RED, WHITE & BLUE (AND SOME GOLD) II

Illustrated is a large pure white porcelain tsubo with vivid areas of undeglaze blue and overglaze red and gold over a fine transparent clear glaze. Fine detail is added to the grapes and leaves using sgrafitto through the overglazes creating this fine Kyoto tsubo by Kondo Hiroshi. Kondo Hiroshi (b.1936), son of NIngen Kokuho,Kondo Yuzo and younger brother of Kondo Yutaka, focused on his father's patented style of sometsuke ware of which this piece is a wonderful example. Spending his life dedicated to this technique, Hiroshi create unique works influenced by his father and Tomimoto Kenkichi while carving out a style that can be seen as his own. Besides being a full time potter, Kondo Hiroshi went on to teach and even ended up teaching at several colleges/ universities in 1968 and again in 2006, he also went on to win the prestigious "Tomimoto Prize" in 1973. Just like the work of his father, Kondo Hiroshi uses his stoic, pure white porcelain forms as canvas that he adorns in a spontaneous and fluid design that captures the essence of not only sometsuke but also the heart and soul of Japanese sumi-e style painting and Kyo-yaki of a modern age.

HANA-HANAIRE

There is that old expression that some things just aren't black or white, well in this case, that is exactly what it is. I just received this black and white hana-hanaire by Kondo Yutaka from the same source that sent me the last one I had to offer and looking at this classic and traditional form, there is nothing more elemental than this simply executed black and white surface. This vase has less decoration than the last one but the flowing inlay is masterful articulating the form like it is in perpetual motion and the surface has a wonderful luster to the rich black as well. Though it doesn't show in this photo, the foot is great, cut crisp and perfectly, it finishes off the piece and reminds us, a poor foot ruins a good piece but a good foot and a good pot go hand in hand.

And just because it is Friday, Donald Fagan; TOMORROW'S GIRLS