テクスチャ

I have noticed over the past hand full of years that I am more and more drawn in to pots with eccentric and heavily textured surfaces. These surface create a dramatic, other worldly topography that compliments and in many cases makes the forms underneath exactly what they are. This heavily textured pot is just one of those surfaces that I am intrigued by where the potter, Kato Yoshiaki has used a thick Shino style feldspar glaze and crafted it to form a crackled, pebbled sharkskin glaze seemingly under a fair degree of tension. Once glazed these pots are wood fired and natural ash builds up and coats various parts of the pot and at times creates enough of a coating to melt and run down the exterior adding even more to the animated pot.    

This particular vase is one I have seen quite a few of over the years, it would seem to be a classic staple of his kiln intended as some bamboo form with heavy spatula work around the body and culminating in a flared neck. Though I have seen at least a dozen or more, each one is unique in exactly how it is thrown with proportions be adjusted on the fly and the termination of the piece resulting in a variety of differing necks and mouth making each pot, part of the series but mostly unique. As in this vase, most are thrown with a slightly flared foot matching the mouth and then are rather "rudely" lifted off the wheel creating this distinct indented set of finger marks around the base. I realize the Kato Yoshiaki is not exactly a household name but the more I see of his work, the more I appreciate the textures and forms and the simple honesty of his pottery that creates that meaningful dialogue between potter, pot and its owner(s).