ALONE AGAIN (NATURALLY?)

The end of the year always seems a chaotic time in the studio, rushed drying, decorating and firing and in the aftermath is usually a total wreck. I went down in the studio this weekend, my first time in almost a week to get a bisque kiln loaded and get things straightened up and put away to find my 20+ year old clock had met its demise and a single, solitary glazed teabowl on slab roller, a staging point for finished pieces to get loaded in to the kiln. Sitting there alone, I had tried every trick in the book to get it in to the last kiln but no amount of rearranging or space sorcery was going to get the job done.

Sitting idle, waiting to be fired, this teabowl is next to the bowl I use to collect excess glaze cleaned off the foot ring and despite appearances, there are actually three glazes on this bowl, two very, very thin layers and a thicker Oribe base glaze. Every now and again, I collect up all the contents of the bowl and mix it thoroughly in to a wet glaze and test it out of which several have worked out to make very cool accent glazes though never repeatable and only in batches of 1000 to 2000grams one of which I used on an earlier version of my Oribe until it was fully depleted. Now that the bisque kiln is loaded, a tiny bit loose I should add, this glazed teabowl should fit in the next glaze firing and not find itself alone again, naturally or otherwise.

AS TIME GOES BY

Illustrated is a vivid gosu tabi-chawan with a classic floral motif decorated on the front and back of the bowl by Kawai Takeichi. Besides being a rather nice piece and certainly a quintessential Takeichi pot, this particular piece has an interesting, at least to my wife and I, back story. This piece is the first Japanese pot we bought off the internet in 1998, a piece we spotted on a Japanese website and decided to try emailing the dealer with what seemed like no success at the time. The email I sent to this dealer was in English with a few cobbled together Japanese written phrases but hours turned to days which in turn grew into months. Then one day, out of the blue and almost three months after our email inquiry we received an invoice email from the dealer for under $90 shipped at the time we were instructed to pay using an International Postal Money Order (IPMO) which we had to track down and order at our local Post Office.

After a week we received the IPMO, mailed it off to the dealer in Japan and about six days later we received an email from the dealer letting us know the pot was shipped by EMS and here was the tracking info. It was obvious that the dealer had used some sort of translation program as the English was not great though far better than my Japanese and here is what really stuck out from the email, it ended with this cryptic phrase and I quote; "never push an alligator" as did nearly all of his emails for the next several years. You always tend to remember those firsts but I will admit, I doubt I will ever forget that phrase and will forever wonder, what exactly does it mean, I am hoping it was intended as some sage advice or practical wisdom as I can image the outcome involving said alligator being somewhat less than positive.

SEASON'S GREETINGS

We wanted to take a moment to wish all a very Happy Holiday and Season's Greetings from this end of the computer keyboard, including Khan who has dictated this message this year as his lack of opposable thumbs makes typing something of a chore.

QUALITY CONTROL

I found this photo on the web a number of years ago, it may have been taken by Tsukigata Akihiko, son of Nahiko though I am not exactly sure. Despite being a bit blurry and it does not exactly enlarge very well it is clear exactly what you are looking at, quality control at a very human level. The photo clearly shows Tsukigata Nahiko breaking up a serving bowl while seated in front of a growing pile of shards with several larger pots behind an iron kettle hanging from a jizai-kagi. Like every potter who goes through this process of deciding what pots should be broken, it is clear by Tsukigata's expression that this is a painful process seeing pots that came from nothing but a lump of clay and then were nursed through the throwing, bisque, glazing and firing process meeting the hammer.

What I can say about this process from my own personal experience is that though there is nothing positive about this other than making sure the wrong pots don't get out, this is an absolutely necessary part of the process and I have broken more pots then I care to remember. I suspect the exact same sentiment, that of anguish and acceptance is most likely the case of what was going through the mind of Tsukigata Nahiko as the sound of the hammer on ceramic shattered the otherwise peaceful tranquility of the studio.

THE CASE OF THE CURIOUS KABIN

The post title might be a bit kitschy but the truth is this is a rather curious kabin (vase). This particular vase is described as Ki-Seto, well actually Oni Ki-Seto to put a fine point on it and truthfully doesn't necessarily look like most pots of that tradition but then again, when has Tsukigata Nahiko walked along the path of traditional absolutes? This photo comes from a catalogue from 1972 or 1973, I don't remember which and is representative of the Oni infused Ki-Seto that Tsukigata was making at the time ranging from very traditional aburage style Ki-Seto to mustard tinged yellows to rich, deep surfaces like this and a number of variations in between. Though this does not immediately conjure up the thought of Arakawa style Ki-Seto, it is clearly a potter determined to not only redefine conventions but also blazing his own unique style with an Oni flair. I should mention that I have seen two very classic Ki-Seto chaire and a chawan by Tsukigata and if and when I can find the photos I will post them. In the mean time, enjoy yet another page to the tradition of modern Ki-Seto pottery or as modern as 1972 gets these days now nearly fifty years later.

"The proper words in the proper places are the true definition of style."  Jonathan Swift

BOX TOPS

In an effort to see what else I could make out of this Ao+ glazed squared teabowl I decided to make a wood lid to fit the piece and then finished it with a ceramic knob. In a way, the teabowl has been repurposed in to a covered box form, loosely based on old Haida bentwood boxes but in truth, given the form and scale of the piece it still can function as a teabowl, a vase, covered box, utensil or pen/ pencil holder so in many respects, repurposed is not quite the right term. Thrown out of stoneware, altered square, thick slipped, black slip decorated and Ao+ glazed, the form is finished with a roughly cut wood lid that was painted a glossy black before having the ceramic knob attached with two metal pins and epoxy. I have made a handful of these pieces with wood lids now and though it is both relaxing and challenging to work with wood, I doubt I will make a habit out of it as it is both space and labor intensive. I think maybe I should stick with clay.

SUMMA TOTALIS

What is more striking than a snowy hakeme mizusashi punctuated by bold brush stroke splashes of iron? Well, I guess with enough time you could come up with something or at the very least comparable examples but this casually slipped pot with almost Zen influenced or inspired iron explosions makes for a rather dramatic piece with both pleasure and purpose in mind. I have been aware of Kon Chiharu's slipware work for some time though his Shigaraki pottery comes to mind much quicker but his skillful use of slip, oxide and a thin clear glaze makes for an excellent counterpoint to the ferocity and subtleties of his wood fired work while clearly presenting just another facet of the potter and his skills. I really like the motion created with the simple act, or art of brushed on slip which is then punctuated, even stopped in its tracks by the bold use of the iron brushwork which appears to be equal parts of aggressive impact and thoughtful control. Though the components, the sum total of this pot are all simple from the form, functional lid and knob, application of slip and iron and the use of a thin glaze coating when you add them up the sum total is so much more than all of those parts.

George Saunders the writer said; "Character is the sum total of moments we can't explain" but as I have thought about that quote as it may pertain to pottery I have often thought that "a pot's character is the sum total of all those details and decisions that we just can't explain" and I think it applies when you realize the sheer complexity involved with the act and presentation of making simple pottery.

ONLY A GLIMPSE

Looking a bit like some dangling medieval emerald earring, this wonderfully placed drip is frozen in the moment straddling the realm between beauty and just an Oribe drip on a kiln shelf, I believe it chose wisely. Though not exactly a household name outside of Japan, the maker of this vase and this Oribe earring is Sone Yoshiyuki (b. 1951) of Toki in Gifu Prefecture where he grew up, studied pottery before setting up his own studio, the Yoshiyama Kiln in 1973. Sone grew up and was heavily influenced by many of the Mino traditional pottery styles and has a real penchant for Oribe as you may gather from this detail shot of one of his Oribe hanaire though his work is not entirely restricted to all things green. What I can say regarding the two dozen or so pots that I have seen by him is that he is heavily influenced by the archetypes and posturing of Momoyama Mino pottery but he has managed to infuse his pottery with a rather unique and lively atmosphere that is very much in the moment. Highly animated with well conceived glazing, his pots, especially his vases are studies in motion and running colors that capture one's attention and hold you fast to his marvelous greens painted on his modern medieval forms. Though only a glimpse, a detail of this vase, sometimes it is all of these wonderful details that keep a conversation going, on and on and soon with a few minutes of time on my hands, I'll put together a slideshow video of this vase.

"The distinctive colours of Oribe are those fresh greens which emerge together from the land of spring. This is what I strive to recreate. I am doing my best to capture the magnanimity of Mino and with a contemporary feel." Sone Yoshiyuki, a quote from the DIRECTORY OF THE MINO CERAMIC ART ASSOCIATION (1992)

ANOTHER FIRST

I have been at making pots for some time now and that includes the loading and firing of thousands of kilns, electric, gas, salt and wood and through all of that experience, I managed to stumble on yet another first. The other day, I fired off a bisque and the next morning I cracked the lid and put a four inch round post on the rim to prop open the kiln, I was on my way out to mail a group of packages and thought to get the cool on its way to cooling down. I got back to the kiln several hours later and as I was opening the kiln with my coat still on, it brushed the post which plummeted into the kiln with a resounding crash. Instead of just hitting a small blank, undecorated v-bowl or teabowl it managed to land on the wing of a new form I had made a week ago as a new Oribe glaze test. You can see the resulting damage in the photo and though I contemplated just going ahead and glazing it for the glaze reference, I decided against it as I really need the space provided I know the outcome of the pot itself, not the surface so I am firing a yunomi in its stead. I can't help but think that accidents will happen but this is another first I could have done without.

(Despite this momentary setback, I am not done with this idea and form and as soon as I have a few extra minutes I plan on throwing and building another.)

OGB

A while back I came across a group of early (and slightly longer) slideshow videos that I had made with a nice variety of pieces show cased including potters and pots that are not exactly household names in the West. This slideshow video is of a rather nice Iga hanaire that has a posture that almost looks as if the pot was about to buckle under the ferocity of the fire but somehow survived the process. Made by third generation Iga potter, Sakamoto Toshihito, the form is very well articulated with dramatic spatula work and a varied surface that shows the form off to the fullest. Beyond the animated character and defiant posture of this simple vase perhaps what most catches one's attention is the beautiful deep golden brown glass that has built up on the shoulder and ever so faintly about the rim of the mouth that literally dances in the sunlight. I'll let the video complete the narration of this enjoyable and very functional Iga pot.

ALL RISE

After writing my Monday post, I went and visited a group of Bill Klock teabowls that I have on a shelf, reminding myself about just how powerful and present simplicity can be. This illustrated Shino bowl is a classic piece by Bill, simple in its approach, form and glazing but the manner in which it was thrown, the use of subtle marks around the piece with a rough, folded over lip adding strength and focus to the pot all terminating in a powerful lift on a quickly cut pedestal foot quite frankly what clay was originally intended for. I should also mention that he really enjoyed using Shino thin where the fiery iron reds would come up bolstered by the spodumene in the glaze and allowing marks, impressed and inlaid stamps and other elements of the clay to show through the surface.

As for the initial ascent which begins as the clay meets table it is clearly about visual elevation, the bowl has the lift that I really love in a pot and for clay which blends function and aesthetics, this teabowl just says, "all rise" to my eye.

" I thought clay must feel happy in the good potter's hand." Janet Fitch (from WHITE OLEANDER)

PEDESTAL

I remember the first time that I met Bill Klock, it was the week before Thanksgiving and what seems a lifetime ago. Our first conversation lasted for well over an hour and concluded with an invitation to make pots, we talked about Leach, Hamada, Cardew and Kawai among others. While I was there, Bill showed me a group of recently tooled teabowls with this strong and graceful pedestal feet on pots meant for various Shino and temmoku glazes. I was impressed by the way the feet were cut and how they created this distinct shadow and visual, some appearing like they were in the midst of "take off" , a rather animated lift that each bowl possessed, they were all winners in my book. Over the years I have continued to be been drawn to the kodai of Hamada and Kawai and I am a huge proponent of a pedestal style foot with as much lift as seems the pot can handle.

Illustrated is a recently fired teabowl form of rather robust proportions perched atop a pedestal foot and heavily textured creating visual and tactile interest in the bowl. The glaze surface starts with my Oribe glaze to which I then add a variety of other glazes over to mottle and activate the overall appearance of the piece. Though I am certainly influenced by the great master of modern Japanese pottery at its core, I continually strive to find a hint of the posture, movement and energy that Bill seemed to handle with little effort and a lifetime of pottery making.