THIS OR THAT

I have been having some problems with these Kuro-Oribe glazed hexagonal bowls recently, most likely to being a bit overzealous with the glaze application but is also proof I can still learn from my mistakes. As you can see, each of the six sides are basically glaze channels and with just a touch too much glaze, the channels are acting to, well, channel the glaze to a single meeting point. The channels met at three main junctions causing the glaze to run somewhat uncontrollably down the sides, the base and to the foot where it has been running onto the plinths that they are fired on. 

I should mention, being overzealous comes from the fact that the more glaze and glazes I apply, the richer and runnier the glaze get which is a positive thing in terms of the richness of the surface but not so much when it comes to gravity and basically liquid glass. For anyone following along, the fix is quite simple, use less glaze and thinner overglazes and this will diminish the running problem which is not a bad thing. So the fix is in but I have to say, the last bowl that ran badly had the penultimate surface of what I have been after but sometimes you have to choose, really wonderful shards or a a really nice bowl, you can get with this or you can get with that!

SLIPWARE

This rather rustic kohiki and iron glazed mizusashi was made by Ogawa Tetsuo who I have long admired as one of the finest "slipware" potters of Japan. While the term "slipware" generally is associated with the English tradition of the use of varying colored slip on pottery, in japan it is more about hakeme, mishima, kofuku and kohiki stle use of the liquid clay. In this specific case, this kohiki slip has cracked to create a vivid texture across the surface of the pot which has also been highlighted by iron painting a rather atmospheric landscape like the mist or fog enveloping some far off mountain range or valley, a perfect object of contemplation for the tea ceremony. This mizusashi was thrown out of a coarse stoneware clay and then carefully manipulated to a lozenge  or diamond shape and once completed was fitted out with a custom black lacquer roiro lid.         

In short, his pottery is guided by the concept of looking back and studying the past to find and define his voice within a modern tradition which for Ogawa revolves around slipware and his choices of clay and materials. Though the idea, the concept, form and surface are all rather simple the presentation and aesthetics have a degree of complexity that is both visually and tactilely engaging though knowing a bit about the work of Ogawa Tetsuo, this comes as absolutely no surprise.

OLD SOURCE

Admittedly I am more than a bit partial to any variety of Persian or Raqqa style glazes but my favorites revolve around the work of Kato Takuo and Kato Kenji as seen here. This very simple sun soaked bajohai-guinomi is decorated inside and out tying the piece together in design and surface. Perfectly thrown out of a red earthenware style clay the piece is neither heavy or too light and feels just great grasped between the fingers. The pale blue Toruko-ao (Turkish blue) has an quality that harkens back to antiquity beside being made more or less in modern times where the near transparent surface allows the finely detailed decoration to take center stage in this concise three act play. 

From my observation I think one of the main reasons that Kato Kenji resonates so well is that he came to understand the "old source" materials, the pots of Persia and Turkey from antiquity and grasped the spirit and attitude of the pottery while moving onto his own vocabulary of forms and surface treatments he strove to imbue his own work with the ideals of the archetypes he studied. In the end, Kato Kenji was extremely adept at bringing  clay, decoration and glaze together in harmony where each played its role in the creation of his work that spans the ancient Silk Road all the way to 20th century Gifu prefecture and Japan writ large.

KATAKUCHI IN ACTION

I took a few minutes the other day to make this "stellar production" assisted by Industrial Lights & Magic* to give a rather quick idea of how my katakuchi actually pour. The Oribe hakeme katakuchi was filled about 70% and I could place my thumb inside the vessel without touching the liquid which was water for demonstations sake and I was able to fill all five, Kuro-Oribe mini-wan, bourbon cups and had enough left over to easily top all four cups off. The four cups are all made out of sandy small batch clay, gently faceted and glaze in what I refer to as Kuro-Oribe for good or bad.  The lip was pulled a bit thin and sharp and works quite well to cut off the flow of the liquid without any dribbling and the channel that runs up to the lip isn't so aggressive as to overwelm the spout making for a good, even pour without any complications. This is a short video so I apologize there is no time for popcorn . 

(*Okay, the Industrial Lights & Magic comment is hyperbole at best as is the thought this is a "stellar production" as it was filmed quickly on a faux tripod and my wife's old cell phone.)

THROWN, NOT SCOOPED

From my perspective, Kaneta Masanao has become so synonymous with the kurinuki technique of carving a pot out of a block of clay that I almost forget he comes from a family of traditional Hagi "throwing" potters. As you can see, this Shiro-Hagi chawan was thrown, not scooped and adheres to a more conservative avenue of the Hagi tradition but its wouldn't be Masanao without putting his personal stamp on the form and surface. As mentioned this chawan was thrown on the wheel where it was then slightly altered while wet, pushing slightly oval creating a broader than wider form and once a bit drier he altered the lip creating a nice contrast to the softer curves of the form with simple angles and notches which immediately grab one's attention.       

As for the kodai, it was crisply cut forming a bamboo node style pedestal giving the form quite a bit of lift but perhaps the most noticeable features is the dramatic contrast between the curdled, crawling Hagi glaze and the wettish, iron daido clay body peeking through like canyons or waterways on some distant planet. The ever so slightly off white glaze wraps the form and presents a stark sense of tension almost as if the form is being pulled apart while creating a unified presentation amidst the implied chaos. Kaneta Masanao has managed to create a chawan that straddles the old and new and brings balance to the simple and complex aspects of the bowl which is a perfect addition to the Hagi tradition and just another facet to a noteworthy career in clay.

JUST FOUR FOR FRIDAY; CHAIRE

This is sort of a follow up post showing off a group of five chawan by Bizen Juyo Mukei Bunkazai, Yamamoto Tosho. Like the previous post, these are literally photos of photos and are a bit grainy but I do think they get their point across showing off Yamamoto's mastery when it came to making chaire. The book these came from is dedicated to chaire, dozens and dozens of them and I honed in on this gang of four, just four because they said something to me specifically and if you were to thumb through the same book I am sure you would pick four entirely different pieces but this is my post (and blog) so here are my choices. Though there is something of a similar type in these four they are clearly different in firing, form and presentation of posture and character. I also think it is evident when surveying his chaire oeuvre just how fertile his imagination for form was relying on what came before and articulating what he had to say regarding Bizen clay, firing and his perception of the tradition.    

Yamamoto Toshu started in clay at an early age and founded his own kiln in 1933 along the way he gathered a profound knowledge about antique Bizen, hand picked details and attribute from the past and folded into them dignity, honesty and sophistication of earlier pottery creating his own unique vocabulary. As he matured, his strong ability and technique on the wheel leads to a facility in creating outstanding chadogu painted by antique archetpes from his studies, modern trends perculating during his early and fomulative years and his own developing inner vision of Bizen. I believe the chaire of Yamamoto Toshu stand out to this day as an enduring contribution to the tradition and potter's art in turn becoming the archetypes and role models for many post-war (post 1945) potters and even those to this day and likely for quite some time to come.

MICE & MEN

I am sure every potter can relate to this, I had intended to do a pottery-free day on Sunday, run some errands, close-up the A/C unit outdoors and some other misc. house stuff only to wake up to an email that changed some of my planning. The email was from a couple who had a cat induced accident and asked if it were possible to make a replacement lid for a covered jar which to be honest is never my favorite task. I agreed and decided to thrown two lids and knobs with about .5cm difference in size but before I could even get down to the studio, I realized that I needed four more terra cotta bowls for a gallery order so now I was going to make six pieces. 

After a late breakfast/ brunch and a quick trip to run some errands I went into the studio and made the two replacement lids and four 3lbs bowls which then turned into making up 2000gr of white slip and 2000gr of black for the terra cotta pieces. What should have been a thirty minute project turned into over two hours after the throwing, slip mixing and decorating four blanks, also in terra cotta screaming at me from the shelf, "paint me, paint me now".  So much for "the best laid plans of mice and men" as the lure of a studio just feet away from the comfy couch and TV, just seems to win out just like the siren's call to the men of Odysseus's ship and crew*. 

(*Was that a bit too overstated there?)

KOHIKI BAMBOO

Illustrated is a classic kohiki take-zu hanaire by Takahashi Samon that stradles the line between being simple and complex at the same time. The form of this vase is well articulated and clearly imitates the nature of bamboo and then this complex, cracked surface is put over the clay that creates a frenetic landscape of fissues, texture, colors and movement. Specializing in kohiki, Takahashi Samon has used a relatively common ceramic archetype and gone beyond form to present a balanced presentation of visual aesthetics and function for the everyday, well prehaps best for special occasions. Using this group of photos I intended to help build a perspective of what the pot looks like in person but was unable to capture the glistening, even glimmering surface as the sunlight illuminates and refracts through the glaze. In the future if at all possible I would like to rephotograph this vase using sunlight and shadow to help flesh out the hidden nature of the piece that is trapped just inside the surface.

ALL IN A DAY'S WORK

Anyone who has taken even a cursory look at my blog or Instagram page will not be shocked to see yet another chawan, another pot by Kimura Morinobu. I know I have said that part of the reason is that I truly enjoy how he handles clay which I also realize means very different things to different people. To me this is a simple and honest chawan, obviously based on any number of archetypes having that classic rustic, folksy, unpretentious and antique appearance, was that enough adjectives?  The bowl is desribed as hakeme chawan but in truth the thick hakeme slip has cracked creating a vivid texture to eye and hand alike. There is a transparent ash glaze over the bowl which has hints of blue to white where a bit thicker creating a wonderful contrast with the cracking underneath. 

Though I think it rather obvious in the simplicity of Kimura Morinobu's work and this chawan as case in point, there are layers of complexities surrounding the bones of the bowl like the moons of some far distant planet. The layers add the depth and attraction that a good pot should have and which Morinobu seems to bemore than a bit fluent in based in part to nearly seven decades of experimentation, exploration and dedication. I guess after seventy years or so it is simply all in a day's work.

ALL IN A DAY'S WORK

On some days I am reminded that I don't make nearly as many pots a day as I used to. Cutting down on the wear and tear on my wrists and lower back I keep throwing to less than three, preferably two hours a day while working off a script of orders, commisions and gallery restock. Yesterday was a semi-typical day of throwing terra cotta where I threw three covered serving bowls, lids and knobs, three 14" plates, three 3lbs bowls and four 2.5lb bowls and decided that was far along on the list to call it quits at the wheel. But that is not completely the whole picture, I ran a glaze fire kiln, pulled out forty pieces for an upcoming show, made out the paperwork and inventory sheet (which I just emailed in minutes ago) and then started the prep for dealing with the pots I just made, mostly making up black and white slips and getting finished pots stacked and out of the way, all in a day's work. I realize this doesn't really sound like a lot of work but for the sake of not destroying my wrists and back, this routine has served me rather well over the past decade or so despite the fact that back in the day if there weren't at least a zillion pots covering every available free space, I would just not feel satisfied but that was then and this is now.  

Illustrated are the three terra cotta covered serving bowls thrown yesterday and tooled today, two as yet to be decorated.

TOASTY

Illustrated is a rather toasty warm Shino chawan by Hori Ichiro that I will admit, surprised me just a bit upon its arrival. In the original pictures this chawan looked rather nice but quite white and certainly lacking the warmth that it actually exudes. Expecting a more or less white Shino chawan as I began to unpack this bowl it became immediately clear that this bowl had a rather appealing and welcoming surface which works in perfect harmony with the form. The meandering lip and rustic, almost rough kodai add real flavor to this chawan beyond the rich, orangy tinted surface. As I mentioned, the bowl has a warmth that many Shino chawan only aspire to and wish for, the tone and smoothness of the surface adds a rather comforting tactile quality making it easy to handle and appreciate the piece all the more. I am not trying to oversell the bowl but it does have a standout quality where depth, warmth and curb appeal all blend together to spotlight exactly why Hori Ichiro's work have added an untold amount to a tradition that goes back well over four centuries with work like this it is clear there is no end in sight.

EVERYTHING BAGEL

I have to admit it has been quite some time since I have seen and handled a new chaire by Furutani Michio but everytime I think, that the previous may have been the very last one, another one shows up. As you can see this chaire is broad, wide and sturdy in appearance and construction, The whole form is broad and overall I would say this is clearly built like a tank. Clearly marked; SHIGARAKI CHAIRE,  this chaire has a bit of everything you could hope or ask for, just like an everything bagel (!) from the glassy shoulder and cascading ash and areas of darker, deep brown ash from the velocity of the kiln. I should also note that another feature that makes this piece a bit special is that the shifuku (not shown in this photo obviously) is a simple homespun piece actually made by Furutani Michio's wife. This personal and intimate addition is something that I always greatly appreciate and makes this combo of chaire and shifuku truly a Shigaraki cottage "industry". Though I haven't seen a Furutani chaire in some time, this encounter was rather welcomed and just what the pottery doctor ordered.

WHAT'S NEXT

Illustrated is a recent etched teabowl with spirals and slashes design. This was glazed in a clear glaze with the golden brown amber over it and I am a bit enthralled with all the running, streaking that creates an almost holographic effect. The design under the glaze is clearly visable which is always a plus and the glaze creates a distinct sense of movement which abruptly stops at the widest point of the bowl, the transition between the main part of the form and the decending base culminating in the foot. Beyond the etched decoration, the rich deep, dark amber is probably the most eye catching feature which truth be told is hard to miss, though it wasn't intentional it couldn't have happened at a better place exactly where the design ends. Unfortunatley my mind is now wondering, what else, what's next in relation to this glaze because naturally, I won't be content until I screw it up.