DRAMA NOT TRAGEDY

Over time I have spent a fair amount of time learning when and where I can and studying every pot that I could get my hands on and during all that time I think I have to admit my tastes are pretty eclectic though there are a few specifics that stand out and one of these is the mallet form. I am pretty sure my penchant for the kinuta is well documented in various other blog posts. As I think about the various interpretations of this simple form I always circle back to what I constantly consider the north star, the mallets of Arakawa Toyozo and how his handling of the anatomy of that pot has set a standard that spread throughout Mino and elsewhere. As you study the works of Arakawa students and their student' students it is easy to see many of the details, scale and proportions infused in these more modern works and those of Kato Kozo are no exception.        

Illustrated is as straight forward a Kato Kozo Ki-Seto kinuta form as one would hope to see, the proportions are spot on with an expanding taper from foot to shoulder and then from shoulder to mouth creating an engaging appearance that is not abrupt or in any way breaks the flow of the vertical movement. As can be seen even through the glaze there is just the right amount of articulation in the clay where the throwing marks on the neck create subtle visual furrows that are pleasing to the eye and create additional texture with the glaze and fired surface. As for the base of the pot, there is a good degree of well controlled spatula work created that moves up and down the form and established a faceted like quality to the pot. Having an experienced ideal, the simple but complex task of making these various decisions while the clay is still wet sets the canvas for what is yet to come, glazing and firing, both hopefully willing participants in the process when all goes well.       

At first glance the Ki-seto glaze appears to have been applied in a casual and hap-hazard manner but if so, that is guided by decades of making, glazing and firing and knowing what small action affects the outcome of the pot. Once glazed in varying thicknesses, the next choice is where should each and every pot be placed in the wood kiln and having watched a number of wood kilns of both glazed and unglazed pottery loaded for some potters this is where all the heavy lifting begins and ends. Each and every decision will have consequences and relying on years of firing and an intimate knowledge of the kiln, once having survived the firing a pot emerges and the surface is perfect, covered in areas of varying textures and glassy beads of ash that have burst through the surface to punctuate various areas in serendipitous jewels. The face ends up covered in a rich, crusty aburage style crust that adds layers of character and visual depth that in some respects allows its dark mantle to stand testament to the intensity of this final act of the process narrative, in this case a drama and not a tragedy. There is a lot that can be written about a good pot, a good mallet vase and what is a classic piece by a great potter and at some future date hopefully a slideshow will fill in this drama just a bit better than this static image and short description.