be an understatement. What this email did spark though was to get me to reflect on the number of pots I have made and all the styles, firing types and clays and glazes that I have worked in over all of these years. It is not bragging to say that I have gone through clays, temperature ranges and glazes like a kid in a candy store; each one having some ability to help give dimension to the crazy voices in my head. Fortunately, there is no end in sight for what is possible and hopefully the voices won't go away anytime soon.

Illustrated is a kohiki style mizusashi form that I made for a friend. Thrown with stepped terraces with a slight space age design the piece was dipped in slip and than an ash based clear glaze. The rings had the slip scrapped off once dry to create an additional decorative accent to the piece which helps highlight the form. Though somewhat intended as a mizusashi water form, the new owner had decided it was perfect for dog treats for his favorite canine. In the end, the function is not that important, it is the fact that the pot is in use that trumps any predetermined idea as to what the pot is. Everyone has their own perspective and what is so great about making so many pots is that there are a lot of possibilities.