FRINGE BENEFITS

When I first set up my marketplace on the web, my expectation was to sell some of the pottery I made as well as to find new homes for pots that I had collected to study. From the beginning I realized I couldn't keep every pot that I bought and the thought was to buy pieces that I wanted to learn from and in some other way would leave an impression on me and consequently, my work. What I didn't expect was that fellow collectors, friends and even customers would ask me to try to sell pots that had for any number of reasons, no longer suited the collector or collection. This has undoubtedly been a wonderful fringe benefit of the website. Over the years I usually see a good handful of pots a month that pass through my hands and go on to new collectors, collections and even the occasional private or public collection. It is quite enjoyable to have new pots come by that I can study and as the pieces don't cost me anything, the price is always right.

Illustrated is a rather well fired Iga vase by the late Furutani Michio. This is a pot that was bought from a Japanese dealer and over time, the collector concluded the piece was not quite right for his collection so it came (and went) by me and it was very rewarding to get the opportunity to handle it. The form is quite strong with a slight lean forward to its posture due to the dramatic lobes and intense firing. The color of the liquid ash is rather elegant despite its definite bravado. Quite frankly, this vase has a wide array of effects creating a vivid landscape that is exceptionally well suited to the form; knowing how adept Furutani Michio was at both creating form and their strategic placement in the kiln, how could it have been otherwise.