Friday, November 4, 2022

WELLSPRING

When someone casually mentions the Mino potter, Kato Toyohisa my mind immediately runs a slideshow of pictures of pots with thick, curdled Shino glazes, semi-iridescent Oribe and forms and pieces that are fairly modern in their orientation. This particular large and bold Shino vase has some of those elements infused into its bones and DNA but there are classic, traditional fundamentals at work here which clearly show where the potter and his pots drawn from, that wellspring that is Momoyama and old pottery. The form is encased in a pure white feldspar Shino that is rich in its opacity with hints, bold areas and flashes of iron red bleeding through like brush strokes on an abstract painting's canvas. There is a profusion of strength and nobility in the form and posture of this pot and I hope this short video slideshow captures some of the features that make this a rather alluring pot in person.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngDdCckp444&ab_channel=CABatA3S