A BOTTLE OR TWO

I ended up having to throw a couple of taller cylindrical covered jars the other day and realizing how they will take up space I decided to throw a couple of 14" tall vases or bottles as you decide to define them. Each was thrown out of 3.5lbs of clay and will have a shallow tooled in foot when they are completed. The base of the form is terminated with a pronounced flair that creates a sturdy base and also acts to slow down glaze flow as heat and gravity take over. I should mention that this piece was thrown in one piece, it sort of happened organically and where I would normally throw the neck separately I used a throwing stick and my sponge on a stick to help facilitate the task at hand. At this point I am likely to glaze one of the bottles in the Kuro-oribe style with a heavier concentration of iron up around the top quarter of the form which should then run quite dramatically while the other will be decorated in temmoku and iron to accentuate the simple features of the piece. As you can see in the photo I have added depressed lines around the mouth and shoulder of the pot together with a combed band to hopefully create more movement in the pot as well as to fill with the Oribe glaze and create dark, dramatic lines on the surface. Making a bottle or two for the firing wasn't a lot of extra work and coupled with the two covered jars will fill one half shelf in the kiln allowing the rest of the space to be used to the fullest which I rarely fail to do.

KURUMI-ZU

Though not quite what I would call an actual Raqqa or Persian glaze, this turquoise glaze reminds me of ancient Egyptian faience in its color and surface but this pot is not only modern but Japanese as well. This mizuzashi which is described as "Persian blue" was made by Koyama Kihei who after graduating from Kyoto City University of Arts went on to study with two Ningen Kokuho; Tomimoto Kenkichi and Kondo Yuzo. In 1956 he rejoined his alma matter as a professor where he remained until his retirement in 1996 while exhibiting all along the way with a specialty in this blue glaze as well as black and white porcelain, mishima work, yuriko underglaze red and many other techniques. This particular mizusashi is decorated around the form with the castanea crenata, the Japanese chestnut (kurumi-zu) in black slip under the glaze which together with the copper in the glaze creates a more blue than black appearance to the overall design. As I mentioned the chestnut design is a black slip which has had sgraffito accents added to the decoration to flush out the chestnuts that are articulating the form which is completed with a custom made black lacquer lid. 

Though it may be difficult to tell from only this image, Koyama Kihei specialized in ceramics for the tea ceremony and was the recipient of a number of awards and accolades during his tenure as professor where he divided his time making pottery, teaching and writing for the Silk Road Research Society (not 100% sure of the translation) regarding Mid-Eastern art and pottery. Though I may not agree 100% with the box description, this pot does have the feel of being influenced by pots along the Silk Road and the addition of the Japanese chestnut anchors the piece as a thoroughly Japanese pot, a rather intriguing mizusashi to assemble a tea ceremony around.

DYED SURFACE

I had this nunozome dyed mizusashi here some while back and was pleasantly surprised by the rather festive and lively atmosphere that it gave off. The variations of color, the addition of gold overglaze and the placement of the decoration created a sense of constant movement and visual conversation that was appealing and playful while being solidly thrown as a functional vessel. Made out of Arita clay, the whiteness of clay and the semi-vellum nature of the hakuji glaze is a perfect canvas for the methodical process of applying pigment saturated paper to the surface to create the overall unique and colorful design. Once fired the potter came in and added highlights of pure gold to the various devices to punch up the overall decoration and add even more depth to the surface. Made by nunozome specialist Uwataki Katsuji, he pulled from the Arita tradition of pottery to present this somewhat unique take on pottery decoration to create this readily identifiable surface that has now been passed on to his son, Uwataki Koichi as well. Though I do not routinely do chanoyu, I can clearly see this piece in use during the ceremony or honestly it is likely to be just at home up on a shelf or table top demanding the attention I think it deserves.

ESSENTIAL POTTERY EQUIPTMENT

There are both advantages and drawbacks to working in a studio, underground in a house built in to the side of a hill that generally is at a constant temperatures more or less. During the summer the studio rarely gets above 65 unless there is a prolonged period of temperatures in the 90s and during the winter it rarely drops below 56. Here though is the real conundrum, 60 in August is so comfortable to work at but the very same temperature in Jan is just cold, not cold enough to freeze the water in the throwing buckets but cold enough that you need to heat the water, wear and extra layer of clothing and be careful what you throw and how it is covered at night. Now maybe there is some keen scientist who can explain to me how 60 degrees is different in August and Janurary and perhaps has some solution to making my brain think they are exactly the same.  

Illustrated is a picture of the gang of four bottles that I made a few weeks back occupying a shelf like area on our furnace to keep them warm(ish) and help them dry a bit evenly. The furnace is an all important part of ceramic equiptment during December thru March to help dry pots and create a space where the radiant heat hits between 65 and 68 degrees based on the day and at times every available space has pots loitering about. In fact I have actually put pots in the pre-filter area of the furnace to get air flowing around pieces and it is highly effective for just that task and even keeping our house toasty warm.

FIRST IGA, NOW ORIBE

A short while back I posted up an Iga tokkuri and guinomi set by Fukushima Kazuhiro that belongs to a European collector and in that post I mentioned my initial surprise that he had studied with Koie Ryoji. A week or so later the same collector sent me a few pictures of this Oribe set by Fukushima and in these pieces the Koie connection is certainly more palpable that the other. Though undeniably influenced by his master, Fukushima has struck out on his own with his own forms and honestly in the manner in which the pieces are thrown and the clay dealt with. The forms are solid, purposeful and eminently functional and the manner in which they are glazed and fired breathes life in to the pieces with a sense of movement and tension coexisting in clay and glaze. This Oribe has a rich flavor and just enough diversity of range that it makes for a rather fun and provocative conversation including what could be a rather long discussion of the chrome green drip that in all likelihood will stay just where it is for the next millennium or so.

KEEPING TRACK

I made this short video slideshow of a Shigaraki chawan by Koyama Naohiko and then put it into a file for future use and basically forgot about it, I need a better method of keeping track of things for sure. I built this slideshow to best show off the simplicity and charm of the bowl while obviously calling attention to the rich ash covered surface, the very fine firing and the punctuation of emerald drops contrasted against the primal scars left by the shells that at one time held this chawan off the shelf. When you add the surface, the simple form and other details the bowl shows off a quiet grace and movement that entices the viewer, the nice attention to detail regarding the kodai doesn't hurt either. I hope this video gives a more rounded perspective of what makes this chawan tick as well as the character it processes. Enjoy!

PASSING ACCEPTANCE

I am aware that I have an this singularity, maybe just a common enough quirk in regards to my pottery where almost as soon as my pots come out of the kiln I start seeing everything that I should have done differently from issues regarding the form to tooling, decorating and glazing. When the kiln is unloaded the pots hit the staging table are sorted out for those going to commissions/ orders, the hammer and the shelves for storage. On the rare occasion a pot comes out that goes a whole 15 minutes or so before my base nature kicks to pick the piece apart , perhaps these are the pots that I am happy with and succeeded at some level to my eye ending in some passing acceptance.            

Illustrated is a teabowl from several firings back that is more brown in one light and more green in another, I was pleased with as it came out of the kiln and has been up on a shelf since it was made. As you can see the pot was thrown out of a clay body I made up with lots of sand and stones and then altered to make it square where the shape was further defined using a rasp tool. Once the clay texture was opened up a bit I went about impressing groups of four squares in alternating corners of the bowl to break up the surface a bit more. Once bisque, I glazed the bowl in my most recent Oribe style glaze and added bands of iron over the center of each plane to further break up the geometry of each side. At the end of the day I was actually momentarily pleased with this bowl but like with every firing, learn from what I made and all of the result and plan for the next cycle. 

"Truth never pleads or compromises or wavers. It invites and awaits your acceptance."  Vernon Howard

TSUKI-GATA NOT TSUKIGATA

Tsuki-gata means, moon form (or shape) which is not to be confused with the potter Tsukigata Nahiko though as broad as his range is, this falls outside of his body of work. This hand built Oribe koro was made by the late Kato Yasukage XIV and has a rather playful and unique form that is again echoed in the crescent moon knob he placed on the lid. The glaze is mottled in an array of greens with some iron tones mixed in all while sitting rather securely on three attached legs to hold the form upright. I should mention that besides being somewhat unique in its presentation, this koro is rather large at over 30cm long and has quite a nice presence because of the size and shape of the piece. Truthfully, I have seen a number of Kato's works and other than his more traditional chawan and other chadogu, most of his forms have a unique and individual quality to them which separates his work from the pack and leaves a rather distinct and highly admired body or work inspired by the various Mino traditions.    

"Twas the new moon! 

Since then I waited-    

And lo! Tonight! (I have my reward)     Matsuo Basho

DEEP CHILL

It has been rather cold here recently, well below zero and the trees and deck are covered in ice which got me thinking of this large, bold chawan. The glaze and its unique, piercing color remind me of the cold and not just any cold but that deep, bone chilling cold where moisture becomes ice almost instantly; the deep chill of late Janurary. This evocative, rich, fractured blue seiji chawan was made by Ikai Yuichi and though bares some resemblance to his master, the late Shimizu Uiichi, this glaze and its characteristics are unique to this potter where the glaze thins out at the top and the rolling, gravity induced cascade creates areas of thickness as it moves down the bowl. The fingerprints where the potter held the bowl have become thick with glaze which along with where the rest of the glaze terminates as a seductive boundary of blue separating the glazed from the unglazed foot of the chawan. 

There is simplicity in this bowl that is balanced with the complexity of the glaze structure creating a sense of fractured ice, layer upon layer like an infinite wonder of nature itself. Beyond the aesthetics of this chawan I find my mind wadding into the technical and marveling at how just a handful of clay, a few raw materials and a very small percentage of iron are all transformed by several thousand degrees in an act that at times both potters and collectors take for granted even if chemistry and a dash of alchemy never does.

FINGER OF PROVIDENCE

I spend a lot of time doodling especially while watching TV or a movie at night, it's all about multi-tasking. The other night I was doodling an idea for a vessel form that I thought was a winner when my wife suddenly pointed to what I was doing and simply said, "nope". I was a little miffed, didn't say anything and decided to prove her wrong and the next day threw two stoneware cylinders to cut and reassemble and rolled out some slabs. The next day I set about constructing my Frankenstein monster of a piece and after two hours of work realized this was not ever going to work. Before someone points out that you are not going to necessarily succeed on the first attempt let me reassure you, it was 110% clear this idea was not going to work as the basic premise was to defy gravity and that never ends well. In the end I cut the piece up, put it in a bag, sprayed it down with water hoping to salvage the 8 pounds of clay and over two hours of time.   

Illustrated is the results of the reclaimed clay a few days later, stoneware covered jar with two lids and then with impasto applied slip. I ended up making two versions of this jar, one a bit more slender and taller than this, the other a bit more robust as well as three teabowls so I was able to redeem at least the materials by applying them to forms and idea I am used to and would like to think I have mostly worked out. I guess the moral of the story is a bit murky; I stand by the decision to go ahead and try to see if an idea has any merit but when the finger of providence reaches over and plunks down on your doodle, maybe you (I) should pay more attention.