I'VE SLIPPED

I really like making slipware pots. The process, though somewhat unforgiving of error, makes for a quick and sometimes spontaneous outcome. Some designs are well planned out; others just seem to happen as the slip trailer touches down. My approach is about fun and fantastical design, little of my work borrows from the slipware archetype, though I have been known to make “copies” of older slip trailed pots. I usually use a clear glaze over my slipware but on occasion, I have used amber, green, purple and Persian blue glazes as well. Each transparent glaze gives the slip ware a very different look. My favorite though, is the black and white.

Illustrated is a pair of 17” wall bowls. They are very shallow bowls with extensive patterning on them. The bowl on the left has been sectored off into areas then trailed with contrasting slip designs, the one on the right has been sectioned off into a grid pattern with various, mostly spontaneous designs. The real joy of slip trailing is that once you put that slip bottle down, the pot is done until it is time to glaze. I really respond to the immediacy of this process, not to mention, it ends up being fun along the way.

IPTV; THROWING A V-BOWL

This is the last of the videos shot a few weeks back while I was throwing stoneware off the hump for the last firing. This video is me throwing a Ming Dynasty influenced V-bowl off the hump. It is jokingly called a Ming-ding( by some former students) because of the shape and if you tap the very edge, there is a resounding “ding” sound. I am reasonably sure that I have thrown more of this shape than any other that I have ever made, in the thousands and ranging from 4” to 28” on the high end. The bowl in the video ends up measuring just over 14” across and weighs in at under 3lbs. Let me know what you think. The next video will be of a slightly better known potter. Stay tuned, same pot time, same pot channel.

SAN-TSUBO

“I want to go beyond virtuosity: I want to strip my work of ‘effects’ until it stand monolithic, based on reality and yet transcending it. It must flow naturally from my materials (from the chisel and the way of the block). This is very difficult but is the only right way. It is the ultimate ideal.”

The above quote is from famed Japanese print artist, Munakata Shiko (1903-1975) from the book; THE WOODBLOCK AND THE ARTIST. Munakata was part of the growth of the Mingei movement and friends with Bernard Leach, Yanagi Soetsu, Shoji Hamada and his very good friend Kawai Kanjiro. From my perspective, Munakata’s statement, though relating to print making, could relate to any artistic or craft endeavor and is very relevant to pottery. He understood what all many potters strive for, to “allow the clay to speak”. As most know this is certainly not easy and takes a lifetime to work towards.

Munakata had a unique relationship to pottery through his close friend, master potter, Kawai Kanjiro. Over the years, Munakata portrayed the pots of Kawai in his prints and paintings, in essence, paying homage to the achievement of his good friend. During his years as primarily a print artist, Munakata excelled at ink painting as well as calligraphy and the occasional decoration of pottery piece made by various potters. His works are always bold and graphic in nature. Whether print, painting, calligraphy or pot, Munakata remained true to his ideal, his works always go far beyond simple virtuosity.

Illustrated is a close-up of a san-tsubo (three jars) kakejiku, scroll painting done by Munakata Shiko. It portrays three pots, influenced by Kawai Kanjiro, the gosu blue , the shinsa (yuriko; underglaze red) and the mentori faceted tsubo balanced against his bold calligraphy (shoga).

DISAPPOINTMENT

As both potter and collector, there are a number of modern potters whose works I admire. There is a core group of potters that I follow and have watched their work, some over a 20 year period. Among my absolute favorites there has always been a constant, a master Japanese potter who works in a variety of styles, mostly glazed.

This past weekend I encounted a chawan by this potter. The form a bit off and the foot, way broad and unsightly, but what really bothered me was the large crack right through the bowl. From the inside (mikomi) there was a 1.5” crack that obviously had glaze packed into the crack while still bisque. When looking at the foot, there was a nearly 2” s-crack that had been decorated over to try to hide the crack, to no avail, it was glaring. In a way, this was a great disappointment for me. A potter, who I have regarded highly, in essence, just didn’t seem to care about the quality of the piece and how it fit into his body of work. I think if this was some anomaly, I could dismiss it, but over the past decade, I have seen a number of his pieces with a variety of cracks, odd repairs and other faults, all with the ever so important signed wood box. There can be no mistaking the fact that this potter made the calculated decision to sell these pieces.

Now, here is my question, though I am not in the position to buy $2500+ pieces, what are the expectations of the potter and of the collector for this market? As Dick Schneider* was always fond of saying, “a potter shouldn’t hurt the buyer”. It was intended as tongue in cheek, but what he really meant was there should be a certain level of workmanship that provided an object devoid of cracks, chips and sharp bits. From my perspective, I will not sell work that is cracked or chipped. I even agonize over selling a pot with a small blemish from where it may have stuck to a shelf, but how does a potter justify selling work with a crack through the pot.

I am really at a loss to understand this. I understand there is not such thing as perfection when dealing with hand made objects, but shouldn’t a base line of perfection be what is strived for? In viewing the irregularities and nuances of distorted Japanese tea utensils, perfection is an odd term, but at the very least, the tea should stay in the $2500 teabowl……………

“No good work whatever can be perfect, and the demand for perfection is always a sign of a misunderstanding of the ends of art.” John Ruskin

(*As previously mentioned, Dick Schneider teaches Ceramics at CSU in Cleveland, Ohio)

KINUTA

“The beauty of modern art and craft is based on simplicity, clarity and refinement. These are my guiding principles in my everyday creations. “ *

This quote is by Ando Moriyuki (b. 1944) a veteran of the Mino ceramic scene whose works tend to revolve around Oribe ash glazed kairagi (crawling) pottery. Though this is one of his specialties, he also is well versed in traditional Shino, Oribe, Ki-Seto and ash glazed wares. His forms are rather diverse, making everything from tea utensils to large bowl forms and is well know for his highest level faceted bowls and open tsubo which have been exhibited at several national craft exhibits.

Illustrated is a pot that adheres to Ando’s precepts in regards to making pottery. This vase is a simple and noble kinuta mallet form with Ando’s Oribe style haiyu-kairagi glaze which has been fired in a wood kiln. Despite the simplicity of form, the faceted planes together with the highly active surface make for a very complex vessel, one that gives the viewer a lot to take in and even more to think about. There certainly is a lot to be said for simplicity, clarity and refinement. (*Quoted from MINO; 30 Anniversary DMCAA)

THIS IS MY BUSY DAY

“Time cuts down all, both great and small.” (Anon.)

Today was one of those days, too many tasks and too little time. Making up several slips, trimming some teabowls, slipping those teabowls, throwing a group of Ming style bowls, a quick lunch with the wife, throwing several jars and lids, reading and sending emails, packing up two pots, taking pictures and the day is gone. For today, 36000 seconds ticked away as another work day comes to its end. There were things yet to do, two glazes to make up, several test glazes as well, they will just have to wait.

Today was my busy day. I have little doubt, tomorrow will be the same.

QUICK WATSON!

So every once and a while, the whole pottery thing just needs to throw out a curve ball, today was that day. Juggling chemistry, alchemy and the duties of Sherlock Holmes, coming up with glazes and even simple glazing has a way of going sideways. By looking at the illustration, you can see something is just not right and is certainly not going in the kiln.

So, here is what I know, the glaze in question is a test glaze, made up as a phase two test (1000 grams) about a month or so ago. I had already glazed 4 or 5 yunomi in this exact glaze and fired it in a low-fire, slip ware firing, again, about a month ago. Fast forward to this morning, I decided to glaze up the test yunomi I threw last week, using the same clay and slips I have been using for years. The test glaze in question, stored in an airtight container, is mixed up and I dip three yunomi in the glaze. Minutes later, the crackling appears on the glaze and some pieces of glaze even peel off. The last time I saw this happen was back at CSU when a student was mixing up small batches of test glazes and forgot the main ingredient.

As I mentioned, this glaze has already performed well in the last firing and there are absolutely no variables. So what gives? The formula is primarily three main ingredients; 3110 frit, kaolin and flint and I am somewhat stumped. I once had someone, I forget who, suggest this was a possible electrolytic reaction, but I dismissed this as my science background is somewhat murky and lacking. This formula is an original “book recipe” and now you can see why I tend to steer clear of those. It worked one minute and not one month later.

I would welcome any input or thoughts or similar situations and pending further “clues”, I am going to make up another 50 gram batch and test it in this firing and then will try to test it again in a month. Maybe it expired? I have seen recipes that say; “use as soon as you make it up”, but I have never had a glaze with an expiration date! In fact, I have reconstituted glazes that were dried out and rock hard for as long as 5 years and they worked perfectly fine.

All in all, just another typical pottery Monday.

ROLLING HILLS

When I first started seriously studying Japanese art, I was instantly taken by the presence and baring of the Raku wares of Hon’ami Koetsu (1558-1637) and Raku Chojiro (?-1592). Over time I made every attempt to see and study the mainline Raku pieces which included several trips to see Raku Kichizaemon XV and the Raku Museum. What really fascinated me about these early masterpieces was the posture of the bowls and the undulating termination of the lip. As a burgeoning potter, I made various attempts to create a roving lip, reminiscent of roving hills through various means of removing clay, or throwing an irregular lip. The sheer simplicity of appearance is easily shattered as you try this for yourself.

Several years later, I found the answer to my lip conundrum in the oddest of places, a print gallery. At a show of prints (circa 1994), I was captivated by the vibrant, lush green mezzotints of rolling hills and meadows by Honda Kazuhisa (b. 1948). The way in which he layered his rolling hills gave me the idea to alter the lips on my teabowls. It seemed an odd place to find an answer to a pottery question, but by studying a variety of his prints, I could see the soft rolling hills transplanted to the lip of my bowl.

In time, the bowl shape itself has evolved to a simple and broad form, resembling a brandy snifter, prior to altering it. The lip is cut and smoothed with the body of the bowl being pushed slightly oval to present a broader face to the user, creating a good surface to drink from. This allows the bowl to be used from the intended front or the back. In the end, the bowl reminds me of a freshly harvested melon, cut open and enjoyed in the field. The soft curves of the bowl are a visual mobius loop, bringing the viewer’s eye round the bowl until it plunges into the form.

The first illustrated teabowl came out of my 2/24/11 firing and is glazed in my temmoku and partridge feather glaze and was applied to match and accentuate the curves of the lip. The above teabowl was made sometime last fall and is glazed in my haiyu glaze over a kushime decoration.

UTILITY?

“In the old days people didn’t worry about how a pot looked,” said Sataro-san. “They didn’t worry about if it was black or brown, as long as you could use it. In the old days kuromon was made for you or me, for everyone! Now people (ie; potters) want to make fancy pots – modern pottery – I don’t understand it.”

I have thought about this comment from the Leila Philip book, THE ROAD THROUGH MIYAMA, for quite a while. Over time, I have come to understand that with the industrial revolution, the art of the hand made has changed to aesthetic consideration first, utility second. With the mechanized creation of pottery, many considerations that were a priori are now outdated, even anachronistic. The advent of the “art potter” has driven most potters to create work that defines them and calls out for individual attention and distinction. As the necessity of utility has been stripped away, a potter could stretch his wings and push the horizons of the possible. This may be both the positive and negative aspects of making pottery in the modern age.

“Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known.”
Oscar Wilde

(Illustrated is a pierced Oribe influenced fruit bowl that I threw and glazed in my medieval green glaze.)

IT’S ALL IN THE ATTITUDE II

Illustrated is gestural medieval meets modern Shigaraki chawan by Oda Minoru. It contrasts greatly against the mizusashi by him (from another blog entry) that is primarily hi-iro coloring. This chawan has a wonderfully measured stance and attitude and is coated in ash on the face and back wall of the piece. The firing has darkened the pot to a rich chocolaty brown with a wet (uroi) sheen about the form.

It is the casual attitude of this pot that really interests me. It appears to have just happened and rests very loosely on the foot like a pedestal. The attitude of the chawan just begs to be handled without any ritual or formality, the sense of touch completing its purpose. Good Shigaraki and Iga wares just defy time and many seem that they could have been made centuries ago or speaking out at this present moment.