WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOU

I was chided recently that I should rename my blog to "Stuff I Like" as most of my posts are about pots that I enjoy as potter and collector. The big question I have though is why would I write about stuff I am not interested in or passionate about. Should I start a blog about spinach and broccoli both of which I intensely dislike? To be perfectly fair though, there are a number of pots that are on my blog that may not be pots I would collect for myself, they were sent here to sell, identify or even just study, they are good pots in every sense just not my cup of tea. I guess as someone who was a reluctant blogger I am going to continue to write about stuff that interests me and hope that in sharing, it may interest people who stumble on or follow my blog and open lines of communication to others.

Illustrated is a pot that I like quite a bit. I have seen forms like this before but this illustration from a Japanese ceramic magazine just really spoke to me from its feudal appearance, form and posture to the truly weathered and simple surface, this pot just exudes a visceral dialogue that I find palpable. Made by the late scholar, author, mentor, connoisseur and potter, Koyama Fujio (1900-1975), this Karatsu/Nanban bottle has every quality of a timelessness, the appearance has an unconscious quality to it, unconcerned with any thoughts of perfection, a pot meant for use with the aesthetic resonance a distant after thought but a sheer joy to drink in. When I think of the myriad of terms associated with Japanese tea aesthetics, this little pot always springs to mind, it prossesses nearly all of them.

ONE OR THE OTHER

Illustrated is a simple wood fired crackle white glazed bowl with added feet by Randy Johnston made during the mid-1990s. Fully functional in design and execution, Johnston's wood fired pots explore what possibilities arise from falling ash accentuating mark, ridges, lips and shallows and to that end, the interior of this bowl and the lip clearly show the efforts of the firing and potter. Having studied with both Warren MacKenzie and Shimaoka Tatsuzo, this bowl shows the influence of the former while wood firing glazed ware reflects the later, either way it is a reflection of both masters while maintaining its individual voice of a conscious and thoughtful potter.

Cat Stevens; INTO WHITE