DIVERSITY

di-ver-si-ty/ noun/ the state of being diverse; variety 

Now days when I think about modern Iga I think about the traditional and evolving works of Kojima Kenji who adds just a bit more to the Iga tradition on a daily basis. There is however quite a bit more to Kojima Kenji and in fact a number of the tradition based potters in Japan and that is diversity, a diversity most likely pioneered by past potters like Kitaoji Rosanjin, Kawakita Handeishi and more modern potters like Tsujimura Shiro where just about everything is at play and the boundries are meant to be pushed up against and broken if at all possible. 

Using some illustrations (assembled as a collage) from a few catalogues I just wanted to show just a few styles that Kojima Kenji has embraced to rather good effect ranging from Shino (Choseki), Iga Oribe, Hikidashi, Iga-Oribe and a number of other techniques showing a range from rather playful and inviting to somber and contemplative in nature. If you look at these six works closely enough there are some commonalities that link these pieces to the potter especially if you are fairly acquainted with his work from form and posture to the way the lip (kuchi-zukuri) and kodai are addressed. I realize I could have picked a variety of different modern potters but in the end I do have a large group of catalogues on Kojima Kenji, have handled more works by him than any other Iga potter excepting Furutani Michio and to be honest, I just enjoy the way he handles clay, Iga or otherwise.

BLUE SUIT

Not having used this soda blue glaze for some while I have been going through the paces from test pod to larger pot to make sure it still responds as it has in the past as I would like to think I have learned my lesson about being impetuous. I ended up going with this small covered jar for several reasons, first off it is larger than a teabowl, it isn't a teabowl (!) and by glazing the lid and the pot I can make sure it doesn't run enough to create problems with pieces being forever (or until I smash them with a hammer) melted together. 

This small covered jar was made to test out a variety of effects on one pot, once tooled, the piece had a black and white slip swirl brushed on the body and the lid excepting the finial. Once dried I painted on the line and brush stroke decoration to add a bit more movement and interest to the piece and then the gallery and lid were waxed off and the pieces glazed. After being fired the covered jar provided most of the input I was looking for including how the glaze looks on unadulterated stoneware as seen on the B.C. influenced finial. Now more or less fully proofed and with a firm belief the glaze responds exactly how it has in the past, maybe it is time to make some covered jars and wall bowls to be decked out in a new soda blue suit.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Happy, Merry, Cheerful, Joyful Holidays, Xmas, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Festivus, Season's Greetings and a very Happy or ambivelant New Years depending on your current dispostition and psychic predilictions.  Sentiments from Craig, Mindy and Khan the wondercat, background provided by Tsukigata Nahiko.

DEFINED CONCLUSION

Illustrated  is a two view picture of the front and back of an Iga henko by Atarashi Keizo. Composed of slabs for the front and back, a strip of clay, possibly thrown for the center of the form and a thrown and slightly altered neck and mouth, the form is further articulated by marks made by the potter to further articulate and define the surface. Made of a somewhat coarse clay, this pot was wood fired and has weight and volume to this sturdy form as well as displaying an array of effects that also clearly defines the front and back of this pot. As for the incised decoration, I am not sure of Atarashi's motivation but every time I look at the henko I am reminded of roadside Jizo that I would see on my travels in Japan though I admit, everyone will see something possibly quite a bit different. Atarashi Keizo moved from Osaka to Iga after having apprenticed in Mashiko and set up his studio, Kourin-gama in Mie Prefecture.    

Atarashi must have favored this particular form as I have encountered a number of versions of this henko that I have seen including one in the; GENDAI TOGEI HANAIRE (no) TSUBO ZUIKAN  that highlights potters and their various interpretations of modern Japanese vase forms. At the end of the day, this is a somewhat simple pot that was well constructed though in a casual manner that doesn't seem all that interested in any mis-spent adventure. Instead both Atarashi Keizo and pot rely on tradition, a hint of innovation, good clay, a simple yet evocative form, a well fired kiln and years of experience to guide a potter's voice to a well defined conclusion.

WAITING

For some reason I keep going back to making smallish covered boxes, there are likely endless possibilities so each one takes own its own personality and challenges. The illustrated greenware box now waiting on a bisque and glaze firing brought together a low box form together with a tripod foot, faceted planes, dot on top and bottom to align the pieces and yet another B.C./ Prometheus inspired finial. In throwing this piece, free styling along the way I tried to come up with a form that despite or because of the faceted plane it still imparts a fair degree of volume, a bit like it is puffed full of air which props up the finial at the top. No rocket science here, just simple parts put together in a way that I hope forms a contiguous and sensible object that at the end of the day, yes, you guessed it, I will glaze this up in Oribe for the penultimate surface. 

I am not sure exactly when this will end up fired (in Oribe) but when it does, I'll try to remember to post a picture or two.       

"The world is all gates, all opportunities, strings of tension waiting to be struck."  Ralph Waldo Emerson

OLD OR NEW

Sleek and simple form and surface on a Hagi chaire by Yamato Yasuo that was made for a very specific function with straight forward aesthetic consideration. Thrown out of a buff style stoneware, this small form is defined by various lines that help define the form; mouth, shoulder, belly and foot and is completed with its all natural and traditional lid. The glaze is just a tiny bit on the thick side and has created an array of very attractive effects from a face that is blushed to pink to areas of crystal growth that appear like soft snowflakes resting across the form all of which conjures up a rich landscape tucked away somewhere in one's mind. Perhaps one riveting feature of this Hagi chaire is the dark band that encircles the mouth ranging from black to rust where the glaze has pulled thin and exposed the clay beneath making for a wonderful termination of the piece. Over the years I have seen quite a few pieces of chadogu by Yamato Yasuo and whether they are old or new what is always clear is that there is an attention to purpose without skimping on the decorative and alluring nature of the pots intended for a traditional ritual almost six centuries old.

SUBSTANTIAL

Solid, sturdy, like a rock are certainly apt descriptions for this simple and fire weary Iga mizusashi by Imura Mitsuo. Made out of a dense, white stoneware, this pot was thrown and then marked up, cut a bit, hacked even and altered to create something akin to a fire scorched carved statuary reminding me a bit of the base of a gorinto (five ringed tower) situated throughout Japan. This misuzashi has deep potter's marks that ring the surface along with gashes carved out of the raw clay that have become prefect foils for the natural ash surface running from sheets of green glass to dark, ominous charcoal areas that bring a stoic and somber tune to this essential part of cha(no)yu. The carefully placed marks that encircle the body of the form at top and bottom compliment the meandering mouth of the pot and help narrate a journey around the pot through its light and dark surface like phases of the moon.         

Created by Imura Mitsuo, his pottery shows a much more solid hand and forceful, almost brutish forms than his master, Sugimoto Sadamitsu. Whether in his nature or as a means to escape his mentor, Imura's work as I mentioned, are substantial and powerful where weight is not a primary concern but in fact play into the narrative of how he must see form and the space it commands. I often conclude looking at his pottery, they are pieces of solitude and solemnity, like a fortress standing alone on a mountain top, defying the viewer to approach but one they do sharing the brillance of simpicity and design that defines both purpose and a singular aesthetic where sparsity and purity converge.

GRINCHING

I have to admit not ever order, especially small ones are received with the same amount of unbridled enthusiams as are other and these four, well what ended up being really twelve bowls are a perfect example of that. I was recently asked to make a set of four bowls in the snowberry decoration but the twist was they wanted them decorated inside and out where as previously the decoration was confined to the exterior of the smaller using bowls with an all black interior and a few carved bands at the top. As you can imagine that doubles the effort as well as doubling the chances that I will somehow manage to screw up the very wet slip trailed dots but I set about making them and all went well and any apprehension was for naught. In point of fact, I ended up making a dozen in total with the thought process that at the very worst I would end up with two sets of four and a spare or two for our kitchen. As luck would have it, I ended up with three sets of four so despite my intitial Grinching, all is well in Whoville and because sometimes things just go the right way, two of the three sets are now in there new homes cross country. 

 

ADDED UP

Taking every advantage of what little sun shows up here, illustrated is a small seiji guinomi made by Imaizumi Takeshi. All in all this is simple in exectution and design making use of an iron clay body and a kannyu style seiji glaze but of coars the simplicity part relies on years of experience and glaze testing to get to this point. The thrown round form has the lip pinched in three points to affect the symmetry and the confidently cut foot is surrounded by a thick opaque roll of pale blue glaze just hanging in space and presenting an ominous vision though perpetually frozen defying gravity and time. As I mentioned, this is a simple piece that balances form, manipulation, surface and firing and when all is added up, these details and subtleties tally a much more complex package then you were expecting.

A RUSTY BAND

I was thinking about the fact that I really don't get many guinomi sent my way, either from other people's collection of ones that I just can't live without but in the last few weeks I have had four show up which though it doesn't really sound like it, that is a lot for me. This yuteki temmoku guinomi is one of the recent group and like the Ki-Seto guinomi by Matsumura Sen has all of the characteristics of its larger cousin, the chawan. The first thing you notice is the proportions, wide bowl form and narrower foot just right for the piece, the solid proportions have the same ratio as bowls much larger in size. 

 Made by Kimura Morikazu this guinomi and his chawan share the same basic bones as well as surfaces which in this case is several bands of varying oils spot decoration where the small dark spotting is covered over in part way around the piece composed of a rich, mesmerizing rusty band of temmoku. The lip comes to a crisp bevel, perfect for drinking from and the foot clearly shows the bare clay where this guinomi stood during the wood firing process with just the shallowest cut foot like most of the yuteki temmoku antecedents. All told this is exactly my type of guinomi from form and proportions, surface and firing and as I reflect on it, Kimura Morikazu has left a large number of guinomi behind in various miniature incarnations of chawan, most likely, more than most. 

(In the background is just a hint of a wood fired vase by Bruce Cochrane, a perfect backdrop.)

SPEED DATING

I couple of times a year for quite a long way back I end up making a series of carved tebori pieces using cats, birds, fish and especially dogs. Coated in a thin black slip I paint the designs in ink and then carve away the background to reveal the decoration standing against the wonderful color of the clay. This particular square tray form is of a central theme character, WOOF flanked around the piece by four other, presumably female dogs and entitled, "Speed Dating". Please bare in mind this is just for fun and if you prefer the central character to be female, feel free to go at it and think Woofalina instead of Woof. I make it, you interpret it to your hearts content.

CYCLONE

Looking a bit like an unleashed, slow motion cyclone it is rather hard to miss the work of Hokkaido potter, Ono Kotaro. Most of his pottery is filled with energy, motion and even seduction as the carved piece and lines spring forth for a rather simple form that acts as the basis for creation. Thrown out of thick porcelain and meticulously carved, Ono draws movement and emotion from the simple material which he then softly blankets in pale blue or yellow celadon which presents some small weight to the overall presentation. 

 I must admit I am used to seeing Ono's guinomi, chawan and mizusashi where the carved curving furrows end like they are floating off into pace, he makes excellent use of the transition between the animated body and the tallish plain neck which ends in a thick and defining lip. It is rather easy to end up with a rather fussy area where the one piece transitions into the other but this has a magical quality where all of the vertically spiraling lines merge the the faint and subtle throwing marks of the neck. I have seen quite a few on Ono Kotaro pieces, the first being at a gallery exhibition in Japan where a mizusashi was illustrated in their ad and with each encounter, in person, in print or over the internet I am constantly amazed that each piece becomes its very own and unique presentation within a body of work that is well scripted and certainly well produced.

THREE THINGS

Two things are rather clear when looking at this pot, first off it looks like a chawan despite being a guinomi and secondly you wouldn't necessarily see his master in this work as he studied with Sakai Kobu in Toki for a time. As with many guinomi that I am particularly drawn to, this clearly appears to be a miniature chawan from the proportions of body to foot, the wandering lip, the slightly altered form and it overall posture. Made by Matsumura Sen (b. 1977) who now resides and works in Mashiko, he specializes in making Ki-Seto pottery in which he combines materials from Mino and Mashiko with the addition of cypress ash to create five variants of the glaze where each one has its own distinct characteristics and appearances. 

This particular Ki-Seto glaze has a moist, wet texture with some areas that are just a tiny bit dry easpecially around the base of the pot and the foot. On the guinomi there is an incised lotus blossom with luscious, glassy tanpan accents bringing the design to life and defining what one would consider the face of the piece. Well there is actually three things that are rather clear, having devoted over two decades to perfecting his Ki-Seto glazes and pottery, the rewards are great even in this pocket sized pot that is as great to look at as it is to use.

END OF DAY IV

When I am working in groups or series though it is the most expeditious way to process pieces there can come a time when you just have had enough. In the case of this impromptu design, I had been carving my "grasses" pattern close to three dozen pieces in three sizes from large to small and this particular piece was the very last pot to deal with at the end of the day. I realized while listening to an 80s mix-tape that I just needed to be done and couldn't make myself carve one more grasses bowl so I called and audible and improvised this not very large piece with what could be seen as a variation of the theme in a compact and more detailed version. Without the larger pattern I repeated the idea around the bowl in two seperate rings divided by a simple hatched carved band to fill the space. In reality it worked a bit better than some improvised ideas I have had, think the stack of misfit bowls in the corner of the back room (now waiting on the next Empty Bowl event) and this may even make its way into being repeated at some point depending on just how feed up I am with some other design I have carved one too many times. Who knows and we'll see but it does look good with some chocolate truffles in it.

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR

A friend and fellow collector I know has a rather large Oni-Shino tsubo and every year right about now it becomes that time of year where the tsubo is decorated to match the season's festivities. I have shown the tsubo before but recently at my request he sent me some good detail photos of the surface, taken without disturbing the arrangement that is and here is just one of the shots I received. I have a handful of really good detail shots of various tsukigata pots and when i am asked why I favor him as a potter I usually choose from the group of pictures and send them along with the notation, he is why. First off, I should mention that when appropriate, I love multi-level of glazes that run where the sky is the limit from the possibilities and potential of what may as a singular glaze never dream of imagine the outcome. 

With simple layers of Shino, iron and usaully all natural ash from the kiln, the array of surfaces, effects and otherworldly landscapes really does seem to be endless and in this case the Shino forms a frozen, fractured sub-strata from which iron percolates through and mingles with running ash creating cascading tendril and rivers of multi-layer streams of color. I know this is just a detail but from this details, like a mapping excursion, each pictures highlights the small domain which when assembled create the whole panorama of a pot just filled to the brim, or lip in this case with adventures in clay, glaze and fire. Certainly worth the journey, one detail at a time.

INLIBRO

I have had a number of discussion regarding pots that are illustrated in catalogue of book and as you may guess there are varied opinions as to the value of such. There is from some the insistance that it increases the value of the pot by some percentage (?) and at the opposite end that it has no effect or influence on the piece what so ever considering the long standing Japanese tradition of illustrated catalogues accompanying the pot. Illustrated is such a pot, an Iga hanaire made by Furutani Michio for a Mitsukoshi exhibition in Sept/Oct 1989 illustrated in the catalogue that went with the show. In the exhibit catalogue the photo shows a rather rich green surface but under differing lighting the vase turns a deep green tone with hints of browns especially where the ash has built up and pooled. 

 The form of the piece is more or less cylindrical though the upper portion has been slightly pushed oval and the spatula work on the front and back add a slight distortion to thepot as well. Complete with throwing marks around the neck and mouth of the pot, the base is encircled with a singular depression defing the base and the vase is flanked on either side by applied and pinch mimitsuka style appendages breaking up the somewhat straight verticality of the pot. I should also point out that I find a great number of Furutani Michio's pieces to be timeless, they have an austere quality and a weathered beauty that comes from knowing the material and firing intimately and this pot is certainly not an exception as it pocesses the very best qualities of the potter's vision of Iga. 

As for the debate, I would have to say my conclusion is rather simple, irrespective of value there is a comforting quality that comes from knowing exactly where a pot came from, approximately when it was made and that there is absolutely no question as to the authenticty of the pot. I would also add, what must the potter have thought of the piece considering he saved the piece and put it forward in an exhibition to show off his very finest, best work?

SET OR NOT TO SET

In the lead up to getting pots made as orders and for holiday sales, I made quite a few of the "blanks" necessary for several different designs in the medium and small square tray forms. Illustrated is one of about a dozen sets of the Falling Leaves pattern that I made though they are not sold as sets but left to the customer to decide what to buy or combine at their discretion or as the Bard may posit, "set or not to set". Though making the molded pieces can take some time as I can made three medium and three small trays a day, decorating them works quite well as a series. Once the thin black slip is dry, the yellow, green and red leaves are apllied and then quickly detail, sgraffito style and before you know it the dozen pieces are ready for the bisque fire. Working in a series make quite a lot of sense at the end of the day but as you can imagine, making sense is not exactly a mantra of my way of working and along with patience is something always in very short supply here.

MILESTONE

Almost two years ago the wife of a fellow collector contacted me and asked if I would be willing to help her sell off a small collection of modern Japanese pots as she decided to part with them, one at a time where she has set the price. As with a number of people, her husband passed away due to the pandemic and I was more than happy to help her with his collection. The most recent piece to sell was the Yoshida Yoshihiko chawan (of which there is a complicated and loathsome story to go along with that sale) and then she let me know that she is sending me a pretty Oribe bottle. 

Illustrated is a rather wonderful Oribe bottle/ tokkuri that measures just about 19cm tall and made by Okabe Mineo. It is hard not to be impressed while handling this piece from the sharp and angular form, the rhythm of the throwing marks, the wonky lip and mouth and the richness of the variegated Oribe glaze that coats the pot. As you can see in the photo, the band around the lip and waist are dark green where glaze has accumulated while the base shows off running rivulets of that have made their way to the very foot. The base of the pot is tooled out to expose some coarse clay where Okabe's personal mark is proudly and distinctly incised. The truth is that despite its measurements, this has the feel of being a large pot, certainly a classic piece by Okabe Mineo clearly showing off the many attributes of why his pottery is so sought after and even today still represents a milestone addition to what is the modern Oribe tradition.

SQUARED²

I encountered my first pottery by Sakata Deika XIII at the home of the late Dr. Fred Baekeland where he and his wife generously showed my wife and I pot after pot without hesitation along with Meiji era scrolls and Nihonga paintings. The pots we saw at this time, perhaps 1990 or so was an Ido style chawan and a cylindrical vase about 11" tall. Both were nice but we had our sights set on something else but the encounter was more than enough to turn intrigue into interest. On our second trip to Japan we went to a department store exhibition of his work and we were fortunate enough to meet Sakata-san where he autographed a catalogue for us and we purchased a guinomi, all that we could honestly afford. As time passed I collected catalogues from his exhibitions and then acquired the large Kodansha modern Japanese pottery series in which he was featured. One piece in the section on Sakata Deika stood out, the marvelous squared kinute hanaire covered in a wonderful white Hagi glaze which would remain as one of a dozen or so holy grail pots for several decades. 

Fast forward to this year and we encounted this kaku-gata kinuta hanaire that is a very close approximation to the piece illustrated from 1975. As you can see the base is broad and strongly modelled with a tall, vertical spire like neck cutting the perfect proportions for this form. The mouth is every so slightly crumbled and rough in direct juxtapostion to the rest of the pot which has a nearly perfect geometrical figure all laid out by the crisp and defined edges where thinned down or rubbed glaze shows iron like boundaries. As for the base, the glaze appears to be casually applied where it allows the fired iron slip to play its role in this two part harmony that is what I consider a squared square, several times over.

THERE AND BACK AGAIN (2023 Edition)

We made our annual trek down to Middletown, madison and Guilford Conneticut yesterday to drop off our terra cotta work at Wesleyan Potters for their holiday sale. After dropping off the pottery we made our way south and stopped at Nick's Place for cheeseburgers and onion rings, next door for canoli and chocolate croissants and into Guilford for several bottles of red wine. This trek is always a fun road trip with some color left on the trees passing through the mountains as well as areas with a hint of fresh snow mingled among the trees as well. We only make this trip a couple of times a year for this specific purpose but it is far easier than spending two days bent over and on my knees packing up six to eight boxes of pots for UPS which we have long figured out cost more than the drive, burgers and pastries combined. 

The sale runs from 11/24 thru 12/24 and if you are in the area or proximity of Middletown, CT you may want to drop in and see the sale. Illustrated is a pair of chocolate covered cannoli from meriano's hanging out in a test variant of my falling leaves design composed of black and white quadrants flanked by yellow, green and red leaves about the surface. I only made a couple of these pieces and I am still trying to figure out if it works nearly as well as the all black background.

ASH GLAZE, DEVIL TEXTURE

Six sided giving the impression of a Japanese folding byobu, each one its own unique landscape that all ties together in texture and surface. This hexagonal hanaire was made by Ando Moriyuki is finished in his idiosyncratic technique known as HAIYU ONIHADA (ash glaze, devil texture) and works wonderfully on this tapered old form with incised borders seperating each faceted panel of the pot. Perhaps one of the most alluring features of this vase is that as the glaze moves toward the base of the piece the dark green gives way to cascading runs of glaze now surrounded by slightly lighter areas of background. As you get to the mouth and upper neck, the wetness of the surface becomes a bit drier as the the glaze has thinned out a bit due to gravity and the heat of the wood firing. 

 All told, this is a classic pot by Ando Moriyuki and you can see more of this pot over on my Trocadero page;

https://www.trocadero.com/stores/albedo3studio/items/1485476/ANDO-MORIYUKI-HAIYU-ONIHADA-HEXAGONAL-HANAIRE

VETERAN'S DAY 2023

This year I decided to tell my personal Veterans Day story or to be honest, that of my father and mother. My dad, Arthur E. Bird was one of seven siblings and as the Second World War approached closer and closer he and his family thought about its impact. Just a few months shy of the outbreak of the war my father was hit by a drunk driver where he sustained massive injuries including a broken right leg, a broken pelvis, his back, most of the ribs on his right side and his collarbone along with internal injuries but despite this as he recuperated all he could think of was joining the US Army which he did in late 1942. Though finishing boot camp he was deemed ineligible for combat duty overseas and received advanced medics training and was assigned to troop and prisoner trains crisscrossing the country while stationed at Fort Dix, NJ and Fort Benning, GA. 

 This is of course where my story comes in as my father would take leave and spend time in NYC where he met my mother, Nancy T. Antonacci who worked in the US Army Signal Core where she acted as a coded stenographer. Both of my parents and their siblings felt the need to serve in some capacity ranging from DOD contract work, USO assistance and my father's other brother, Rexford joining the US Army, fighting through Europe. The attached photo is my parents wedding photo from 1947, about a year after my father left the service and I make my entrance quite a few years later. Neither talked very much about their part but both were proud to have contributed in the best way that they could. I realize there are hundreds of thousands of these stories but this one is mine, from my family and it is what I best remember on Veterans Day and every day that I remember mom and dad, together again.

SNOW & SUN

Looking a bit like soft, drifting snow over cracked ice, this simple Hagi chawan is by Yoshida Shuen. Over the years I have seen and handled quite a lot of his work, some showing the influence of his master Miwa Kyusetsu X, he must have been exceptionally prolific but this is the only chawan I ever held on to for any length of time. The form is simple, just generous enough and with the kodai, fits well in the hand and the landscape speaks to me of a time and a place conjured up in the imagination, where snow, sun and the warmth of the sun coming through the stormclouds paints a vivid picture. Clearly made for use, the details and visual presentation weren't rushed or ignored, probably all you can expect for a chawan though going that extra step is surely a welcome addition.

SORRY, ISSAC

I have this habit of glazing rignt to the very edge of disaster regarding the feet of most of my pots and this chattered teabowl is no exception. Glazing to the edge of the precipice is probably okay if you are using rather stable and stiff glazes but maybe I forgot to mention that I love glazes than move and run to create motion and the combination of such a surface and a risky glazing technique doesn't always go hand in hand. Back to the beginning, this teabowl was made out of a white stoneware and then black slipped and chattered to create a nice decoration to match the conical form. Once bisque the bowl was glazed in the soda blue I am currently working with, from a formula I first used back in the mid-90s. As you can clearly see, though evenly glazed, the glaze has run and built up around the foot almost to the point of imminent failure though perched atop a thin slice of soft brick to minimize a potential catastrophe. Though defying gravity slightly, sorry Issac, the foot ring is now covered over in a rather attractive coat of thick blue, fractured glaze which certainly is a plus despite the potential for failure next time around and it does show quite nicely in the afternoon sunlight. 

I'll take this one as a win as I continue to figure out just what I can and can not get away with at various spots in and around the kiln and though hope is not a brilliant strategy, I can hope that keeping the glaze thickness in the bucket a consistent thickness and the application to the pot as well, maybe the wins will outweigh the loses which in any given firing is the best I can hope for.

THROWBACK

Some while back I posted up a rather nice Iga guinomi by Umehara Isamu and thought to post up a rather strong Mino-Iga vase by the same potter. Clearly based on a late medieval archetype, this rugged vase has a rather purposeful form, with potters marks raked into the surface, classic lugs attached at the shoulder and a waisted in neck and flared mouth completing the pot. The surface is a masterclass in perpetually wet ash in varying tones of brown cascading down the hanaire, some in sheets, others in rivulets terminating at the dark foot touched by charcoal creating a dark and shadowy base. Though born in Osaka where he persued graphic design he became interested in pottery and studied diligently before uprooting and setting up a studio in Mino where he built an anagama to create wood fired Mino-Iga, Setoguro and Shino pottery to very good effect. Though you could assume such a classic and simple wood fired pot could get lost in the shuffle of our modern age, this throwback to an older era holds a rather firm footing in the modern culture of tea and ikebana where the old and new collide, preserving ideas and aesthetics essential to a national cultural identity.

BAKED CLAY

This is a fun clay whistle, a fun Italian whistle to be more specific, crafted from the fantastical imagination of Riccardo Biavati at his Bottega de Stella in Ferrara, Italy but it is more than its desription, it is imagination and life manifest in baked earth. This whimsical manifestation in clay has like many pots been dragged along through various States and moves mostly in the Northeast with the one deviation into Virginia and like many of the pots we have this one also has a back story be it rather simple and mundane. This Biavati whistle, made and signed by the artist was a gift from a pair of dealers at a short lived gallery of curiosities in Akron, Ohio that we had actually met in NYC several years prior. The whistle along with a large format catalogue were samples given by the artist at a show in NYC to the dealers so when we saw the piece on a shelf we inquired about it, received what they knew of the artist and then gave it to us as a parting gift. I guess I didn't mention this was the very last object of any material that we collected while living in Cleveland as the following Monday with all of our belongings in a big U-Haul truck we were off to New Hampshire to start another chapter of our lives. 

Since everything was already packed, this piece was wrapped in a towel and placed in a big blue tuffy and as luck would have it, it made the journey safe and sound and was also the very first piece unpacked in our new house, a bow house in Windham, NH. The body of the whistle appears thrown, having visible throwing rings around the form with the "antlers", ears, eyes, nose, legs and plinth all attached to the form which has an area of decoration to help define the face. The clay is a buff, just off white material and the piece was carefully glazed accentuating each feature to just the right purpose and helping to animate Bavati's sense of whimsy, imagination, dreams and tales told during his youth into three dimensional forms. Referring to much of his work as his own personal archeology, " Biavati’s works positively exude emotions and dreams. It’s part of their charm and you can’t help to feel light hearted and … smile."* (*From RICCARDO BIAVATI; Poems, Dreams, Secrets and Tales)

XO PEDESTAL

Pedestal vase based on an amalgam of old Greek vessels and more modern Wedgewood made as a composite piece where the body and the base were luted together. Thrown out of terra cotta, once assembled and small decorative lugs applied the foot was pierced and then covered over in a thin layer of black slip and allowed to set up. After firming up the design was mapped out using ink and then the XO decoration was carved to reveal the clay body. Nothing all that complex here, just a straight forward and simple form and surface that hopefully will spend a very long time fufilling its purpose be it for flowers, filled with sand and used for incense stick or chocked to the brim with candy.

BALANCED

Though this may appear very similar to a few other Persian or Scythian design influenced square platters by Kato Kenji, this one is just a bit different in its scale, it is quite a bit larger and immediately radiates a rather magical presence. The border of this platter is of triangular shapes, flipping in alternative directions and filled with black and white that acts to contain or frame the interior decoration of black and white glaze, rich red and green enamel creating an abstracted floral repeat in the quadrants of the interior. As I pointed out in a previous post, the spontaneous and lyrical brushwork which floats on the balanced black and white glazes breathes life into not only the decoration but the simple and functional form which has also turned its attention to both use and aesthetics. Perhaps one of the hidden features of this platter is the rich breaking iron that acts as the final frame of the edge of this piece which is fully realized bathed in the warmth and light of the afternoon sun. Though probably best known for his various toruko-ao Persian blue glazes I have yet to see a glaze combination or decoration by Kato Kenji that has not made me feel just a bit richer and fufilled for the encounter be it brief or long standing.

DEPTH OF WINTER

When I was a kid growing up on Lake Champlain we would spend a lot of time on the ice, fishing and skating and on one rare occasion cross country skiing from Plattsburgh to Burlington. The ice in the depth of winter would range from being flat and smooth to areas of great upheavals but when you would stop now and again and look through the ice it would have this frosted, cracked appearance that even though it was feet thick would give you a momentary pause concerning your safety. When I first looked into this wood fired chawan by Kowari Tetsuya memories of my youth sprung to mind and gave me that instant emotional rush of near panic and exhilaration at the same time. 

Glazed in a feldspathic Shino glaze, the intensity of the fire has melted the various elements, added in some natural ash and created this fractured floor showing off some patches of frothy white, kannyu seiji style effects and crystals created through the blending of the available materials and temperatures. The bottom, mikomi of this chawan appears far off from the lip, a descent into what looks like a frozen and silent landscape that certainly will bring the viewer back again and again to experience the solitude and solemnity of what a potter and a harnessed conflagration can create.

TO THE BRIM

As I was getting closer to finishing an order a while back I realized I was going to have several tall areas that needed filling between four larger and taller pieces, about 16 to 18 inches out of the bisque. Given that I needed some filler I decided to make a few a few taller covered jar forms with slightly exagerated finials to complete the lids and forms. Illustrated is one such example, this covered piece is based on one of my teabowl forms where I have applied white slip impasto style around the pot looking a bit like it has been faceted. The surface may look like it is pinholed but infact I used to left over slurry which had some sand and other debris in it which adds to the texture of the form. On top of the ringed lid I have placed an elongated B.C. (or Prometheus) inspired finial and the whole package is glazed in my Oribe glaze with some Kuro-Oribe accents especially on the finial and the lid. When I loaded the kiln, these taller, narrower forms fit well and helped fill out the space in the kiln and turned out okay to boot. Better to fill the voids to the brim with experiment and fail than to leave any space empty is my mantra for better or worse after all these years of making pots and firing kilns.

PLANNED SPONTANEITY

Illustrated is a small porcelain koro with exacting underglaze and overglaze decoration creating a diminutive tour de force of the enamellist art. Nestled under the wing like collar, this koro is surrounded by four deep indigo blue kanji, this one being makoto or sincerity, also seen used by The Shinsengumi of the Bakumatsu era. Flanking the four kanji are panels of multi-color designs having a rather modern meets traditional atmosphere at some level reminding me of 50s design, the lip and the pierced base is surrounded by bands of black ticked by lines to define the space. Gold is used sparingly but to maximum effect, outlining the kanji, banding various elements of the form and the stylized butterfly on the pierced lid allowing for the incense to escape the interior when the lid is in place. 

Made by one of the stand out porcelain and enamel specialists of the 20th century, Kitade Fujio (1919-2014), he honed his craft under his father Tojiro (1898-1968) and in time and after many awards went on to teach a whole new generation of potter at the Kanazawa College of Art . Many of Kitade Fujio's later ceramics show an unbridled enthusiasm for the use of enamel painting combined with incised decoration work showing off a well planned spontaneity and a rather modern feel. Though this small koro likely fits into the 70s, his exacting attention to detail and precision are clearly on display and at this point the only thing missing is the wafting trails of incense in use.

REMINDERS

When I first saw this covered box form, I was struck by what seemed to be a rather complex geometric puzzle composed of well intersecting planes and angles. Over time I have actually come to realize that like much of Bruce Cochrane's pottery, there is an enticing simplicity where form and surface are the principle players in a thought provoking play, part drama, part comedy and purity of visual message. The wonderful angles of the box are well complimented by the strong, solid base which imitates the form in a slightly exaggerated scale while the piece tilts outward from base to the top where the extremes of the lid and foundation are almost of equal proportions. The top of the lid terminates in a seductive and full curve that breaks up the angulatiy of the form and is a perfect surface for the Shino glaze which was applied very thin and has some areas of flashed iridescence to catch the eye. While a good deal of Bruce's work is devoid of actual decoration there are reminders within the surface of how the clay was constructed, rasped, scraped and sure formed to allow the distilled forms to speak for themselves, cloaked in minimal glazes and wood fired surfaces where if there was ever a more apropos use of the expression, "where less is more", I am not sure I am aware of it.

HAND BUILDING 101

In case you were or are wondering, this is what a screwed up elbow looks like, not from an MRi or x-ray but rather from the standpoint that this is what I am able to do. For some time now I have been having issues with acute tendonitis, I know, poor baby and after getting a number of pots made and dealing with the oncoming winter issues around the house and yard, I find it next to impossible to wedge or center without a good deal of pain. The answer recently has been making tray forms and slab pieces which I am oh so good at so what you are looking at is the pieces parts for two flask forms, likely to be slipped and then glazed in either oribe, amber or soda blue, just not sure yet and best not to count my chickens before they hatch. As is probably rather clear these two flask forms won't be particularly large as the larger they get the more the flaws of my hand building will be exaggerated and honestly they are intended to be more filler between other pots in an upcoming firing that includes a few orders/ commissions. With any luck, the building will go smoothly, not aggravate my elbow and in the end come out at least close as to how I see them in my mind's eye, that would be just enough for me at this moment. 

(I should note that there are only pieces parts for two pieces here. I am not much of a hand builder and as to not get out ahead of my skis, two is enough. The small necks and stoppers will be thrown once the bodies of these two flasks are finished.) 

 The second photo is from the next day once the flask forms were rough built, still needing a bit of fine tuning. Once completed the plan is to cover them in black slip and add white slip, impasto style to the front and back. At this moment the glazing plan seems to be a bit up in the air but will ultimately be either my Oribe, an amber or the soda blue, whatever I choose building and decorating these two pieces was a nice deversion and didn't really add to my ongoing elbow issues.

BLUE SAND

Illustrated is a set of two Nishiura Takeshi Echizen tokkuri that fit together as a nice, neat little package. First thrown round, the tokkuri were paddled and forced together so that they literally fit together making for a rather wonderful set. Once thrown and altered the pots were glazed in Nishiura's "blue sand" glaze and then fired Echizen style in his wood kiln creating what can only be described as a rather unique surface that works on small pots as well as some rather large pieces as well. Beyond the exceptional visual texture, these pots all have a rather vivid texture that is a constant blend of almost coarse and almost smooth making them rather pleasing to use or just stare at as they adorn so small nook or cranny interlocked as siblings or spread out yet calling for one another at opposite ends of a shelf. These evocative and challenging surfaces are a wonderful addition to the modern Echizen tradition and honestly, I think Nishiura has outdone himself with these wild and playful creations.

KISMET

I think it is safe to say that this is something you don't see everyday or since I don't know what circles you may travel in, I will say that this is something that I do not see everyday. Actually I will state for the record that I have only seen two of these in person, one in the US and one in Japan and another two illustrated so I would rate this as a less commonly encountered Tsukigata Nahiko form. What you are looking at is downward view of an Oni-Shino te-oke hanaire likely made in the 1980s. Beyond the rich surface and texture the pot is covered in a thin coat of glassy ash but it is the dramatic, deep brown, crystalized ash that has coalasced in the interior that catches the eye almost immediately. Unprotected during the firing, the interior walls have collected free wheeling ash in the atmosphere which built up, melting and running down the walls into the pool of the te-oke which then cooled slowly creating the dark brown crystaline pool with hints of iridecence here and there.

 Though I have no doubts regarding Tsukigata's skill of placement and firing of his kiln, how much of this surface was fortuitous and simple serendipity as it seems that kismet follows his each and every firing? I am sure had he been asked at the time of its firing, Tsukigata Nahiko would have explained how it was all staged, planned for this exact effect and based on the beautiful and exotic interior of a huge percentage of his work, it is absolutely believable but to be honest, kismet may play a role in the supporting cast of this pot and perhaps a few others. 

 "There is no such thing as accident; it is fate misnamed." Napoleon Bonapart

HALF TWO

I had about an hour recently before I had to be somewhere close to 3pm and decided to make something a bit odd from start to finish and to use a movie quote; "I have a need for speed". I will preface this by saying that these timed pieces are more about thought process and ideas than they are about the finished object and also challenge a speedy thought process to get things done. In this case I decided I would would throw a raised jar form, square it up, throw and cut a lid to fit and then use a thick slip surface to finish off the pot. Throwing the less than three pound jar form went smoothly and then I started getting it set up and squared, which also went quite well. Since the surface was to be covered in slip, the corners didn't end up needing to be really crisp which saved time and now was time to try to fit the lid which I threw just under 20% larger than the original diameter of the jar's depressed gallery. This accounts for the squared corners which are now a bit wider than when originally thrown and also allows some wiggle room. I placed the lid over the form, traced the outside dimensions to the lid and started whittling away at the lid until it was a reasonable fit and then fit with a paddled coil handle reminescent of something I saw in the African cultures arena of the BMFA. The last step was to apply the thick slip with a palette knife impasto style diagonally to create a nice sense of movement which will likely get fitted for an amber suit down the road. Admittedly this was done in just under 32 minutes and the lid fit could have been a bit better if I had taken more time but I am reminded; "Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time." (Bertrand Russell)

TEXTURAL NARRATIVE

When I first saw (and handled) this chawan I was struck by the collision of the perpetually wet surface and the non-stop textural narrative that surrounds the pot reminding me of some modern style emakimono in three dimensions and composed of clay instead of ink on silk or paper. Wood fired in Shigaraki Valley by Kengo Saeki, this chawan was pulled out of the violence of the kiln and allowed to cool quickly, hikidashi style freezing the ash surface as it was just moments before in the kiln. Running from emerald to olive greens, the texture shimmers where varying depths of the ash present very different colorations adding movement and a visceral articulation to the form. The bowl sits on a modest, sturdy kodai and sweeps up to the bowl form creating a rather appealing lift and shadow line that show that Kengo Saeki was thinking in terms of various dimensions during the creation process. Beyond the sheer visual pleasure of the ceramic topography it is perhaps the tactile nature of this bowl that makes it rather enjoyable to hold and mull over in the hand drawing the attention here and there grabbing one's attention to nuances, marks and other surface variations they may go unnoticed if not for all that wonderful wet texture.

 

MODELING SESSION

It has been quite a while since I put up a post on this Tsukigata Nahiko Oni-Shino hisago hanaire and I was lucky enough to get a few minutes to photograph the piece recently and here is one of those photos from the modeling session. As you can see in this view, this vase has almost everything you would look for from Oni-Shino right down to a wonderful coat of natural ash from the wood firing. The mouth and shoulder have a nice crust of wet, brown ash which gives way to a cascade of green coating the pot exposing areas of pure white Shino and iron perculating up to the surface. Though this is not a particularly large pot, its presence and  traditional form make it a larger than life piece in person where all the components of form, glaze, ash and fire meld together to make what I consider quintessential Oni-Shino from the potter who pioneered this style and technique now a staple of the modern Mino tradition.

https://albedo3studio.blogspot.com/2021/09/bookends.html

END OF DAY III

I put off dealing with a group of eight small porcelain bowls until the very end of the day today. All eight were black slipped and two of the bowls were intended to not be carved so I went with this chattering technique where I use the very corner of the tool to create these marks. This technique isn't fool-proof and it causes the occasional skip in the design which personally I like, it breaks the routine and symmetry of the decoration and gives the surface a bit more pep. My current plan is to glaze them in the soda blue but things are fluid and always open to change depending on if I have enough glaze on hand, this approach is called the glaze lottery, using what I have enough of when it comes time to get things glazed and loaded, unless it is an order or commission. Since it is highly unlikely that I will win the $1B lottery, the chances are this will be my best odds for the day; a one in four chance of a suitable surface.

CHOREOGRAPHED

Though slightly reminescent of Tomimoto Kenkichi, this simple henko form with colorful floral decoration was made by Suzuki Kiyoshi (1903-1964). This vase clearly shows the influence of his master, Tomimoto with clear Kiyomizu (Kyoto) elements regarding the decoration and design elements making for a rather identifiable style typical, even traditional for the area with rich undeglaze blue, sometsuke brushwork ranging from soft blue to deep, almost black areas and hints of coral added as accents and later a rich red overglaze to punctuate the space and line the form along with the deep blue cobalt. Despite being over half a century old, this henko looks fresh, bright with decoration perfect for early summer and considering it was created and decorated to capture those exact sentiments it continues to preform just as intended. 

 Suzuki Kiyoshi studied with Tomimoto Kenkichi including at the Sennyu-ji and later with sculptor Yamamoto Kakuji before founding the Sekidosha with Kusube Yaichi, Kano Mitsuo and Asami Ryozo among others. Passing along the Kiyomizu, Kyoto aesthetic, both of Suzuki Kiyoshi's sons are potters; Suzuki Kenji and Takuji work in what I would still consider to be the fused Kiyomizu - Kyoto style making highly decorated and well considered pottery and design. If memory serves me, I remember seeing somewhere, perhaps the GENDAI TOUGEI SAKAIYE JITEN that Suzuki was born into a family who specialized in mold makering which would certainly help explain his prowess in making such well conceived and perfect henko forms. I have to think that looking at this well decorated henko, just how pleased Suzuki Kiyoshi must have been when he unloaded this kiln even if this was one among many, each pot unique but tied together in a well choreographed cycle or making, decorating, glazing and firing.

BOUNDARIES

I have to admit, trying to photograph this solitary and somber seiji chawan is likely beyond my skill level but I will let these photos try to tell the story of this bowl. Made by Uraguchi Masayuki this chawan has a less bright, darker tone where some of the crazing is highlighted with a distinct iron red acting like boundaries between fractures in the celadon glaze. Truly one of the outstanding features of this chawan and other pieces like it is that around the foot and in the interior's mikomi, the glaze takes on a very distinct and opaque quality that differs and stands out from the rest of the piece guiding the eyes to these distinct attractions without seeming incongruous to the overall aesthetic.  

Despite having studied the Chinese archetypes and learning from Miura Koheiji, this chawan and in fact much of his work shows a distinct dependence on the later works of Okabe Mineo from shape and surface. Though one could easily argue that Uraguchi and Okabe were simply feeding off the historical antecedents, to my eye there are subtleties that Uraguchi has "nicked' from Okabe Mineo and then absorbed into his own vocabulary to create a stand alone body of work. This work reflects an idiosyncratic voice built upon what had come before but is moving toward tomorrow. Employing a studied and innovative approach to making his works stand apart from many of his contemporaries while at the very same time standing shoulder to shoulder within a new aesthetic based on over a millennium of prior expression and a rather broad diversity from pottery to pottery and potter to potter.

STACKED

Just a quick post as my days are filled with loading and unloading the big kiln, cleaning and getting another group of pots bisque. Illustrated is a single group of eight terra cotta winterberry bowls with a number of other stacks and groups still green and others that are now bisque. I have finally carved out two areas to store glazed pots ready to be fired and will start glazing tomorrow as the backlog is getting a bit too overwelming. At any rate, though the anxiety is peaking a bit, it is always better to be busy than not.