FINER POINTS

I am constantly in awe of those details, the finer points that tell you so much about a pot and to be quite frank, about the potter. The detail shot of this Shigaraki henko is imbued with a strength and power which blends a medieval aesthetic with a sense of stream lined modernism that few are capable of instilling in their work. Admittedly, the firing process should take some of the credit, but it is the potter, in this case Furutani Michio who made the clay, worked out an idea and manifest it in this plastic material. Through his exceptional knowledge of kiln building, built a kiln, well numerous kilns, choose the right combinations of woods and out of all of this experimentation, effort and expertise comes pot after pot that was only a spark, an inclination before the potter intervened. I think there is magic in the works of potters like Furutani Michio and through small glimpses in to the details of their works, you can isolate the wizardry and alchemy that perpetually fascinate.

FRACTURED ICE

What a wondrous thing that glazes can be, whether they are naturally occurring or composed like some alchemists symphony, the possibility and effects are endless. When I really think about glazes is that they have the distinct possibility to present defined galaxies within their surfaces painting ominous and somber realms to those of great visual intensity as if a sun has gone supernova within them. Though there are a great number of stellar pots that bare no glaze and submit to the viewer as naked form, there are an equal number that are only completed with the addition of glaze and decoration adding depth and profundity to the canvas that is clay. Illustrated is a close up of a rich and evocative kannyu style seiji glaze that almost radiates the cold like the fractured ice that it seemingly imitates. I find these cracked and fractured surfaces to be mysterious and compelling leading me along in a narrative that the potter, clay and glazes has created. In this case, this detail shot is of a tall and elegant bottle-vase made by Minegishi Seiko only a few years ago of tapering form with lobes running vertically accentuating the stature of the piece and the glaze which descends into the depression; a perfect meld of the Chinese archetype and the Japanese interpretation. More images to follow.

C&H DAY

This morning was taken up with running some errands near and far and when I finally got home it was time to get to work making some pots. I am still in a terra cotta cycle and needed to get a number of small bowls and teabowls made as well as a group of 3lb bowls, several covered serving bowls and a couple of "cookie jar" forms made before the end of the day. The first board full of pots, seen here went exactly as planned, a group of four small bowls, a v-bowl and a small serving bowl, the group that followed ended up being four covered serving bowls and matching lids on my longest ware board at just about six feet long. The last board was filled with four 12" v-bowls with four teabowls tucked neatly in to the spaces on each side. I deviated a bit from the plan, perhaps procrastinating just a bit and will need to make several covered pieces when I get back to throwing but plans are made to be broken as long as the boards get filled.

"You just can't turn on creativity like a faucet. You have to be in the right mood. What mood is that? Last-minute panic."  Bill Watterson

KUJAKU-YU TWO

Being Friday I thought to try to tie up a few lose ends and since I had received a few inquiries, I decided to post up the overall view of this Kujaku-yu glazed hanaire by Miura Shurei. As you can see from this composite overall of the front and back, the form is elegant with long sweeping vertical facets that highlight the glaze and create stark planes of visual interest. The rich, iridescent glaze is a beautiful tight cloak of varying effects that is reminiscent of exotic peacock feather, hence the name that fits the vessel as if it were created for it or more likely the other way around in this case. There is a real beauty in the marriage of form and surface of this piece which has traces of varying Chinese archetypes though handled distinctly in a way only Miura-san could manage. It is abundantly clear why Madame Kikuchi thought highly of this potter and this surface and once you have seen this combination in person, its haunting conversation becomes a new addition to your pottery lexicon.

You can see the original detail oriented post for this vase here; https://albedo3studio.blogspot.com/search?q=shurei

DICHOTOMY

A good friend of mine used to send me photos of random things that he would see, things that spoke to him, things that embodied the seeming dichotomy of simplicity and complexity. On one of his random walk-abouts he came across an ovoid rock, tumbled through centuries of geologic upheaval to end up in his pocket and one of his favorite objects. Over the years I have thought about his story and his chance encounter with a stone (which I am now the custodian of) and see that same dichotomy in pots including this Tokoname chawan by Ito Yushi which blend an unpretentious form and surface that at first glance is simple as well. As you look at the surface, the dark, iron rich clay body shows through where the poured slip didn't fully engulf the bowl and then the effects of the salt firing accentuates the nuances of the overall pot. The crackled slip shows hints of a bouquet of colors; silvers, grey, orange, coral and white with hints of the iron clay coming through where surface is fissured. Kumano and Tsukigata notwithstanding, I like a quiet pot, rich in visual and tactile nourishment, a piece that has to be unraveled  where subtlety and nuance are the real main characters of the narrative and if you have the time, there is a lot to see and enjoy in such a simple bowl.

(See a previous post in refernce to Ito Yushi here; https://albedo3studio.blogspot.com/search?q=yushi )

CIRCA 1990

I was sent a group of photos a short while back of several of my pots that were in an auction in Cleveland which all date back to my first year at CSU, circa 1990. This illustrated slipware wallbowl was made way back when I had been making pots for about a year and was the origins of the wallbowl which I make to this day. This particular piece probably measures under 14" across and has a black slip base with brushed on sky blue and leaf green and then is completed with thick black trailed accents. If memory serves me, the stains all came from someone who was moving out of the area and was done in clay so I inherited a lot of misc. materials including about 40 pounds of various colorants so I was constantly looking for ways to make use of the materials. I think it important to note that when these were made I had been throwing for about a year and was beginning to hone in on slipware as a preferred way to work which would ultimately be distilled down to mostly black and white work. I distinctly remember making quite a bit of various slip oriented pieces on terra cotta over a two to three month period before really defining what I was after and this pot like quite few others was among the first steps to a journey that has miles yet to go.

"From the end springs new beginnings."  Pliny the Elder

As a mandated public service announcement, don't forget to put away your John Travolta, SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER inspired suits until next year as Labor Day is here and white is out.

HONOHO

Not that this will make for a very interesting blog post but considering the "I have nothing to say so I will blog about it" origins of my blog, here goes. I encountered the Honoho ceramic magazine back in 1998 or 1999 at  the Kinokuniya bookstore in NYC. Since that time and on various trips to Japan I have put together almost a complete set. I am still missing No.1 that was lost when a box packed by a moving company was lost along with two bronzes that were gifts from the artists but I digress and to the point of this post. Over the years, I continually thumb through the various books, catalogues and issues of the Honoho  gleaning a ground level history of modern Japanese pottery and though the articles (of the Honoho) are the focal point of the publication, it is equally as interesting to see the ads that go in to each issue. The articles, spotlights and ads give a glimpse in to fashion and trends with the popular potters and ceramic artists being given the lion's share of the content and considering the magazine dates back to 1983 you can see who is in vogue and who is missing from the publication along the way. The main staples are the likes of Kawai, Rosanjin, Okabe Mineo, Kato Tokuro, Arakawa and other giants of the field but you never know who you will find from issue to issue and if you pay enough attention you can gather trends within the field, who is hot and who is not.

To this end, illustrated is a quick shot from a Honoho issue of a Shigaraki slab tsubo by Furutani Michio. Dating to 1990, this pot is linked with Furutani as one of his most iconic and classic forms which he has made in a variety of shapes and sizes, each one unique but connected within a wonderful body of work left by this pioneering  and sorely missed potter.

"I keep six honest serving men
(They taught me all I knew);
There names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who." Rudyard Kipling

E+E+P=D

If there is anything you can predict about the works by Suzuki Goro it is that they are slightly unpredictable and you will likely be just a bit surprised by the end result. Fashioned in what appears to be the calm within a storm, Goro's works are equal measures of experimentation, experience and playfulness which is a delight to the viewer and user alike as these casual creations are packaged energy, enthusiasm and delight. I photographed almost every square centimeter of this Suzuki Goro Shino mizusashi and decided to show this detail shot of the lid and gallery to emphasize my point about his work. As you can see there is a wonderfully casual interaction between the base and the lid where the wonky, thick lipped lid has been altered out of round a bit like a rollercoaster ride to fit within the altered gallery which gives the pot so much more movement and energy. The thick band at the top of pot adds a bit of tension and strength to the mizusashi and the iron and Shino further articulate and animate the pot creating a rather conversant object. Suzuki Goro rarely fails to provide ample details within his cohesive piece(s) that are like an author writing a book, he has taken the story as far along as he can and lets the viewer finish it as they see fit.

"The very essence of playfulness is an openness to anything that may happen, the feeling that whatever happens, it's okay.... you're either free to play, or you're not."  John Cleese  

DEEP BLACK & BRIGHT WHITE

Here is one of the sets of mugs that came out of the kiln last Monday, as you can see, the surface is best characterized as deep black, bright white with a great rich terra cotta red. All of this group were fired toward the top of the kiln and got a bit hotter than the bottom which yields this deep red color from my terra cotta, I love the way the red, black and white work together in simple harmony and the mug interior is spacious and fit for any liquid you have in mind. As a preference I have used a terra cotta mug for my coffee and tea in the studio for a good number of years; the clay holds the heat or cold just a bit longer than the stoneware or porcelain and as I mentioned, I love the wonderful visual flavor of terra cotta even though as a throwing clay, as I have stated before, it tests the bonds of the love/ hate relationship.

ON THE EDGE

Illustrated is another one of those pesky detail shots (and I have plenty of them) that shows off the mouth of a Shigaraki henko rather nicely. The henko in question was made by Shigaraki potter, Imura Mitsuo and on top of being a rather interesting form, the pot was fired on the end which also allowed the ash to run horizontally contrary to conventional thoughts regarding gravity as you look at the displayed piece. Back to the mouth for a moment, as you may be aware, the henko was made by coiling, creating a semi-geometric form that culminates in an austere, purposeful conclusion that has a weathered, perhaps rustic attitude, appearing just a bit like it is crumbling back in to the earth. The mouth has a great flashed surface with areas glistening a bit like it is wet with areas of accumulated ash built up around the depressed area adding even more effect to the narrative about clay, space, time and fire. Perhaps what strikes me most is the organic quality to neck and mouth which springs from a soft angularity and battle worn surface of the body of the henko, contrasting in a sense of harmony that is a not so easy balance to be negotiated but in this case, it just work. More photos to follow or perhaps a video slideshow at some point in the future.

"Gravity wins over all other known forces."  Andrea Ghez