THE DAY AFTER YESTERDAY

We woke early, though sleeping through the howling freight train gale of Sandy was tenuous at best. Our quest was to go out and find some ice as we had been without any electricity for nearly 12 hours and we had a freezer and frig full of perishables. Ice and coffee secured, the winds now diminished, continue to blow, spreading debris, leaves, branches, trees and misc. everywhere. As we arrive back home, the sun is trying its best to peak through the angry clouds with flocks of geese making their way southward as a solitary large badger skulks back toward the woods, his nocturnal foraging interrupted by the rudeness of Sandy.

We had taken the precaution of packing the freezer with jugs of water, now frozen and added bags of ice to the refrigerator, hoping that power will be restored soon. All in all, despite downed trees; home, studio and car rode out the storm and have fared well. The convoys of power grid bucket trucks and utility vans headed east, give some solace that the power outage is being addressed. I am rather tired of all the storms we have gone through in a number of locations and moves ago and I am seriously wondering if there are any abandoned nuclear missile silos within commute of my wife's work. After all, potters can work just about anywhere.

(This was written at 7am on the morning of 10/30/2012)

As a postscript, the power finally came on at about 1pm (10/30). I had decided to begin glazing on another kiln load of pots in the semi-darkness and the addition of lights was more than appreciated. Food stuffs in freezer and frig also fared well thanks to some careful planning. As one can imagine, life without electricity has its pitfalls, but I must admit, I certainly got more stuff done this morning than is normally possible with the distractions of computer, CD player, TV and hot water!

STORM WARNING

We are in the depths of Fall here in the Mohawk Valley, the trees that partially obscure our view of the river in the valley below are almost entirely bare, the color and leaves all but gone. For weeks now it is common to see huge flocks of geese making their way south, but that has changed in the past day or two. Now we see geese in pairs, small groups and flocks of hundreds making their way back north as the skies are filled with clouds and the wind is picking up, but by late afternoon, no more geese. There is a storm coming and though Sandy is not likely to be as bad in our area as along the coast, we are weary of the high winds, heavy rainfall, flash floods, snow and possible power outages. We have made every precaution possible, moving anything not nailed down into the garage to avoid flying debris of our own making.

As you watch the weather, the ominous storm reminds me of the view from space that was in the movie; THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW. It looks imposing and we are taking it seriously. We have stocked up on necessities and will ride out the storm and hope the shelter of the area lessens the impact. Though I am in the midst of glazing and firing, I am going to put off both for a few days and hope it doesn't put me too far off schedule. With the wild predications and forecast, better safe than sorry.

Here is a bit of levity and perspective given the impending doom that is forecast;

TANI-SAN II

Traveling through the ether of the internet, I stumbled on a rather nice vase and thought it worth sharing. This vase is the epitome of medieval styling and showcases the classical firing that is Ko-Shigaraki . Obviously patterned after a historical archetype this hanaire by Tani Seiuemon is picture perfect with a wonderful green glass ash flow cascading down the face of the pot acting as a permanent reminder of the flame and the potter. This is a much better representation of the work of Tani Seiuemon than are the three kogo I posted recently!

FORM

It is not necessarily an easy thing to admit, to come face to face with, but I have an addiction. I am a form addict, a form junkie if you will. It is forms that first capture my attention, not material, not surface, it is the form that first communicates with me on an intellectual and very visceral level. The stronger and more honest a form, the greater is the attraction. Over the years, I have come to understand how it is that I can love a wonderful seiji vase and an Iga mizusashi with equal enthusiasm, the common denominator is the form and how it commands space and the volume it struggles to contain. The form is also the seeming contradiction between the exterior, which is laid bare and the mystery of the interior. Add to this that each form can act as a metaphor for whatever the mind conjures; so what could really be more important than the form of a good pot?

Illustrated is a paddled vase that speaks about form accompanied by decoration and happenstance. This Mashiko vase was made by Shimaoka Tatsuzo (1919-2007) and the strong and purposeful form was decorated with his impressed rope decoration and then the pot was placed in a salt fired wood kiln with each facet of the pot complimenting the other. Without the great form, the surface and firing would have been for naught, but in this instance, all coalesce to create an exemplary pot.

MORE COPPER BLUE

A few years back, I decided to try to develop a clear glaze that would fire to cone 02 or there about with the sole purpose of using it as a base for colored glazes. I would add red iron oxide, cobalt, copper and manganese carbonate & cobalt to try to produce an amber, blue, green and purple translucent or transparent glaze. The other criterion was to use frit 3124 instead of 3110 as I have inherited quite a bit of the 3124 and using the 3110 on a regular basis was getting a bit costly. The base glaze is composed of 3124, flint and ball clay with the additions of the various colorants to produce a good transparent, rich surface. The plus side to developing these glazes was; it is easy to fit small colored glaze pieces into the kiln when I am firing terra cotta and the pots look quite a bit different than the Abstrakt Resist, carved Tebori and black and white slip works.

Illustrated is a terra cotta teabowl that was first decorated in black and white slip and then glazed over in a copper blue glaze and fired to cone 02. The verses pattern under this glaze gives it an entirely different look and feel then when done in my Abstrakt Resist.

PRESENTO

Over the number of trips we have taken to Japan, one of our go-to places was always Shigaraki. We were fortunate to meet with a number of the Shigaraki and local potters over the years and in doing so, we always made a point of visiting with Tani Seiuemon (b.1913-d.?). His studio was not far at all from the train station and he had a wide array of Ko-Shigaraki style pottery which he was dedicated to producing. His pots were warm, genuine and inviting. Having built an anagama in the early 1970's, his work maintained a consistent medieval quality to it and from my perspective, his work is easy to recognize. Together with his son, the current Seiuemon, the studio produced everything from utilitarian pots to those for tea ceremony. Illustrated are three Ko-Shigaraki style kogo made by Tani-san and given to my wife and I over three trips to his studio, each with their own box and wrapped to survive their trip back to the US. We could not have asked or dreamt of a finer presento from our visits to Shigaraki and the home and studio of Tani-san.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

I think that I can finally say, I made my last piece of terra cotta for the time being to satisfy some upcoming shows and for gallery restocks. It seems like I have been locked in a mock battle with the red menace for a long while and I can't say, I am sorry to be done with the making end. I still need to get pots dry, decorated, bisque, glazed and fired and barring any unforeseen hiccups, fait accompli. I know it sounds like everything I say about terra cotta is disparaging and negative, the truth is, as a clay and the various techniques I use with it, when it is well behaved, I enjoy its properties and the degree of control necessary to keep it from gaining the upper hand. The other day, after throwing a group of pots, I was rather sad to stop as the throwing had gone so well and it is easy to get lost in the moment when throwing. It was enjoyable, but now with a studio filled to the brim with pots in varying stages, the last, but not least of the pots has been completed.

Illustrated is a long, 20", terra cotta tray, black slipped with a carved pattern overall and accents, maybe punctuations of white slip. Once bisque, the tray will be glazed in a clear, from my table to yours.

"Like the bee, we should make our industry our amusement."   Oliver Goldsmith (1730-1774)

SIMPLE SHINO

Strictly speaking, Shino is a rather simple glaze. Composed of mostly feldspar and ash in Japan and of nepheline syenite and spodumene in the West; the bulk of the formulas are just a small handful of materials. It would seem that the proportions of the materials and those "secret ingredients" makes all the difference from glaze to glaze and potter to potter. Secret ingredients aside, there are other such variables like type of clay body, quality of slip or washes and of course how the pots are fired, wood fired being among the finest, that can really make a Shino glaze stand out. I guess in the end, there is no such thing as simple Shino.

Simple glaze plus simple chawan equals, masterpiece. Illustrated is a wonderful Aka-Shino chawan by the father of modern Shino, Arakawa Toyozo. Using a fine traditional mogusa clay, this chawan was wood fired to produce a bowl reminiscent of some of those Momoyama masterpieces.

ITS MY WORLD AND WELCOME TO IT

As I child, I was amused, fascinated and somewhat enthralled with the wit, wisdom and humor of James Thurber. I read what I could lay my hands on by him and searched out every cartoon available (remember, this predates the immediacy of the internet by a few decades!) and watched every episode of ITS  MY WORLD AND WELCOME TO IT (1969-1970) . One of my favorite stories and also movies based on Thurber's stories, was THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY,  the perfect foil for Danny Kaye, possibly only surpassed by, THE COURT JESTER. I realize you may be wondering what any of this has to do with pottery and I could say nothing or everything, but truthfully, one of Thurber's quotes reminds me of a photo I took some while back.

Last year I had a very fine Kumano Kuroemon Shino chawan come through my hands. Beyond the obvious sheer scale of the pot, the surface exterior and interior was covered in a luscious coat of natural green ash from his intense wood firing. I examined the piece thoroughly and documented it in a myriad of photos, but none seemed to capture the real beauty of the bowl. By happenstance, in one of my favorite places to display pots, the sunlight came through as an illuminating sliver and finally showed the real presence and essence of this particular chawan. All I had to do was point and shoot and keep the pot in focus. I have said enough, I'll let the photo continue the narrative.

"There are two kinds of light - the glow that illuminates and the glare that obscures." James Thurber (1894-1961)

 

TEMPUS FUGIT DUOS

Today was another one of those rather busy days with a variety of tasks to accomplish; from unloading a glaze kiln and loading another, carving several plates, tooling several wall bowls and covered serving bowls to throwing some larger pasta bowls. Add into the mix a visit from our roofer regarding an ongoing issue and the time really does just evaporate. Little by little I am making inroads into getting done what needs to be finished with a deadline for an inventory of work to be delivered by Friday (well, most likely Sunday!).

Illustrated is a plate and a covered serving bowl in my "Falling Leaves" design. The idea for these pots come from early Korin/Kenzan Rimpa pottery as well as those of the 20th century master, Kitaoji Rosanjin. Given the way the leaves and seasons are changing, it came out of the kiln at about the right time.

"Occupation is the scythe of time."  Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821)