THREE-PART

I am sure if you happen to read any of my blog-posts, it seems like an overused description but when I first saw this pot, timeless just echoed through my mind at literally the speed of sound. This very well fired Shigaraki hanaire is by Furutani Michio and is clearly inspired by the Chinese cong form crafted in jade and ceramics that dates all the way back to the Shang Dynasty. Totemic in its form and aspiration, this bottle was hand-built for a coarse clay with alternating impressions decorating the surface and breaking up the long planes of each side as well as catching ash for a rather appealing effect. The ash runs a wide array of colors surrounding the vase from greens, greys, light blues and even rich emerald greens making for a rather abstract landscape painted across a rich ceramic canvas. Though clearly based on a form that goes back perhaps 3000 years, Furutani Michio has blended the old with his inner voice of what is possible where vision, influences and tradition come together like a great three-part harmony.