QUITE A HANDFUL

I have to admit, I really admire Kumano's optimism, just let me explain. Given the sheer size of this guinomi, just how many cups of sake (bourbon, whisky) can you imbibe before things begin to spin out of control, especially your head? That being said, beyond the optimism, I love the scale and command of the pottery of Kumano Kuroemon where size and strength are written across the landscapes of his pottery and I think this large size guinomi is no exception. As you can see in the photo, this Matsuzaka-Shino kakinoheta guinomi is quite a handful, with a sweeping form filled with movement and a surface casually and spontaneously glazed awaiting the touch and fury of his wood kiln where a coating of natural ash glaze brings the pot to life. The large undulating form is balanced on a rather sturdy base where the foot is cut as quickly and routinely as the pot was thrown and glazed but make no mistake, what appears random and carefree is practiced over decades of making and firing which culminates in each pot that is the last that he has made. This experience reaches its crescendo at the completion of yesterdays pots, building yet once again with the pots he sets about making tomorrow, that is the nature of a potter's work, especially one as bold and adventurous as Kumano Kuroemon.         

I considered Voltaire's quote, "Optimism is the madness of insisting that all is well when we are all miserable" but decided to end the week on a slightly different  tone;  "The place where optimism most flourishes is the lunatic asylum." Havelock Ellis