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.