Friday, January 10, 2025

CAN I GET A ROLL WITH THAT III

If you think about it, ash glazes have been around for a really long time, perhaps not as long as Egyptian fiance (6000BC) but they did begin to appear as early as 1500BC in ancient China, during the Shang period. Like many potters ash glazes rarely cease to amaze me and as a collector, Kimura Morinobu always springs to mind using a diverse array of ash types creating glaze after glaze. Illustrated is another kaeda pine ash glazed guinomi with a small fractured ice pool on the interior and a rather exotic, fat glaze roll on the exterior as the glaze melted and gained just enough momentum before being frozen in time.         

Though I certainly think this is a rather nice package overall when you turn over this guinomi you are struck by the sheer luxury where the surface has welled up to be this perfect boundary, near gem like between the glaze and the bare clay and foot. Like natural, not quite gem quality emerald, the glaze roll has varying colors and intensity and is fractured adding even more to the overall effect. When you pick up this guinomi, it is immediately clear that there is a hidden feature just waiting to be seen as the size, depth and conspicuousness of the ash hits the fingers and makes its self known. I have not handled many of these kaeda glazed pieces by Kimura Morinobu but would love to get a chawan in hand where the effects could be bigger and bolder and hopefully, I can get a roll with that as well.