WHISKEY, NEAT

Quite a while back I posted up a picture and Youtube video of a rather nice Kojima Kenji Iga tokkuri and as luck would have it, another found its way here. It would seem as reticent as I am about collecting tokkuri and guinomi they just seem to make the journey to Central NY to unite with kindred spirits. This Iga tokkuri is different than the previous having a rather brighter surface which has a nice pale green ash surrounding the surface and gem like drips of bidoro where the pot was fired on its side from the thick opaque drip at the lip to the two about to meet like good old friends at the center of the piece. The tokkuri feels nice in the hand and is quite easy to use and the posture adds a bit of amused bravado to the pot inquiring after the users intentions. Now that these two Kojima Kenji tokkuri have met up I think that it may be destiny to find a few more guinomi to go with them for use most likely with whiskey rather than sake but I am willing to bet the potter wouldn't mind for what they are used but rather that they are used and enjoyed.

1:2 x 3:2= 砧

 

For just the briefest moment today, a sliver of sun came in through the back window on to the shelves on the wall and for just an instant, this pot peaked out from the shadows. Showing off a coating of all natural ash this anagama fired Iga kinuta vase shows off its simple surface that is composed of a myriad of subtle colors that make up this ice sheet compressed within the line of the shoulder and a border of charcoal from where the pot rested during the end of the intense wood firing. I really respond to the interaction between clay and Sun but in the end, the pot has to deliver the goods all on its own, the lighting is just the delivery system of the senses in this case. In terms of this mallet, this is likely one of the simplest and purest kinuta forms that I have seen by Furutani Michio, stripped down, slightly angled sides and neck the minimal amount of marks around the torso of the piece. Fired in presumably one of the best spot in his kiln, Furutani allowed the firing process to write a majority of the story across the surface of the pot which as with many of his pieces at first glance seems a simple story but like many a great work, it is the subtleties, the nuances and the variations in color and light that portray a much more vivid and complex narrative at which this potter excelled. Even in the shadows, it is easy to see the mastery of Furutani Michio on full display and easily recognizable as Iga at its modern best.

PLAYING A FORM

I took a few moments yesterday while in the midst of making terra cotta pieces for the holidays to continue to work out a design I have been playing around with for a short while. The form is roughly based on a Japanese small hand drum known as a kotsuzumi, these small hand held drums look a bit like an hourglass in shape and are used in Noh, Kabuki and Min'yo (Japanese folk music). So far, most of the pieces have been either covered jars or bottle forms so I decided to make a koro loosely based on a version of this form. The illustrated greenware koro was completed just an hour or so ago and is composed of several pieces put together, the base and slab bottom, the central portion and large wing were thrown as one piece and the lid and applied knob. I used a square motif to tie the pieces together first impressing groups of squares around the central portion and in the wing and lid, pierced squares as both decoration and to allow the incense aroma and smoke to escape the pot. I used the ration of 2:3 (6" and 9") for the width of the base to that of the wing as a jumping off point and obviously the proportions can be played with in future attempts, this being the first of the kotsuzumi-koro trials. I am likely to glaze this in Oribe and should it make it through the glaze firing, I will post up the finished results at some point in the future.

"Let cloud shapes swarm, Let chaos storm, I wait for form."  Robert Frost

HIROSHIMA SHINO

Illustrated is a rather attractive  and simple Shino chawan by Arimoto Kugen that has a seductive appearance with areas of overlapping glaze which alters the depth and texture of the  surface. The contrasting areas of white and blushed pink hues are punctuated by randomly applied iron spots that bring motion and visual interest to the bowl presenting an image reminiscent of a modern abstract painting. Arimoto Kugen (b. 1963) fell in love with Shino early on in his life and didn't let living in Hiroshima stop him from his pursuit to make fine Mino influenced Shino-yaki. As you can see from this E-Shino chawan, Arimoto has succeeded at his dream of making fine Shino and has focused on form, function and a certain sense of practicality in his pottery making which makes for fine implements for the tea ceremony, everyday use and focal points for daily contemplation.

You can see more of this chawan over at my Trocadero marketplace; https://www.trocadero.com/stores/albedo3studio/items/1401087/SHINO-CHAWAN-BY-ARIMOTO-KUGEN

MORE THAN A THEORY

I was looking around the internet and though I may be a bit late to the realization, the web is truly a remarkable place, you can find and see things that just a few short years ago would have taken quite a bit of effort to do so. As my wife and I often remark, you are always just one click away from something you weren't even looking for and enter, stage left, this photo. Obviously not my photo and not of the greatest quality as it was photographed behind glass is what appears to be a sizable bowl by Araki Mikijiro decorated in a similar manner to the one that I put up a while back. The form and glaze is very similar to the one I had here with only a very slight variation in the decoration. For a large number of potters there is a rather simple conclusion that most always applies, if you see one piece than it is quite likely there are quite a number more and this bowl certainly substantiates that this is more than a theory.

"A theory must be tempered with reality."  Jawaharlal Nehru

IS(N'T) THAT CLEAR?

I will admit, I have been a bit busy and thus remiss in regards to getting some overdue testing done. To that end, I was doing a line blend test a short while back and at the extreme of the tests was an attractive, ever so slightly (!) milky clear glaze that I have decided to act upon. Though this was an unexpected outcome, I have wanted to work out a less shiny clear that had some softness to its appearance and with any luck I can get there through this formula with a few tweaks along the way. I sat down and threw a few small teabowls and once tooled, I covered them in black and white slip to see how these extremes look under  the new glaze though I am going to run more test pods through the upcoming glaze fire before committing to making up 2000gr of the formula and the potential for just ruining the small bowls. It strikes me how differently I work today as opposed to the all in, devil may care attitude I had regarding the process when I started. I guess that every kiln load of liver ware (supposed to have been copper red), twister ware and other smashing failures reinforce the prudence, patience and multi-phase testing process are the best course of action to save time, energy, money and yes, even a few extra moments of sleep!

As you can probably tell from the before and after photo, the test came out a bit more milky (and blue) than expected. I think making up a small batch of this glaze has paid off and I suspect I know exactly how to get it to where I want it in the next glaze test. Simply put I will try two additional variations, one in which the glaze is just used in a thinner consistency and the other in which I alter the gerstley borate quantity. With any luck, I should get pretty close to what I am after in the next round of testing.

"Cats have it all, admiration, an endless sleep and company only when they want it."  Rod McKuen

STORYTELLER

Every now and then I am reminded of some of the great potters who left us well before they should have, some were on the brink of greatness and others had clearly show their genius. Of the pivotal potters on this list, I often think of Bizen master, Kaneshige Michiaki whose work spans both tradition and contemporary expression where the manner in which he handled and used clay and his exceptional firing created objects that set a standard that all potters can strive to. I should also say that I have been rather fortunate to handle quite a number of Michiaki's pots over the years including at two shows* of his work in Japan in the early 1990s, though I must be honest and say they have all be his more traditional work geared around tea ceremony. I have not handled the chawan in this screen grab from an early 90s video series on Japanese potters but I can say this chawan is a classic piece in form and firing that as it rotates in the video presents a clear picture as to the form, posture and firing of an intoxicating bowl.

Even in this photo and in fact the video, the lyrical posture and animated movement of the form is an excellent canvas for Kaneshige Michiaki's well considered and experienced firings. This chawan just invites the viewer to participate in its narrative, asking you to come along on a journey as the potter and clay as storyteller weaves the past and present into a thoroughly enjoyable ceramic experience; it is quite easy to imagine this chawan letting you know, "I have a story to tell and it is a doozy".

SOULMATES?

I recently had this Nishiura Takeshi Echizen tokkuri here before send it on its international journey to finally be connected with a long, lost soulmate. Just waiting to be filled this Nishiura guinomi makes a great companion to the tokkuri with surfaces that show off Echizen wood firing in quite a good light. despite the fact that the internet has draw everything much closer together, like a huge electronic Pangaea, putting together sets from disparate locations has become the norm provided you can find the pieces in the first place. Though obviously both originated in Echizen, Japan, the tokkuri has taken a more circuitous route to the new owner than has the guinomi which came from potter, to gallery and then on to its new home.

The tokkuri's path is a bit more nebulous though it did travel about Japan before coming through a number of US States before it arrived in my hands and then on to presumably the last leg of its international journey. I realize these details regarding the travels and stopovers are of little or no consequence to most but I find the migratory patterns of pottery to be quite interesting as well as the motivations behind the push to get these pottery objects to move along in the first place. The current owner of the tokkuri had an interesting phrase, "catch and release" for pots and collectors who own pieces for a time and then pass them along to their new homes. The one point that I can interject regarding "catch and release" is that as both potter and collector having the ability to see and study a far reaching and ever changing group of pieces is always an enjoyable experience and it saves just a bit on airfare and rail passes to Japan.

Photo courtesy of a collector abroad.

THIS VETERAN'S DAY

I wanted to take a moment during these unsettled times to thank all of our Veteran's for the lasting sacrifice and defense of our Nation without whom we would all be the lesser but for their service.

LEST WE FORGET  (BertonBraley)                                                                                                

Our dead rest on the breast of France

And all around the world

Where by war's grim or splendid chance

Our banners were unfurled:

So whether here or overseas

Their bodies chance to lie,

We pay full honour unto these

Who did not fear to die.

Because they dared, because they died

We and our nation live,

Our liberty, our hope, our pride

Were gifts that they could give:

And since for all these gifts the price

Was life -- they held life cheap

And blithely made the sacrifice

And laid them down to sleep.

O, dead of many wars, who fought

With spirit high and pure,

The noble structure that you wrought

Shall evermore endure!

You held your country's cause above

All else: we, unafraid,

Will keep your country worthy of

The price you gladly paid.

MIXED METHODS

Back in March I mentioned the end of a Syracuse institution when Eureka Craft Gallery closed its doors. I admit it was hard to accept having been the longest continuous craft gallery that represented my work from 1992 to 2019 and it also meant that I had no gallery representation in that area. Several months back, Amy, a former employee of Eureka and the single person responsible for turning my wife and I on to a great bakery contacted me and ask if I would show in her gallery which she was planning on opening in August or September. I told her I would be happy to and delivered a group of pots to her in September and got to see her new space known as MIXED METHODS. In certain respects MM takes some of its cues from Eureka, not only filling a void left by the gallery closing but bringing a all that she had learned to a new, streamlined and crisp gallery setting while also espousing some "newer" concepts into a social media savvy age. MIXED METHODS is primarily focused on providing well made and unique items and objects in eight various mediums including; pottery, wood, fiber, glass and wood presenting a rich variety catering to all types of collectors and gift givers in a wide range of prices.

As the gallery progresses and takes root in the area the goal is to ultimately include evenings with "Meet the Artists" as well as trunk shows and other special events, one step at a time. The following was included in a recent email from MIXED METHODS owner, Amy; "I wanted to create a place to showcase artists' work from across the country. There are so many talented artists and 'neat' small businesses and I wanted to be able to have a place where someone could find creative, original and well made pieces - whether as a gift or something special for yourself. " In the end, "I decided to open a shop to continue to offer artists' items to the Syracuse area." From my experience what I can say about Amy and MIXED METHODS is she has excellent taste in pastries which I am sure will extend to those things carefully considered for her gallery and this new destination just makes another excellent reason to visit Syracuse located dead smack in the center of NY State. MIXED METHODS  can be found at 215 East Water Street (Rear) in Syracuse.
 


https://letsgetmixed.com/



  https://www.instagram.com/letsgetmixed/

PERSONAL SPACE ISSUES

Illustrated is a close up detail of a Kumano Kuroemon Echizen vase that I received a while back, the photo that is. At first glance it may seem like the photographer has personal space issues but the truth is, getting to see details and nuances that you never get from a standard group of display or sales photos, it is exactly these types of images that add meat to a short treatise on the piece creating a broader narrative from pot to viewer. During the intense Kumano firing, this unglazed piece built up a nice coating of ash which over time melted and created a characteristic Echizen blue ash run that mingles with and within the dark, brownish bidoro which finds its origins in a calcium rich environment. Looking at this photo you can't help but me intrigued by the heavy throwing rings, marks circling the neck; traces of the potter's intense and quick struggle with the clay that along with the dynamic surface are locked in a Promethean battle for the rest of time (or as long as the molecular structure of the ceramics stands up against time).

ONE AT A TIME?

Last week I mentioned that I had settled on and made a number of groups of pieces to go to Connecticut in November. Among the styles selected is a small group of plum blossom pieces which includes a square tray form and misc. bowls and this picture is of them just recently decorated and detailed with sgraffito to outline each blossom. I like working in groups as it makes more sense to decorate ten similar pieces at a time then just one at a time, completing them as singular pots. Normally I try to get as many pots of a particular style going at the same time, normally I can get about twenty pieces or so laid out and going from one to another I can get each element completed so that by the time I am ready to incise the details around each leaf or blossom, the surfaces are nearly dry which is the best time for the sgraffito. I currently have a fair amount of pots drying that will need to be decorated but at the moment getting these smaller groups of falling leaves and plum blossom pieces completed gets me one step closer to getting everything buttoned up.

AN ALTERNATIVE VIEWPOINT

I took a few photos the other day of various pieces hanging around and came up with this alternative viewpoint of a rather nice Kakurezaki Ryuichi tokkuri. I realize that i posted this tokkuri up on my blog back in April but if you compare the two photos you can see how different the same piece can look with various variables affecting the image. In this photo there the surface texture running down the piece and the variety of natural ash effects tell a fuller story of the pot. I am a huge proponent of constantly re-photographing pottery in various lighting, different moods behind the lens and with additional cameras if possible. Over the years I have collected up quite a few digital images and love to revisit the folders for each pot to not only remind me of subtleties I may have forgotten but also to discover nuances that I may have missed previously. In this photo it is clear that the twilight illumination was just the right time and thing to bring out details that may have escaped this tokkuri's first encounter with my camera.