EXCUSE ME, HAVE WE MET BEFORE?

Illustrated is a great detail shot of a Tsukigata Nahiko Oni-Shino mallet vase. I think it is quite evident why I am fascinated with Tsukigata work, there is an undeniable complexity to the surfaces through his carefully crafted use of clay, glazes and firing process which yields a wealth of effects and styles. In this case, the surface has a wonderful, cascading area of coalesced iron that looks like a universe of copper flecks frozen in time creating a shimmery and luminescent region which is occasionally interrupted by the active flow of natural ash that built up on the pot during the firing. In the depression of the ash has pooled creating a wonderful visual landscape of olive toned ash bordering the molten green, fractured bidoro which is doing its very best to spill over the sides and run down the pot. Though Tsukigata Nahiko was exceptionally well known for his vivid oil paintings, it is these painted surfaces that I am pleased to converse with, the narratives presented are evocative, palpable and linger in the mind making these pots a wondrous pottery koan, provoking both the eye and the mind.