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.