HNY

The past week here has been rather a crazy weather period; early snow and cold here one day, then rain, then freezing rain, then more snow until we are frozen into lock-down at our home. We are about 100 yards uphill, a steep driveway between us and freedom but luckily after all this time living here we have learned to plan according with supplies and DVDs at our disposal and not a single package on the horizon. Now we wait until all this current storm passes and have our path to liberation plowed!  At any rate, have a very Happy New Year one and all!

“Out our bedroom window

The landscape frozen

The footprints of deer”

PLANS BEST MADE

 

Today was just one of those Mondays, I had plans, things to be thrown, glaze made and some odds and ends. At exactly 7:36am that all changed, the explosion off in the distance of a transformer blowing and the repeated cracks and thuds of trees falling all around and, in that instant, we were without power. Plans changed, no studio work which gave me a few extra moments here and there to take a few pictures. As you can see in the photos the trees, snow and the whole region is covered in an inch of ice, even the currently vacant bird’s nest, trapping us at the end of a 100-yard, uphill driveway in our house for the day and possibly several. The power as you may have surmised has come back on, the house is at 56 degrees and now climbing again. With any luck I can get several small covered jars and a group of soup bowls made tomorrow but with another snow storm now at the front door, maybe making plans isn’t all it's cracked up to be.

SENSIBILITY

A pottery collector friend of mine who only collects American pots asked me recently what it is about Japanese pots that has seduced away from more local pieces. I have thought about this for quite some time and I think for me there is a visual and visceral texture and authenticity to the pieces that like, they use tradition as a springboard and many rarely stray too far from that ideal but just enough to give voice to the clay which I should also note can be said for wide swaths of Western pottery. It is not that Japanese pottery is exotic but rather elemental and honest with dashes of panache, subtlety and rusticity that ends up being conversant to my sensibility, that creates an emotional resonance that I am truly captivated by.  

Illustrated is one of those pieces, totemic in presence and posture and all about surface and texture. Made by Nagaoka Masami, this appears to be hewn out of clay with direct and forceful facets and rough impact marks created by paddling. The two tiers appear like a medieval tower, fired in the path of an angry yet benevolent fire creating a surface of runny ash coating the surface creating a sense of wetness that goes on forever. This is exactly the type of work that drew me Japanese pottery though I do have to admit, Arakawa and Kawai Kanjiro had quite some magnetic attraction as well. I could go on but I think it is easy to see how I got here despite a love for most things made out of clay that show a well-conceived combination of form, texture, surface and concept, East or West.

SUB

I thought this Oribe style combed slipware covered jar could sub in for a festive interlude for a Christmas photo this year. It has that look and feel in person so this will have to do in a pinch.    

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Festivus for the Rest of Us, Happy New Year and just the best for everyone, even non-potters moving into 2026!

ANOMALY

Over time, I have seen quite a few of these slab henko vase forms by Furutani Michio but I think this one qualifies as a bit different than the majority of other examples, an anomaly with obvious connections to the broader body of work. Perhaps the most noticeable difference is the proportions where the henko is clearly much more horizontal in orientation than it is vertical and though many of these pieces are just a bit wider than tall, this specific example pushes that concept. The second thing that sets this apart that is clearly not visible in the photo is that this is the smallest example I have ever encountered, are there others, most likely but I have just not seen one before this one. 

I should also mention this is a rather old photo taken just after it arrived, at least a decade ago and photographed against a black background to try to emphasize the form, texture, surface and volume.  Since photography is not my strong suit, all I can do is hope that the presence and posture come through, that is all I can hope for. 

“Through every rift of discovery some seeming anomaly drops out of the darkness, and falls, as a golden link into the great chain of order.” Edwin Hubbel Chapin

MYSTERY

Who doesn’t love the occasional mystery? Generally speaking there are always a piece or two that have just defied being identified, some with boxes and others without, it is just part of collecting. To that point, this small porcelain covered cha-tsubo is just that, at the moment the maker remains a mystery though I can see it is very well made and finely glazed. My wife bid on this a while back despite not knowing its origins but the soft blue glaze, pure white lid, undulating lip and faceted precision make for a rather appealing little piece. This covered gem comes complete with its signed box but has of yet been unidentified but in due time, most mysteries are solved. I decided to give this unknown tea piece the Hollywood treatment and think it is more than ready for its close-up.

CREDIT

Illustrated is a hybrid whirling dervish meets mallet vase just hanging about in the afternoon sunlight. This stoneware vase form was thrown out of two pieces and then luted together before applying white slip, thin and thick which was then ultimately combed to create a bold deep texture. Combed diagonally, the slip adds that whiling motion and together with the soda blue glaze completes the package. One neat feature of this soda blue glaze is that it has pooled just a bit on the edge of the shoulder and each of the ridges created during the throwing process bring the eye to focus on those features. 

Though I have altered this glaze ever so slightly, all credit for this durable and wide-ranging soda blue glaze to whomever was the originator of this formula. I have used this glaze all the way back to the early 1990s and it has never failed to add just a bit of positive energy and a timeless quality to the pots that make their way into the soda blue glaze bucket. You know who you are (?) and thank you very much for the never-failing glaze recipe.

PICTURE-IN-PICTURE

Illustrated is a haikaburi ko-tsubo by a potter that I am not that well acquainted with, sort of a picture-in-picture image. That being said, only a short while before receiving this piece as a gift from a Left-Coast friend, I had encountered two of his pots and the who is Tamura Kazuyuki. As I mentioned, this little ko-tsubo was a gift from a collector/ scholar of all things baked clay, he was well aware of my fondness of things wood fired but also my interest in texture and complex surface. As you can see, this simple pot has quite an interesting and varied landscape with the rich, iron red shoulder giving way to glass and all leading to the solid emerald like drip suspended under the belly of the little pot. I took this photo against the backdrop of a moon picture I took some while back; it has that sense of solemnity and austerity where the feeling of the pot is as important as any details one could focus on. I truly enjoy pots like this, it will never change the world but in its own way it adds just a bit to it.

REMINDER

I must admit when I first saw this chawan I was pretty sure it was another Echizen chawan, possibly by Nishiura Takeshi but after kicking the tires I realized I was pretty much off base. In point of fact this all natural (shizen-yu) chawan is classified as Mino-Yakishime, simply put, wood fired Mino pottery, no glaze and as natural and authentic as can be. Beyond the surface, I was drawn to the robust form, with very little manipulation from its wheel thrown origins and just hints here and there of some spatula work and other spontaneous potter’s marks. The ash has built up rather well on the face where it has taken on this hazy surface while showing areas to the rear interior of the bowl that have ash running like some primordial waterfall cut off in mid-stream. The entire floor of the chawan is covered in a glassy green ash while the very center has a perfect small pool of deep green, fractured ash just shy of 4cm across. Perhaps one of the most intriguing features of this bowl is that once you break away from the ashy front, the rest of the surface is covered over in what must be a super fine peppering of ash as the entire surface around the bowl and across much of the photo just sparkles, it is alive with a shimmering layer that just reflects light back at you as the bowl is moved around in your hand. 

As to the origins of this Mino-Yakishime chawan, this was made by Kurata Mitsunori, born in Kagoshima in 1951, I was unable on a quick search to find very much other information about him other than the fact that I found a number of yakishime examples along with Seto-Guro and Shino wares. I think there are times when the four Ws are less important than what is right in front of you, seeing what the object really is, unencumbered by the who, what where and when. This chawan once again prompted me to look and not overthink things and that is always a valuable reminder.

THREE, TWO, ONE

Over the last two years I have been struggling with getting the most out of my saffron, iron yellow glaze. I ran out of my old iron and ordered more only to find out the results are a bit different and now not entirely dependable. I recently posted a saffron teabowl up on Facebook and now have been asked by several people if they can get one where my answer is, well, I just don’t know and stay tuned for results. This trio of teabowls were glazed in my Hagi white with three, two and then one coat of an iron glaze over it. These bowls were put out of the way temporarily while I finish glazing the rest of the pots in more dependable surfaces and I loaded the kiln just a few minutes ago. Time, temperature, application and luck will tell the tale of the firing and if I don’t show any results, you can use your imagination as to the results. 

"Testing oneself is best done alone." Jimmy Carter

TURN-AROUND

It is not that often that I am involved in a quick turn-around involving pictures and post but I was asked to put up a more “direct” picture of the recent Oni-Shino kakeire by Tsukigata Nahiko. I was happy to oblige and here is a photo looking at a slightly downward angle and into both the mouth and the aperture that was cut into the vase. One thing that is abundantly clear in this photo is that this piece must have been in a hot spot of the kiln where heat and serendipity have created two large molten drips of glaze just hanging from the top of the opening, organic and active, both showing off to the fullest the rich iron, ash and feldspar concoction that is Oni-Shino.   

“Most discoveries even today are a combination of serendipity and searching.”  Siddhartha Mukherjee

SPIRIT

When I first saw this large and bold mizusashi, the sheer sculptural qualities were inescapable though at the same time it had a real organic presence, the spirit, like some weather and water formed stone in a river bed. This imposing Hagi mizusashi was made by Kaneta Masanao using his kurinuki method of starting with a large hunk of clay and methodically hollowing or carving out the form from the inside. Once finished, this mizusashi was glazed over in a Shira-Hagi glaze which in this case has blushed to a pink tone in just all the right spots and the surface has thinned ever so slightly on the high points and areas of sharp, carved line to further define the form and its motion. Though I have seen a lot of Masanao’s mizusashi forms, this one spoke to me, it is conversant at a number of levels and also qualifies somewhat as fantastical and animated in its execution where the tapering form, elegant blushing, rich carved lines and the appearance of what appears to be sprouting wings on either side breathe life into the clay making which on most days would be a great pot and turning it into a true work of wonder where concept, creativity and technique have all conspired for unencumbered success.  

“Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art.”  Leonardo da Vinci

WAY BACK WEDNESDAY

I wonder if way back Wednesday is actually a thing? At any rate here is an older teabowl of mine, the idea is the classic bamboo form that I have worked with for a rather long time which is admittedly an amalgam of a bunch of pieces parts from pottery old and new. What always stood out to me about this rain patterned bowl is the way the iron and Shino glaze interacted and carbon trapped rather heavily leading to a rather unique surface which only occurred on perhaps one in fifty pieces among which this was the best example. Beyond having a smokey and reflective surface, the transitions boundaries between the iron and Shino created a bunch of subtle effects including these wild white spots or crystals. Bare in mind, while I was working on this combination, this was never anything I was trying to create, it was pure serendipity which rarely showed up but when it did, it was a most welcomed hitch-hiker and when it didn’t, I was always just a bit defeated. Glazing, firing and expectations, the trio of exuberance or (slight) disappointment.

SANCAI-HENKO

Illustrated is a rather old photo of a classic Kawai school pot, a sancai-henko by Kawai Hisashi one of Kanjiro’s last pupils. Created in a multi-part press mold, this henko is larger than most of Hisashi’s work and is glazed over in a fine, clear glaze covered in fine crackle crazing. Once glazed, this had three separate glazes splashed or ladled over; one using chrome, one using iron and one using copper. I have seen a number of this form and even several in this sancai style decoration and this remains one of my favorites by Kawai Hisashi.  There is really little else I can say other than this henko would seem to be the perfect collection of Kanjiro styling, simple, spontaneous glazing and a well-conceived and functional form and that is just about all one can ask for let alone expect.

TO HANG OR NOT TO HANG?

Though standing on a shelf, the illustrated Oni-Shino vase is in fact intended as a hanging vase though the small rectangular slot at the top rear is empty and devoid of a bronze hanging ring or piece of coarse hemp rope. As you can see in this sunlit picture, this surface is just alive with varying effects including the rich spotted iron interior that looks alive as you move by the piece. The form just naturally gives you that feeling you are looking at natural bamboo covered over in some other-worldly surface that is just filled with effects that show off the very essence of Tsukigata’s Oni-Shino. As you can see, the majority of the effects on the kakeire are in movement though there are areas of static punctuations where iron has come to the surface and formed crystals of sort. It has been a long while since I have handled this piece and over that time I have wondered if it was never intended to have some metal hanging ring or just a simple knotted piece of rustic rope leading to the bigger question, to hang or not to hang?

DUAL PURPOSE

A while back I was asked to make a set of four cog style bowls that also had lids. This is what I came up with and the thought was they could be used as covered serving pieces, covered bowls or just bowls without their lids, in essence, the near perfect (?) omni-bowls. This group were all about seven inches across for the body with slightly diagonal flutes to create the cog design and finished off in an oribe style glaze composed of three distinct glazes. This one is number five as it is always best to make one extra than be one short and more than likely will be impressed into Thanksgiving Day service. Enjoy your turkey day!

 

MINO-IGA?

This is another one of those, I am not sure I would have gotten there without the box description. My first thought was this was either Shigaraki or a general haikaburi vase but as I mentioned, the box notes that this is in fact, Mino-Iga. The form has that almost classic, utsushi-mono look as if it was some copy of a medieval vase with the deep vertical furrows, throwing marks, rugged lugs terminating in the oft seen bulbous neck/ mouth of a number of Shigaraki and Iga forms.   

This was made by Toki potter, Kato Mitsuhide which if you read my blog, you may remember as the creator of the funky, cool Ki-Seto koro that I have posted previously. Among other Mino styles, the tradition also showcases Mino-Iga where the pot is often woodfired with or without any seed glaze and also has iron accents splashed or trailed across the surface. As you can see, this hanaire is covered over in a rather uniform coating of textured ash with areas which have blackened a bit, breaking up the overall monotone coloration. I guess I am still not 100% sold on the description but I’ll go with, the potter knows best.  

(Hollywood backdrop courtesy of Tsujimura Shiro)

ECLIPSE

Like some museums and other collectors, we rotate our collection based on a schedule my wife has fit into her XCEL spreadsheet and recently this Tsukigata Nahiko Oni-Shino bowl came out for its limited engagement run through early next year. One criterion we have for all pots that come out of their hype sleep is that they have to still have that something special, that jolt as they come out of their storage boxes. Every now and again as the piece emerges, it would seem either we have changed, matured in out collecting and in that case I work to re-home the piece but in this instance, that is the furthest from the truth. Though extremely biased, I am always excited to see this chawan which I could among my absolutely favorite pieces.       

Feeling like seeing an old friend, I spent some time taking a group of new photos including a series of HBD (Hollywood backdrop) photos to get new perspectives of the piece. This photo uses a picture of the moon that I took a couple of years back as a background which adds just enough light and atmosphere to the chawan to give it a whole new look. I apologize for posting up yet another photo of this bowl but like with a number of other pieces, I find myself eager to see what comes up in the rotation. That being said, for me, there is very little that we own that would “eclipse”* this wonky chawan.

(* Eclipse, see what I did there?!)

WAVES

Looking a bit like continuous waves encircling this covered jar and lid, this is another take on combed slipware. In this case, thrown out of stoneware, covered over in a thin black slip before applying bands of white which were combed after waiting about ten minutes or so. I have added the second photo to try to give a feel for the tapering feel of the form which gets narrower as it goes down to the base before swelling out just a bit. Though the technique is positively medieval and older, using stoneware and my own take on the form, I would like to think this has a somewhat timeless-modern look. Long before moving this technique to higher temperatures, I made use at the high end of the terra cotta range. In that case the clay got fiercely red and dark which admittedly, this stoneware lacks the same appeal, most of which is hidden in glaze including the entire lid and into the gallery as well. This is certainly a simple jar and technique but with most slipwares you get a lot of bang for your buck!

KAZE-MON

This is another one of those odd photos taken while being at the right place at the right time. I don’t quite remember the circumstances but I was getting ready to take photos of my pots that came out of the kiln that morning and when I set up the lighting, this is what I got over on the tansu. Illustrated is the very top of a Wakao Toshisada Nezumi-Shino style “wind-gate” (KAZE-MON) casting a giant shadow on the wall. The greyish, textured glaze, the sukashi, pierced triangle and perfect pure white device work hand in hand with the low lighting and shadow to create an interesting photo. I am not quite sure how I ended up with a light and dark shadow against each other but that coupled with the triangular light spot is its own lesson in geometry. I am sure there are photographers out there that can plan all of these elements without so much as a second thought but for me, this may be the actual definition of serendipity.

HBD

Over the last several weeks we have had mostly overcast skies with intermittent direct and unencumbered sunlight which has led me to fall back on my old HBD (Hollywood Back Drop) photos for something other than white backgrounds. In this case a well fired Shigaraki chaire by Minagawa Takashi is accompanied by a hazy moon from earlier this year. The surface of the chaire is wet and clearly shows the rather quick and random fence design incised around most of the form where the natural ash does the rest of the heavy lifting. This piece is on the large side for a chaire but I must admit it is much lighter than I would have ever expected leading me to ask, how did such a thin pot stand up to the ferocity of a such a heavy firing?

INDIGO

Illustrated is a small covered jar from several firings ago where the firing was about equally split between soda blue, golden amber, Oribe and temmoku & ash pieces. This small combed dervish jar was thrown out of stoneware and coated in slip where the body and upper shoulder are separated by incised lines which also divide the differing textures. The upper shoulder and lid continue the dabbled texture along with some more incised lines and the finial was quickly brushed with slip after seating it in place. There is nothing very complex about this pot though the varying techniques do seem to create bands of texture that help animate the piece a bit but perhaps the most eye-catching feature is the rich almost indigo blue that has collected around the bottom, the widest part of the jar that is so rich and deep as to add just a hint of mystery to the piece. I really enjoy making these small covered jars, they fit between larger serving pieces and to some degree, you are never quite sure how they will turn out, each one is its own unique little universe.

NIGHT SKY

Perhaps what draws me to the simple and unpretentious yuteki-temmoku chaire is just how much it reminds me of the stars shining in the night sky. The clay and form of this chaire are rather classic as is the surface to a point but the potter, Awa Sachio has distributed the small iron burst to good effect, they are neither to cluttered or too sparse and make for a rather engaging and uncomplicated aesthetic, perfect for chanoyu or as a simple ornament on a shelf or desk, meant to enrich an environment.  

Awa Sachio started his pottery studies in Shigaraki in the early 1970s before moving on and studying in Tamba after which he set up his own studio and kiln in 1977. Though I have seen only a couple of his pieces in person, there is lots to survey across the internet showing his focused dedication to temmoku and yuteki-temmoku, simple in concept and execution which just speaks to the subtle complexities of the surfaces, inviting and quite comforting.

AMALGAM

There is no missing exactly who the potter is when you are looking at a piece by Fujioka Shuhei from his earliest to latest creations. Fujioka’s work has a naturally heavy appearance with the attitude and posture of being stoic to a fault, the blocky appearances and manner in which the pot is formed and articulated is almost singularly ascribed to this one potter. This particular pot is thick and sturdy, coerced into a more or less cubic form with a variety of potter’s marks across the surface like scars accrued in the process of the clay being told where to go. Beyond the basic appearance and forms, Fujioka’s firing tends to be rather distinctive as well and in this case the landscape is a mixture of thick and thin green ash married with areas of grey to black due to the charcoal bed built up around the base of the piece during the firing. What is clear from this mizusashi and most of the work of Fujioka Shuhei is the raw strength willed into existence into each pot, a perfect and unique amalgam of potter, clay, process and firing unlike no other.  

“Strength is a matter of the made up mind” - John Beecher

J-JAR

This amber glazed covered jar was a recent order, the photo is really not very good as it was quickly taken just before the pot was packed and shipped out the door. The customer was somewhat specific in that it needed to hold multiple cylindrical items, roughly six inches in length, be glazed in the golden amber and have a somewhat universal yet not distinctly any one place kind of decoration. I came up with the simple stripes and squares idea which was okay and fit the form, the glaze and went with the small, mostly decorative knob. I must admit, though I have made a lot of pots for specific purposes, this was a first as it was intended for the storage of an item best known for its medicinal and recreational use in a number of States. Again, sorry for the hasty picture but I think you likely get the idea what it looks like and what it was made to house.

THROUGH & THROUGH

Looking a bit like this stepped out of the past, this guinomi has all the characteristics that appeal to my mini-chawan criterion. The posture, proportions, volume and ratio of the “bowl” to foot all fall within the miniature chawan style guinomi and in this case, Hagi, through and through. Made by Yamato Kiyoshi, this Hagi kohiki guinomi is filled with texture and antiquity, where the landscape keeps the eye darting about where the landscape of the piece changes dramatically as you turn the form around*.    

This simple, textural guinomi was made by Yamato Kiyoshi whose social media presence keeps one up to date on his work and firings. Having established his own kiln, the Meizan-gama in 2000, his work has been widely exhibited including at a number of traditional Kogei exhibitions and at the Takashimiya Department Stores. Though I have seen a number of his pieces, just judging from this singular encounter I think it would be a safe bet that not only the work is of a high level but it is clearly rooted in the Hagi tradition while clearly part of a new generation moving the needle forward, pot by pot.

(* Not necessarily a disco song reference unless you want it to be)

CENTER OF ATTENTION

A while back I posted up a tokkuri and guinomi by Echizen potter, Nishiura Takeshi and thought it time to post a slightly more formal shot or two of the sake cup to fill in the blanks and make it the center of attention. Based on Nishiura’s “blue sand” style of glazing this guinomi fits into the Goldilocks’ zone of neither too big nor too small, perfect in my hand as well as my wife’s. The form is simple, acting as the canvas for the hekisha-yu surface with lots of activity and texture to capture one’s attention and imagination. In this context, it is almost like a small, distant moon is perched on a simple pedestal adorning a table of shelf and just waiting for your favorite spirits to complete its function. As you can see, the thick, glaze roll is the perfect place to grab this guinomi, making for a snug grip where the texture pleases an additional sense, sight. This may be a simple and compact little vessel but it does have quite a bit to say about the modern Echizen tradition and even more to say about the potter.

 

GRAVITY

Recent Kuro-Oribe style teabowl fired on its side where the laws of gravity seem a bit askew. Thrown out of a sandy small batch clay, the bowl was nudged a bit ovoid and then faceted creating a vivid rain style pattern texture around the form. The base and foot were addressed simply using my patented sharpened wedge direct from my local Lowes. The surface is built up using a number of glazes, four or five usually to create the depth, color variation and movement I have grown very fond of.     

This is available and you can see more of this teabowl over on my Trocadero marketplace;

https://www.trocadero.com/stores/albedo3studio/items/1510052/ROBUST-ORIBE-MENTORI-TEABOWL

ILLUSIONS

At first glance, this large chawan could easily be mistaken for Ki-Seto and despite knowing otherwise, I still think it looks like Ki-Seto. The truth is though, Ando Hidetake has made this as an earlier style of pottery, Ko-Mino-yaki which is what is also written on the box. The yellow, straw like color of this glaze appears like some overly zealous pointillist, filled with fine, micro-texture and varying tones of color aided by intentional potter’s marks along with subtle manipulation of the form and added spatula work. The wonderful indentation made around the bowl serves to break up the regularity of the form as well as creating a perfect area of color change adding a bit of animation to the piece. The form itself is a strong reminder of old, feudal chawan originating in the Momoyama period created to act as the perfect vessel for tea, a concept and reality that Ando takes very seriously imploring anyone who would make chawan to understand chanoyu as the basis of these pots. This chawan culminates in a simple, utilitarian kodai that compliments but does not upstage the rest of the bowl, a well-considered pedestal on which the bowl rests and feels comfortable in the hand.  

As I survey this chawan and the work of Ando Hidetake, I am reminded of this single line taken from a recent interview which adds dimension to his pottery; “The true mastery of Mino ware pottery is an illusion, but that is also why you never end up chasing it, never tire.”

FRIDAY

                       

Illustrated is a rather exceptional Oni-Iga chawan by Tsukigata Nahiko, perfect for a Friday. This chawan is neither my pot, nor my photo but I was able to handle this bowl recently on this side of the Pacific and it has everything one could want from this technique and this potter. Awash in texture and changing effects and attitudes, the large, slightly ovoid form fills the hands and is just the perfect Oni-Iga landscape where iron, ash, slip and grit all collide and commingle to make for a perfect vessel filled with strength and a robust, challenging posture. Over the years I have seen quite a few of these bowls in print and in person and I think it is safe to say, this is heads above the rest and likely would come in at a 9.5/10. Though I suspect there is always a better one out there somewhere, I have yet to see it and I am constantly on the lookout and with any luck, I will post some of my photos of this chawan, those photos are for another day.

BANDED & STAMPED II

Illustrated is another banded and stamped, or impressed covered jar from a firing a month back (?) now. Like the Oribe sets, this one is smaller and to be honest other than being a generic covered jar, not sure of the actual use though it has a lid and stuff can go in it. This one is smaller than the couple of pieces that ended up in Oribe because this was all the clay left from throwing off the hump and decided to keep in line with what had been thrown just prior as well as being a similar style lid which were also later thrown off the hump as well. I suspect that I went with the golden-brown amber glaze with hints of iron wash over the upper part and the lid just so that it wasn’t green and presented some diversity when the kiln was open though the top was filled with the amber, Oribe and soda blue. I think one of the reasons I like this glaze is that it is a No-Albany Slip, Albany Slip style glaze and has some qualities of pots by Cardew and his group that gives it a less, “now” feel. Remember, I said, “some qualities”, even if you have to squint a bit to see it.

 

BLUE WITHIN BLUE

Whenever I post up a detail image without an overall photo, I tend to get a fair amount of flack and queries, “where is the pot?”. In some small measure, I am reminded of the movie, THE GRADUATE, though in a much different context; “are you trying to seduce me?”. The truth is the it is the accumulation of all these details that make for an interesting, intriguing and good pot and this detail is no exception.     

This large Echizen tsubo was made by Nishiura Takeshi and as you can see in the ash streams, the beautiful flowing blue ash that cascades down the pot from about the halfway point of the piece, at its widest point. I think it is the fullness of the belly of this pot that helped accelerate the movement of the ash, where movement and motion almost overwhelm the viewer. The extremes of the firing process and the right choice of wood create these ash runs filled with streaks of blue within blue and covered over in random punctuations of frosty ash crystals making for a landscape akin to a wintery wonderland though perhaps from some far off, distant planet. 

Though I know I have used this quote before, Leonardo da Vinci’s brilliance best captured the importance of details in this single, solitary line; “Details make perfection, and perfection is not a detail”, well, I couldn't agree more.

COLLISION

I don’t think it can be very easy to come from a family of traditional Iga potters and balance that tradition with the idea of self and modernity. In many instances it takes distance to develop that voice, in this case moving from Mie Prefecture to Paris, France and come home again with a new understanding of tradition and personal aesthetics. In this case, the potter is Tanimoto Yoh and though this is an older work, he has clearly assembled the simplicity of a tradition with a modern take in the form of this metal lid for this koro, just like a collision of ideas, the marriage of aesthetics and materials has worked quite well and showcases a willingness to work in the moment and not necessarily in the past.   

The body of this small Iga koro was thickly potted, the form is simple showing throwing marks and then the form is broken up with incised spatula indentations creating a lobed form. The lid is hand hammered copper with abstract geometric patterns pierced through the piece, sukashi style to allow the incense within the escape and permeate the immediate area. Though a rather traditional vessel, the koro takes on a rather modern appearance where it seems like the 17^th century and the 1950s coexist in perfect harmony.

K-O TPOT

I was throwing a series of stoneware shallow bowls off the hump a short while back and had made eight to get six and had just enough clay left over to throw a spout, a lid and a body for a rather small teapot. I hadn’t made a teapot in a while and this one was about as basic as they come, simple form, simple add ons and a corrugated handle to give it a bit of pep. Once bisque, this was glazed in the Kuro-Oribe surface which ran down the form creating a rather nice effect overall. Though it is a bit difficult to see all of what is really going on, this detail shot looking down on the top of the teapot gives a better insight into exactly what happens when you end up using four different glazes in total. As I mentioned, this is a small, simple teapot and had I given it more thought, I probably should have made a couple of cups to go along with the pot, well there is always time. 

 

BUDWEISER

When I first saw this covered box form, I have to admit, my mind went to that "base-place" where I immediately thought of the old Budweiser commercials. I just couldn’t help it, I am a product of too much TV, particular music and popular food. This wonderfully animated covered chameleon box was made by Bruce Cochrane and Zsuzsa Monostory; Bruce threw and built the covered box form and Zsuzsa hand-sculpted the pair of articulated and expressive chameleon to go atop the piece. The surface seems (?) to be composed of two sprayed on glazes creating a vivid and inviting texture with a Shino glaze interior liner and then was wood fired, somewhat gently to not over burden the surface with ash and obscure the details. This covered box is a wonderful and whimsical collaboration between to individuals steeped in clay, one more architectural in orientation and the other focused on three-dimensional animation and bringing the beating heart of her subjects to life, together the combo culminates in near perfection.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZ4NAgPG61I

COMPATIBLE

Classic lines, simple form, serene glaze and elegant lid surely are an apt description for the Kyoto style mizusashi by Kimura Morinobu. Throw out of stoneware clay, the form was carefully faceted to create this functional piece which was glazed in an ash based, seiji style glaze that compliments the intent, purpose and design of the mizusashi. As you can see, the edges of the facets on the body and around the mouth were likely slightly rubbed leaving just enough glaze to wet and seal the pot while creating a rich definition to the form and breaking up the monochrome surface.         

All these details show the careful consideration and attention that Kimura Morinobu lavished on his piece despite their casual and quick production. Perhaps one of the crowning details to this striking mizusashi is the lid, custom made to match the faceted form and fit the thrown round mouth. Though custom and a welcome addition in and of itself, the real appeal lid wise is that it was made by Juyo Mukei Bunkaizai (Living National Treasure), Nakagawa Kiyotsugu (b. 1942) of Kyoto. Though I am unsure of their relationship, they both reside in Kyoto and would obviously be aware of each other, making for a perfect shokuhin to approach for those special pieces and their needs. In a sign of great respect, Kimura Morinobu has noted on the box that the lacquer lid was made, hand crafted by Nakagawa Kiyotsugu and was written on the left side, parallel to his own signature.   

I think it is safe to say, making a simple form, with good lines, a perfect blend of aesthetics and utility and pieces/ parts that are exceptionally compatible may seem like an everyday and straightforward exercise but as I am constantly reminded, is there anything more complex than simplicity? 

 

REVERSED

Here is another khaotique teabowl fired as the same time as the last one I posted. In this case, I put the black slip on first and then added the trailed and finger-painted fingerprints in white slip to create the reverse for a different look. Again, this bowl was squared up and is a bit taller than it is wide making for a handful of clay and glaze. Not much else I can say, just wanted to show off the opposite of the past golden amber piece, not sure which I like better yet though I am leaning toward the surface with the white slip added first, greater contrast to my eye.

T-POT REVISITED

For whatever it is worth, no I am not losing my marbles, I am aware that I posted this teapot in a post way back in 2012. To be fair, the previous post showed a rather washed-out version of what this rich, porcelain lobed teapot actually looks like and this ‘revisited” photo does a much better job. This teapot was thrown and constructed by Bruce Cochrane, a potter whom I always think of as focused and well considered, his pots have just exactly what they need and no more, not exactly less is more but just what the concept into reality calls for. My wife and I have owned this pot for a very long time and if memory serves me correctly it was our very first piece by Cochrane followed less than a week later by a large terra cotta covered oval dish form. I thought this needed a slightly better photo to represent the piece and, in all likelihood, when I get a better camera or develop better photographic skills, I may try my hand again at capturing exactly what it is that makes this so special though I guess it isn’t that hard to figure out.

SIROCCO

Today started out like any other day and then by late afternoon after finishing glazing and loading the small kiln, it seemed like chaos blew in like some ill-humored sirocco of old. As such, I will be brief, no hyperbole, no waxing poetic, here is a simple photo, enjoy or don’t, this is the best my scrambled mind can handle at the moment. Tetsu-yu nanten-mon tsubo by Karaki Hisao.

GBA²

It is funny how things sometimes work in cycles; this particular decoration started back in the 90s and every now and again it pops up to come full circle. In this case a thrown stoneware bowl was coerced square and then white slipped, gently combed before having black slip spontaneously trailed across the planes. Once the semi-vertical lines were created, the spots were added via finger painting the slip to add some punctuation to the lines. All in all, there is nothing revolutionary here, just a simple assembly of several ideas all under my GB amber glaze meant to imitate the old Cushing Albany amber as best as possible minus the Albany slip and the Cushing recipe. Last but not least since every technique needs a name, this was originally referred to as khaotique by a Belgian student at CSU and for lack of something better, it just stuck.