Like
a simple set up for a comedy routine or a music video, you can ask yourself,
what do you get when you take a simple form, a ferocious firing and one such
possible outcome is this lean Matsuzaki Ken vase. Showcasing a variety of wood
fired effects, this simple yet elegant form is exceptionally well fired without hiding any of the defining lines or cluttering up the
surface allowing for the idea and grace of the pot to be easily visible to the
viewer. Having wood fired a number of times myself, I can say that though you may have
a sense of where pots should be placed in the kiln, every firing is different
and as such the surface comes out based on a wide array of factors that are not
totally in the control of the potter, the fire has way too much sway over the outcome.
That being said, this Matsuzaki vase is just as close to being perfectly fired
as possible with its surface painted by fire and ash to stellar effect. The
shoulders and side of the pot have a wonderful build up of ash that creates a
lot of variation in one many may refer to as "another brown pot" with
hints of the surface treatment articulating the surface where a sureform tool
or rasp was used to help defing the angles and planes of the piece. As the song
goes, with the somewhat random end result in question, "how did I get
here?" and the answer is a mastery and dedication to a violent and labor
intensive process and a great sense of form.
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