CAN YOU MATCH THE DRAPES?

Over the years, I have been asked if it is possible to make pots that went with the decorating scheme in a house or apartment. In some cases I was asked if I could match the drapes or upholstery of a couch or chairs and in one odd moment, I was even asked if I could match a set of serving pieces to their dog! The answer to that specific request was that I could not, I would not match their dog. In the case of my "Its Still Life" pieces, I have painted in wallpaper, tables, curtains/drapes and dinnerware that matched with the customers environment and have even made dinnerware to match the dinnerware painted in the pieces, a set of cups from this set was posted on my blog some time back.

Recently, I was asked if I could make a pieces for some dinnerware that matched a surface that I was shown. At first I was rather intimidated as it is a surface that I have never even tried to create and was honestly at a loss as to how to start. I told the customers that I needed to think about it and then came up with a plan which included initial testing before the finished testing could begin. The first step seems to have gone off okay and now I have made up several additional tests which need to be fired. The test rings are triple glazed with the first layer dipped, the second layer brushed on and the third layer was sprayed on using my handy-dandy lung powered glaze sprayer (glaze atomizer). I am waiting to fire these rings in my next firing to get the best and most accurate result in a fully packed kiln, I guess I am back to playing the waiting game.

BACH, ANYONE?

There is a wonderful old maxim; "anything worth doing is worth doing well" and certainly this video typifies a dedication to that ideal, taking absolutely no shortcuts in acheiving that end. There is really little else I can say about this video short of how amazing it is that there are still people willing to do things exactly the right way, through great effort and labor to get the pricise outcome that they originally conceived of. This video is just such an effort.

NELUMBO NUCIFERA

As if  cradled and suspended by a lotus blossom (nelumbo nucifera), this hakuji chawan is by Kawai Hisashi, a student of Kawai Kanjiro during the 1960s. Heavily carved out of blended Shigaraki clay, the lotus blossom design is in high relief and is a pleasure in the hand and the white glaze coats the bowl in a flowing surface while breaking to a clear accentuating the brown lines of the carved surface. Kawai Hisashi is quite well known for his high relief surface created for his molded works and for his thrown and hand carved pieces as well, many of which use his distinctive take on his master's gosu surface. The more I look at this chawan, the more I see the contemplative, almost spiritual side of the piece, embodying the Buddhist concepts of spiritual awakening and purity, both of which I think are reflected in the form and aesthetics of this simple bowl.

"Your heart is filled with fertile seeds, waiting to sprout. Just as a lotus flower springs from the mire to bloom splendidly, the interaction of the cosmic breath causes the flower of the spirit to bloom and bear fruit in this world."  Morihei Ueshiba

SOUNDS SIMPLE ENOUGH ON PAPER

Stop me if you have heard this one before, a bellied cylinder is thrown out of porcelain, over a foot tall, then is carefully manipulated creating intersecting plains which are all covered over in a thin coat of white slip and combed to accentuate each surface, well it sounds simple enough on paper. Having had the opportunity to study this piece it is painfully obvious that the potter, Kakutani Hideaki (b.1945) is quite skilled at altering and moving porcelain as each intersecting plain is defined from the interior and I suspect from the exterior prior to having the slip applied. This all making for a rather intriguing vessel with a wonderful array of textures and a beautiful soft blue seihakuji landscape all stemming from an uncomplicated cylinder. Kakutani Hideaki, whose father was Ningen Kokuho for his iron tea kettles, Kakutani Ikkei (Tatsujiro) went on to  study with Kondo Yuzo and Kiyomizu Rokubei VI before setting up his own studio in 1975 and was awarded the Cultural Merit Award from Mie Prefecture for his dedication and preservation of his art form. Born into a household where craft was highly valued and its place in life well understood, Kakutani's work speak of a desire to create functional objects while being ever considerate of the beauty and atmosphere that craft presents to viewer and user alike.

"Strong reasons make strong actions." Wm. Shakespeare (King John)

鬼に金棒

I really like the contradictions in this colorful Oni(no)Kanabo painting by Sato Katsuhiko. The image portrayed is known as an Oni with an iron club which has come to mean a variety of things from ultimate resolve and determination to herculean strength however the oni portrayed doesn't exactly give one the sense of unwavering power and resolve rather he has a look of being a bit undecided and even a bit unsure of himself. It may just be how I perceive the semi-comical nature of this oni based a bit on folk painting and even Otsu-e but Sato has a sly wit and it shows in his painting and even his pottery and their decoration so I am going with the intended contradiction of image and action. At any rate it is a thoroughly enjoyable and vivid image brushed in a quick and bold style that is sure to get your attention. Though it is a bit premature, all I can think to say is; "Oni go out, blessings come in" (Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi! 鬼は外！福は内！") as Setsubun is right around the corner.

AT HOME IN CLEVELAND

I received this photo the other day showing another one of my pots, hard at work at home in Cleveland. This black and white slip jar was made quite some time ago and is flanked by tomatoes and pears while holding its mysterious contents. I have made a lot of jars, jar sets and canisters like this pot with simple white trailed decoration over the deep black slip that I use and in fact it seems like I may have made more slipware then anything else while living in Cleveland at a time when black and white seemed to be at a zenith of its popularity for decorating and accenting the home. The truth is my original foray into slipware was using the black and white slip with non-traditional decoration under amber, burgundy and a green glaze until I decided to make up the base recipe without any colorants and so this slipware began way back when. I suspect there is a lot of this slipware out and about in Cleveland as prior to moving away, I sold about 85% of my pots right out of the studio on Hillbrook in University Heights and at a few Ohio Galleries, including The American Craft Gallery and Gordon Beale & Frank Gallery both down on Larchmere Blvd. It is always rewarding to see old pots in use and hear from satisfied customers who continue to use my pottery day in and day out.

WAITING FOR THE UME BLOSSOMS

A fellow collector or rather someone who is buying pots to use, sent these two photos which I assembled to give both views of the vase. The pot is an all naturally fired Echizan hanaire by Kumano Kuroemon, the type he puts in his blast furnace kiln without any glaze and as you can tell what is visible is the rich purple surface of the pot with areas of running ash, rushing to the bottom as the piece was fired together with an array of wad scars adding to the rustic and powerful landscape. The pot stand guard in front of wind swept pine scroll waiting for the ume blossoms to bloom come spring to fulfill the purpose of this vase. There is another factor to this vase as it was selected by Kumano to appear in the TOH #88 dedicated to his work (and vision) as a potter attesting to the fondness and regard he must have had for this pot. I think it is safe to say that with or without the vivid blossoms, this vase is more than enough to get you through the winter months with something to have a pleasant fireside chat with.

PLANS CHANGE II

A short while back, I made two covered jars each with two lids to possibly perform two specific or different functions and wrote a post about it entitled; PLANS CHANGE. The two pieces came out of the kiln this weekend and after photographing them I decided to build a short video slideshow to give a perspective of the pieces in the round or as close to it as possible, each also shown with their extra lid which allows them to act as koro or incense burners. I think that in the photos you can get a sense of the texture created by the rich glaze and slip and the varying effects of this incarnation of my Oribe glaze. With the pieces I went with a rather crisp, almost formal form down to the tapered foot with cut notches meant to echo the form of the body though in reverse. One close up in particular shows a rather wet, gravity defying roll of glaze that is highlighted by the light source and gives off a glint of the iridescence that copper glazes are capable of. Considering neither was planned and happened solely because I wedged up too much clay, I think I have found a new form to fill those tight spots between their bigger brethren.

ALL THAT GLITTERS IV

Though Shakespeare's line is; "all that glisters (glitters) is not gold", at least in this case it is, superficially. Though not quite like the Maltese falcon, this small sculpture by Tsukigata Nahiko is in fact bronze with a gilding of pure gold over making for a rather opulent and rich looking little piece. Portraying a small shishi balanced and perhaps preforming atop a ball this sculpture is not highly detail, though creatively sculpted to bring the mythical lion dog to life in which you can sense the tension of his balancing act written across its facial expression. The ball is signed by Tsukigata with his Nahiko in English and his engraved mei signature leaving no doubt as to the creator. I have seen a number of bronzes by Tsukigata and have to admit his portrayals of shishi in a variety of poses and purposes, including as a koro, never cease to bring a smile to my face.

"Gold's father is dirt, yet it regards itself as noble." An old proverb

WALKING ON EGGSHELLS

As I have mentioned before, over the years I have come to think of Kimura Ichiro and his work as quintessential Mashiko-yaki from it simple execution, design and glazing to its folksy, utilitarian practicality even when it comes for articles intended for tea ceremony. The posted illustration comes from an old catalogue of Kimura's work and illustrates the honesty and range of his pottery and even though this pot is intended as a mizusashi, it is easy to picture it in an multiplicity of uses from rice storage to holding your cat (or dog) treats. I am impressed by the simplicity of the form made all the more interesting by the crackle glaze that reminds me of eggshell impressed lacquer decoration that has been around for centuries. The surface on these pots is enjoyably tactile with recesses creating fissures which in turn create the wonderful visual landscape of the pot. After you study this pot for a while it is easy to see the influences of his master, Hamada Shoji from the effortless practicality and simplicity of the form to the easy to use classic style knob set a top the recessed lid. The raised bands around the form and mouth of the pot look very much like they are holding the pot together and keeping the volume of the interior from expanding any further; with all of these visual and tactile cues I think there is little else that could have been done to make such a simple mizusashi so thoughtfully interesting.