Friday, August 6, 2021

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