A SINGLE BLOCK

Perhaps best known for his large, dynamic and animated oni sculpture and even larger ceramic and glass site installations, Mashiko artist Fujiwara Ikuzu has a broad range of subject matter in two and three dimensions. This small ceramic stature portraying a whimsical and idiosyncratic Fudo-myoo along with all of his tell-tale attributes including flames, fans, sword and rope is clearly identifiable as the work of this mashiko ceramic artist and a subject he has created numerous times. The really unique aspect of this piece is that Fujiwara carves his pieces out of a solid block of clay adding detail and definition along the way and that is how this piece was created. Another aspect that makes this Fudo a bit different is that once wood-fired in his moderately sized anagama, the flames behind the main image had a layer of gold gilt added to create another layer of dimension to the statue. I can also relate from having handled this somewhat weighty piece, it is quite obvious it was hewn from a single block of clay much like a stone sculptor finding the image from within and chiseling away until the hidden Fudo-myoo emerged.