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.
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