MORE LEFTOVERS

Since I have started making up small batches of clay in a bucket which is labor intensive I have started being very mindful of salvaging all the scraps possible from the throwing and trimming of pieces. I end up collecting up the damp scraps and putting it in bags with a damp sponge and then use that clay to throw test bowls and cups like this faceted Kuro-Oribe bourbon cup. Normally I end up with some where north of a pound or so of clay and that is perfect for making two small cups that help aid in the continuous and unending cycle of testing and fine tuning various glazes and multi-glazed surfaces as in the case of this cup which is a base glaze and two washes applied over. What seems like just more leftovers in terms of test clay ends up being the perfect foil for trying out all kinds of ideas from new(ish) forms to multi-layered surfaces with a minimal risk in terms of wasted clay or wasted materials for glazes being able to keep the collateral damage (wasted materials) to about 200 grams or so. Normally these are a good size for spirits, perhaps 10 x 10cm  and this one is no exception being a bit large for sake but as many may consider, perhaps just a bit too small for bourbon.

STANDARD BEARER

I thought it more than about time to follow up on my MAKER'S MARKS post showcasing the work of Furutani Michio by putting up an overall shot of the Iga vase in question. In some respects there is nothing remarkable about this vase in regards to Furutani Michio's body of work, it is certainly a classic pot, well fired, carefully crafted and articulated with just the right amount of incised marks to bring the pot to life and tie all of the elements of the piece together. Though not remarkable, the truth is that his body of work in his later period is mostly of a rather uniformly high level of skill and artistry, the forms are filled with strength, vigor and purpose while the firings are among the best of the late Showa and early Heisei periods, in other words he was at the very top of his game.    

This particular Iga vase has a wonderful posture and attitude where the form, marks and surface are seamlessly integrated with details painted across the surface so plentiful that it is possible to get lost in the parts and miss the feudal presentation of the whole.  This is yet another Furutani trait that sets his work apart from many of his contemporaries and undoubtedly why his influence and style is still emulated and admired over 20 years after his early passing. It is rather easy for me to wax poetic when discussing Furutani Michio's body of work and his individual pots, have handled many of his pieces and meeting him on a number of occasions included just as he had emptied a kiln, dozens of pots all spread out on a large blue tarp, but through dedication, traditional ideals and his writings, he was and still is the standard bearer of the Iga and Shigaraki traditions which he helped move into the 21st century. 

QUIET BUT CAPTIVATING

There is something to be said about pots that are subtle and possess a degree of purity where there is a marriage of clean line and clarity of design, purpose and execution and I think that this vase embodies those ideals and philosophy of creation. Based in part on a well established Sung Dynasty tradition this vase was made by Mashiko potter, Hirosaki Hiroya (1933-2012) who blended his foundations learned during his time studying with Hamada Shoji and also Ishiguro Munemaro who also shared an interest in the Chinese pottery aesthetics. Graceful and elegant in form, Horisaki sculpted a rather crisp and stylized blossom on the face of the vase before glazing in a pure, white Hakuji that is perhaps the perfect surface for both form and decoration. Creating works that are devoid of decoration as well, many are glazed in pure white glaze to showcase the strength, nobility and purity of the forms while others have accent of a cinnabar style shinsha-yu or yuriko red glazes that seem to float effortlessly on in the surface making for a rather profound appearance. Though reliant on a Chinese aesthetic, Hirosaki has picked the essential elements in which to voice his unique vision where past meets present yielding a quiet but captivating conversation between the potter, his pottery and the viewer.

ZERO EXPECTATIONS

I guess the question I originally had was what happens if I were to put my iron yellow glaze over the new thin white, Hagi-like glaze and well, now I have an answer even though this all started with zero expectations. Using an existing small test cup I tried out the iron yellow and hw-05 glaze and ended up with this buttery soft surface that immediately reminded me of some Takatori surfaces that I have seen over the years. Not really knowing what I was going to end up with and no preconceived notions this is a rather neat surface that obviously is compatible with the white and has a nice surface that shows off all the rough pocks and inclusions in the clay to good effect. Like almost all the iron glazes I use the surface is runny and a bit droozy where it terminates, something clearly seen on a number of my tests and pots as the base glaze for almost all, well many of these surfaces is roughly the same one. It is always quite a welcome experience to go into a test without the stress and expectations of certain results which ends up as a welcome surprise that worked at least the first time it was tried on a small pot, let's see if it works on the next test size up. Now I can be anxious about the next series of tests.

BIG, BIGGER & EVEN BIGGER

I'll caution you up front, this is another one of those "way back when" stories involving one of our trips to Japan in the mid-90s. While walking down the antique row in Kyoto we saw three wonderful tsubo in a window, big, bigger and even bigger is probably the best way to describe them, all three where Hagi and made by Yamato Yasuo. The biggest one measured almost 20" tall and equally as wide and had a tremendous sense of scale and volume with a animated surface of poured slip with a glaze over and quite a few areas of gohonde. Of course we fell in love with the biggest one and discussed purchasing it for the longest time, really until we were on a bus headed for the airport a week or so later but at the time couldn't figure out how to get it home or how to pay off the credit card bill!      

All these years later by a chance encounter what should we encounter but another of these large Hagi tsubo covered in ladle poured slip and patches of gohonde. Did I mention this tsubo is large (by Japanese pottery standards) measuring just a bit over 18" by 18" and to the best of our recollection is pretty true to the original pot that set the spark way back when in the first place. The form has a rather palpable tension as the piece is the definition of volume to the point of appearing ready to burst held intact by the colored and animated surface creating a wonderful narrative landscape around the tsubo. This is perhaps not the best photo of this pot but due to the size it was rather impractical to try to photograph in the space I currently use which is only 16" tall but I think the general idea of the pot is there to see, in other words this is the picture I took and the one you get, for now.

THICK ASH, CRACKLED SLIP*

Illustrated is a small guinomi made by Ando Moriyuki and the technique is described as HAIYU ONIHADA (ash glaze, devil texture) but could just as well be called; thick ash, crackled slip. This diminutive pot is a rather functional guinomi with a fairly thick coating of ash glaze covering and sealing all of the openings and cracks of the underlying slip keeping the piece sanitary while providing a surface that is just filled with texture, color and a very tactile experience. I enjoy this type of guinomi, a piece that resembles the form and proportions of a chawan. In this case the curve of the bowl and its wall have that classic appearance where it rests on a foot that is not wide at all in the overall proportions of the guinomi and the kodai and its interior are addressed just like that of a chawan. I really enjoy the overall presentation of a pot, in this case a guinomi but I like to delve into the smaller details, some obvious and some less so that also gives some insight as to what the potter was thinking when he made it and how those concerns shaped the little piece that you see resting here. 

(*Not a follow-up sequel to CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON)

15 MINUTES OR SO (COMPLETE)

Here is a picture of the squared teabowl I made a while back as an effort to continually try something a bit out of the box or new to me as a means of moving forward, some succeed and many fail. As you can see it was finally glazed and fired and is fait accompli; I opted for my (so-called) Kuro-Oribe style surface or that is my Oribe in current use with some iron over it creating this particular look that truthfully is a different color in each and every differing light source. Even cloaked in sunlight and shadow the lines and sparse impressed decoration are very clear and glaze movement adds a sense of animation to the more or less geometric form of the teabowl. I can't say in the end that it much reminds me of the 80s music that accompanied this timely task but given the expeditious nature of its creation I think this was one of my better uses of 15 minutes or so from start to finish.

OLD JAR, MODERN TIMES

Let's face it, who doesn't love a medieval jar, be it Bizen, Echizen, Tokoname, Tamba, Iga or Shigaraki. A good old jar processes qualities that are taken for granted beyond form, they are imbued with honesty, purpose, utility and humility and these characteristics are written across the form and surface in an unconscious and anonymous way. When I first saw this jar it was as if seeing an antique tsubo, created with tradition and medieval aesthetics in mind but in this case, this is a modern jar, made in modern times but the ideals would seem to be the same between the old and the new.    

This Shigaraki tsubo was made by Ogawa Seiho and was clearly patterned after any number of medieval archetypes in which perfection was not the goal but rather he has dedicated his pottery making after the very same qualities that are admired in old pots. This tsubo is a rather nice size with an ever so slightly leaning posture and the bulk of the face and much of the shoulder around the pot is covered in a rich coat of ash much of which is running down the form creating a perpetual sense of movement. Perhaps one of the best features is the neck and moth and how they were made and terminate showing a casual and unconscious approach to working the clay which again harkens back to the pottery of medieval times culminating visually in an old jar made in modern times. All in all this is a simple, humble pot that despite those characteristics it has a nobility and strength that is likely the most important attribute of jars of antiquity that are the bedrock of this tradition old and new.

LOBING IS A VALID SCRABBLE WORD

Quite some time ago I put up a post, FRACTURED ICE and thought it time to fill in some blanks with an overall shot of the seiji vase. The surface of this elegant bottle is layered in fractured kannyu style celadon and was made by a modern master of the style, Minegishi Seiko. Blending Chinese archetypes with Japanese modernism, Minegishi creates wonderful forms based on a wide array of objects with this lobed pot ever so slightly resembling an up ended melon with a graceful neck and mouth. As you can plainly see the channels created by lobing the form have filled with a thicker, more opaque glaze and create a stunning series of overlapping and fractured cells that create a vertical line adding lift and movement to the form. As sturdy and full as the form is, the neck and mouth seem fragile and delicate by comparison which makes for a wonderful contrast between the various elements of the pot with the iron showing through the thinned glaze around the mouth being the final touch to bring the piece to life. I think that if I were going to sum up Minegishi's work in a simple descriptive sentence it would likely be; his pottery embodies a well crafted blend of luxury and nobility with a hint of pure elegance as a garnish. 

FWIW, lobing is a valid Scrabble word and could come in handle for six points.

EGGSHELL

Illustrated is a faceted teabowl that I made from one of my test clays, intended as a mixture of porcelain and stoneware. As you can see it came out a sort of eggshell color punctuated over the entire surface is bits of grog to give it as much flavor and texture as possible. This bowl was thrown a bit thick and rather loosely prior to being very quickly faced to open up the clay and expose the texture and inclusions hidden within. In the texture department, every cut and piece of grog can be felt in the hand as I used the thinnest coat of an alkaline clear glaze as possible in an effort to preserve the qualities of the bowl freshly thrown and faceted in which I think it succeeded. Though with all of the inclusions visible, it is hard to call define this teabowl as simple but it does have a rather simple, elemental quality that I rather enjoy, a sort of broken purity, now it is time to make more clay and move on to something just a bit bigger.

PERSONAL PREFERENCES

I put up a post with a detail shot of this rather nice Ko-Mino kinuta hanaire by Ando Hidetake and thought it was more than time for an overall shot even if it was hastily set up and relying on the vestiges of the days sunlight. For my part this vase is exactly what I would like to see from a kinuta form; the proportions are really great and the way the throwing marks around the neck and the well executed facets run down the body present a sense of motion wherever you decide to focus your attention is certainly a plus. The face of the piece has accumulated a nice crust of ash up and down the form with a noticeable display on the neck which terminates on the shoulder giving way to areas of glassy ash and myriads of tiny, gem-like nodules that seem to be percolating up from the surface.   

The glaze continues down the faceted body and where it terminates there is a sheen of greyish-blue ash that turns in to a rich fire color (hi-iro) across the rear of the piece. I think the masterful faceting works wonders with Ando's glazing style and his Ko-Mino sensibilities and firing producing a pot that does not disappoint at any level and writes a wonderful narrative across the landscape of the form. As I pointed out previously this is my favorite style of Ando Hidetake's work, a personal preference if you will and I always enjoy running in to his Ko-Mino pots and the conversation that ensues.  

"But our preferences do not determine what's true."  Carl Sagan

SIX MONTHS?

Whenever I think about Surface (Seamail) Mail, I can't help but think about the classic Split Enz song; SIX MONTHS IN A LEAKY BOAT and though I realize it is not a totally fair or accurate characterization, at least the six months part feels about right. As a means of economy, I have been using Surface Post (Seamail) for quite some time specifically when it comes to having books shipped from Japan to the US, it cost a fraction of EMS and though it takes some time, most books if packed well enough aren't all that fragile. As a general rule of thumb I don't start to get worried until about three months have passed and though not as traceable as EMS, you know exactly when it shipped and then it pops up on the radar when it arrives in the US  and along the way to your residence.  The illustrated group of catalogues, 41 in total arrived recently and though not a huge amount of stuff, it is still heavy enough with two hardcover catalogues including the Hamada chawan book celebrating his 77th birthday, the cost adds up as quickly as the grams do. I would recommend Surface Mail for books, catalogues and not fragile objects especially given our current circumstances with shipping and of course, Godzilla approves as well.

CHATTERING

I have to admit, the word chatter is not one that I can think I have spoken out loud in a very long time and to show you where my mind goes, that word immediately makes me think of two movies in particular; HELLRAISER and WORLD WAR Z. Having gotten that out of the way, I saw my first really in person piece of Onda-yaki, a small covered jam jar with chattering decoration at the home of Mitzie Verne way back in the early 1990s and thought I would like to give that a try. Using banding steel that I had been making trimming tools out of, I proceeded to make a tobi-kanna and set about chattering some terra cotta and stoneware pots. Off and on I have done this style of decoration but it always seems to be a passing fancy where I make a dozen to twenty pots and I move on to something else.       

Fast forward and while watching a movie there was a large Onda covered jar covered in chattering and I thought this would work for porcelain with black slip and decided to make a new tool that would chatter just a bit differently relying on just the very end of the tool to make the marks as you see them in these photos. I think this has a quirky look to it and fits the piece as well as can be expected and now I wonder if it will be another five years before I do this again?       

As a cautionary tale when I first tried this I had been making pots a little over a year or so and not particularly adept at using my homemade tool, that may still apply. In the studio at CSU was a guy who couldn't help copy just everything he would see and he set off make 40 or 50 pieces with chattering decoration and once bisque set about glazing them all in temmoku! Being the tech I gladly loading the gas kiln with his pieces and mine glazed in an amber celadon and a 1-2-3 celadon, when they came out he was just dumb founded as all the decoration was for naught. A word to the wise, use a transparent glaze of some sort or another if you are using this technique.