いつ?

Looking like it was painted and made during the time of the great Rimpa painters, Ogata Korin and Kenzan or Sakai Hoitsu and Suzuki Kiitsu, this thoroughly modern molded piece was made by Ningen Kokuho, Arakawa Toyozo. Having the feel and appearance of some old Kyo-yaki this pot was painted with little more than white and black pigment on a blushed earth toned clay and then covered over in a thin and highly effective clear glaze to create an object that is truly timeless and certainly difficult to pinpoint or attribute to an particular artist/potter. Arakawa suceeded at making the various styles that he worked in to his own identifiable vocabulary and is well known for his underglazed and overglazed pots that add to his body of Shino, Seto-guro, Ki-seto and Kohiki wares. I am never disappointed by what Arakawa's pots have to say and each and every one has a story, a narrative about form, surface, purpose and aesthetics that go to the very core of pottery making and using and place his pottery among some of the finest ever made.

"Of the time, but timeless" Eero Saarinen

B&W CHARGER

I put together a rather short slideshow video of a wonderfully large exhibition charger by Kondo Yutaka. I was lucky enough to have this 18"+ platter here for almost a month and it is both impressive and powerful, it is now with the owner who has a couple of other wonderful Japanese pots that it can commune with. There is little else I can say except enjoy the video.

YURIKO II

I found this photo searching around the web and was struck by the contrast of the milky ashy grey surface with the vivid red (yuriko) that punctuates the design on either side of the bowl. There is an undeniable mastery to Kawai's brushwork and his ability to manipulate space with his design and decoration, few if any are as capable. In a few experienced strokes, the pots breathes life and blends ceremony, function and presentation without a moment's hesitancy. As I look at his pots I can help but think how modern they must have seen at the time and now though they can be used to measure the modern pottery movement, they are positively timeless, they echo the past and present in this moment. If Kawai were alive today in more than just spirit, his pots would still continue to confront, engage and captivate the viewer with  a simple conversation about the present.

"I have realized that the past and the future are real illusions, that they exist only in the present, which is what there is and all there is."  Alan Watts (1915-1973)

INLAY

A fairly rare and interesting vase arrived here today by a master of inlay, Kondo Yutaka. Using the elemental  but contrasting colors of black and white, Yutaka has created a vivid and highly animated vase with his textbook decoration, textured black surface and vivid white inlay created by stamping and the use of a rouletting tool. Kondo Yutaka (1932-85) was the son of Ningen Kokuho Kondo Yuzo and studied with his father as well as Tomimoto Kenkichi and Fujimoto Yoshimichi (Nodo) both Living National Treasures as well. On a trip to Korea and China, Yutaka who was drawn to black and white was heavily influenced by the Korean ware known as punch'ong and rapidly developed a unique style based on the historic archetype. This vase is a classic example of this inlay work and is a highly developed example of a synthesis of function and aesthetics at which he excelled. There is a tremendous amount communicated in only black and white with such a simple and well executed idea.

JUST A FORMALITY

A while back, I was approached to make a tea set for an individual that practices tea ceremony. The guidelines were simple; porcelain, a specific surface and the orientation was to be "formal" in style. In my mind, formal would mean for something to be within the parameters of conventional requirements. Well, honestly, that threw me, so more emails and pictures were exchanged as well as a lot of internet and book searches to establish what that actually meant. After the initial research period, I set on forms based on a historical Kyo-yaki set from the early 18th century. The forms are very formal, almost ridged, yet in hand, they work rather well and have a comforting, approachable feel. I showed the client the greenware prototypes to see if that was what they had in mind. Once approved, decorated, bisque and glazed, now the question was, how would they look after they were fired. The firing went off without a hitch and the set (and ghost set) came out rather well. The customer was happy and that is the bottom line.

Having thrown this set, I have now added these more "formal" forms to my vocabulary. Though they appear to be "no fuss, no muss" forms, getting them just right is a bit more time consuming than normal. Illustrated is a pair of more formal style teabowls. Each porcelain bowl are the high walled style, with lips that flair out just a tiny amount and have a notch cut in the foot to create some movement within the foot ring. Though these were not thrown as a pair, I decided to decorate both using the same pattern, one etched and the other with slip, both glazed in my iron yellow glaze. I am always amazed at how the same design in varying surface treatments can change the temperment and appearance of a pot.