I DON'T EVEN LIKE FISH

I don't think I have mentioned this before nor do I doubt anyone cares, but I don't really like fish. Cooked fish that is, I have never responded well to fish all the way back to school and fish-stick Fridays, there is something about the smell and texture that I just am not a huge fan of though I do happen to like sashimi and sushi. That being said, I find it odd that from day one, it seemed quite natural to paint, carve and slip-trail fish on bowl, plates, platters and trays as part of what I suppose is a tradition going back many centuries especially among slip-trail potters. Though I work with several fish designs, they come out rather differently using different technique such as slip-trailing, carving, stenciled and painted making for rather diverse imagery from terra cotta to porcelain, slipware to underglaze cobalt decoration and everything in between. The illustrated fish bowl was decorated rather quickly with a basic preconceived design and then various devices like the spirals are added to help fill the space and further articulate the design. As I said, I don't even really like fish but somehow they continue to find their way on to my plate no matter what I do.

CLASSICAL CONTEXT

I know I will end up sounding like a very broken record, but I love getting older books on modern Japanese pottery. There is a perspective and insight that you miss when you simple see a singular contemporary photo in a book recently published, in the older books you see a wide array of pottery, all produced in and around when the book was published. This affords the viewer a glimpse in to the time and temperament at a given moment in time which creates a context of what was happening and how each potter made their way while working and not necessarily being totally aware of everything that was taking place before the advent of the internet and books, magazines and catalogues flooding the scene.

The attached illustration is from a small jiten, encyclopedia style book from Showa 48 (1973), written by founder of Kuroda-Toen, Kuroda Ryoji, a ceramics expert and author of numerous books including  CLASSIC STONEWARE OF JAPAN; Shino and Oribe  as well as SHINO (Famous Ceramics of Japan series), both in English and many others in Japanese. Though a grainy b/w photo, the power of the tsubo shows through the illustration and is by the father of modern Tokoname pottery, Ezaki Issei. Ezaki's early body of work served as  a standard and a new archetype for the revival of modern Tokoname ware through not only his own pottery but through his pupils as well, most notably, Takeuchi Kimiaki and Osako Mikio. The direct use of clay, forms and firing techniques helped breath a sense of vitality back into Tokoname classical stoneware pottery and a tradition that was for a century better known for water pipes than a medieval tradition.

I think it is safe to say that this essential and practical pot heralds back to earlier times, fortified with a strength and perhaps a tiny bit of ego to continue a nearly lost tradition in to the modern age. This simple pot is a stalwart addition to the various traditions re-imagined and reinvented during the 20th century of which Tokoname owes a debt to pots just like this one made by a potter determined to adhere to certain classical tenets that find their roots all the way back to the birth of the regional styles seen in the ancient Sueki wares.

CONNECTIONS X 3

I think it is rather safe to say that by looking at this vase it would be rather hard to draw a connection to Ningen Kokuho, Kondo Yuzo but if you could or did, it would be a very safe bet. This haiyu, ash glazed and wood fired vase was made by Takayama Koh (b. 1943) who studied with Kondo Yuzo early on in his career but also spent time at the studio of Kamoda Shoji where he learned more about  sculpture and form and was also introduced to the wide array of pottery that was made at his workshop. If you add to Takeyama's exposure to Kondo and Kamoda that he later became rather interested in Nanban style pottery and went and worked at Tanegashima for a year, you get a fuller picture of the influenced that go in to his pottery. Looking at this particular pot, it is easy to spot the influences of Kondo's porcelain vase forms with the addition of creating marks in a way that Kamoda was well known for. The rich ash glaze matches well with the brick red clay which is very similar to some of his Nanban pottery pieces and his unglazed and wood fired Komainu sculptural. There is no way to dispute that every artist and craftsman is an amalgam of teachers, historical influences, life experiences and preferences but it is the those that walk along their own path with their own voice that many times have the most to say and this simple, even humble vase has plenty to say preferably in a two sided conversation.

JUST ANOTHER GLAZE

Illustrated is a paddled stoneware cap jar glazed over in a simple Albany slip* glaze composed of just three materials. Once the pot was thrown, using a 1" x 4" scrap piece of wood that is heavily carved, the smack down begins being just careful enough to not destroy the pot. The pot is also carefully rethrown using a rib on the interior to create a pot that is mostly round again resembling it original thrown form. The Albany glaze is more of less transparent though where it pools areas of iridescence and deep, dark areas appear accentuating every nook and cranny. I have always loved this glaze which I believe I got from Val Cushing back in the early 90s, it bears a strong resemblance if not some of the spirit of the old Korean faceted honey jars and to aspects of Bernard Leach's pieces. Though I would like to think this is distinctly my pot, it goes without saying that there is a bit of the people I have studied with in the past as well as numerous historical antecedents in each and every pot that I make.

(*I should mention that this glaze is made using actual Albany slip not a substitute. I have tried replicating Albany slip using a variety of published, known and personal experimentations formulas but to my eye, none hold the quality, character and depth of the real thing. Use it wisely and sparingly and you will find there is still Albany slip out there if you search carefully from ex-potters, estates, etc and if you can try the real thing, I think you will see exactly what I am saying. Good luck!)

 

INCOMING VIII

Recently I had a group of mostly chawan come my way as a fellow collector is "restructuring" his collection and focusing in on a different avenue. The group includes the recent additions to my Trocadero marketplace, namely a Kakurezaki Ryuichi Bizen tokkuri, a Kanzaki Shiho classic Shigaraki chawan and lastly a very dynamic Matsuzaki Ken Shino chawan. All three of the pots are really textbook examples by the potters in question but the Matsuzaki chawan shows a slightly different approach to his normal thick white Shino applied over a rich, red base glaze. In this particular instance, the base become a super rich, crimson red base and the white Shino has melted and moved down the pot thanks to the intense heat of the firing and a little thing known as gravity. Having  a semblance of the modern Enbu Shino of Yamada Kazu though created before its introduction on the scene, the super deep red juxtaposed against the soft, satiny smooth Shino glaze has an intoxicating appearance that makes for a non-stop conversation regarding the long and varied history of Shino and its infinite possibilities. I hope this detail shot of the quality and uniqueness of the surface comes through in this photo of the Matsuzaki Ken chawan in question.

"Details create the big picture."   Sanford Weill

You can see more of the Matsuzaki and other pots over on my corner of Trocadero; https://www.trocadero.com/stores/albedo3studio/catalog/

YU-TSUBO

I recently received three exhibition catalogues from three distinct venues covering a two year period showcasing the Bizen pottery of Fujiwara Yu. The three catalogues all came from the same dealer here in the states and the majority of work revolves around Fujiwara Yu's tsubo with a few tea pieces and guinomi/tokkuri illustrated as well. What makes these three catalogues a bit unusual is that all three have shikishi size paintings in the frontispiece of each catalogue, two of the paintings are of pots and the other is only calligraphy. Illustrated is one of the paintings done in a rich, black ink on a vivid red background of a Bizen flower vase complete with flowers, classic neck and ubiquitous lugs. I suspect that all three of these catalogues came from the same original source, regulars at the exhibitions of Fujiwara Yu where at each event, he inked an addition to their catalogues as one would do for a regular patron. Now all I need to find out is where are all the pots that go along with the catalogues.

THROWN & CARVED

Given the time of year, I have spent more than my fair share of throwing time making serving bowls, both open and covered. I tend to throw two sizes of serving bowls, those of a manageable scale for two to four people and a larger version for about eight people of so, of course a lot depends on what goes in the bowl but this is one of the few things that I make where I don't hear, it could have been bigger or it could have been smaller. This particular bowl was made a month or so ago and was a gift on a recent excursion to see a nice collection of modern Japanese pottery part of a series of thrown and carved pieces later glazed in temmoku and medieval green. I enjoy throwing these bowls, moving, cantilevering the clay out over the foot creates a bit of tension in the form that goes well with the carved grasses pattern around the bowl. With every bowl I make I hope they find their way in to the daily lives where ever they end up and filled to the brim with the resident specialty is always the way I see them in my mind's eye.

LIGHTING FUNDAMENTALS

I know I have discussed the various lighting that I like to view pots in from the normal indoor, incandescent, tungsten bulbs, photo lighting, daylight and even direct sunlight. These lighting fundamentals each reveal various details and visions of a pot and allow the fullest, most immediate conversation that I can have with a piece though on many occasion the pots don't stick around long enough to cycle through all of the different phases of light. The way each type of light picks up on specific details, colors, clay quality and other features literally turns a spotlight on to each piece uncovering aspects that may easily be lost in one light source alone. The illustrated Kumano Kuroemon chawan has quite a bit to offer in each distinct light but in the direct sunlight the bowl just comes alive with a shimmering, sparkling appearance composed of feldspar and ash with crystals at the upper reaches of the surface creating a macrocosms within the confines of a teabowl. There is a richness and sincerity in this bowl painted by the expert guidance of Kumano in clay, glaze and fire and when you add a small portion of the sun, like magic, the chawan springs to life.

OUR CURRENT CONGRESS

It seems like this time of year the area's pardoned turkey all collect around our property. Known as a congress of turkey, we can have 40 to 50 turkey at a time with several male toms strutting around for all the ladies. I am not sure if these turkey know just how lucky they are that  we buy ours local and in a bag, hopefully no close relations of our new neighbors. I think to myself just how lucky they are with non-threatening neighbors and a recently harvested cornfield to plunder. I would like to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving and that we, like our gobbling congress have quite a bit to be thankful for!

C&A

I just put together this short video slideshow of a nice Hamada Shoji nuka and tetsu vase that came my way. I know everyone has their own reasons why they like Hamada's work but the characteristics that sticks out in my mind is that his pots are both casual and authentic. This nuka pot, like the bulk of Hamada's pottery is direct, there is nothing fussy or over thought about them, they appeal on both an intellectual and gestural level and like most great pottery fill an emotional need for objects that are created to fulfill unique roles in our daily lives even if a bit out of step with our modern times. I think that pots like those by Hamada tap in to some mysterious, deep seated sub-conscious where people needed pots, ceramics to live, function and even survive day to day and season to season. I hope this video helps impart the casual, authentic nature and various details to give a fuller account of a typical Hamada Shoji Mashiko pot.