ALL IN A DAY'S WORK

On some days I am reminded that I don't make nearly as many pots a day as I used to. Cutting down on the wear and tear on my wrists and lower back I keep throwing to less than three, preferably two hours a day while working off a script of orders, commisions and gallery restock. Yesterday was a semi-typical day of throwing terra cotta where I threw three covered serving bowls, lids and knobs, three 14" plates, three 3lbs bowls and four 2.5lb bowls and decided that was far along on the list to call it quits at the wheel. But that is not completely the whole picture, I ran a glaze fire kiln, pulled out forty pieces for an upcoming show, made out the paperwork and inventory sheet (which I just emailed in minutes ago) and then started the prep for dealing with the pots I just made, mostly making up black and white slips and getting finished pots stacked and out of the way, all in a day's work. I realize this doesn't really sound like a lot of work but for the sake of not destroying my wrists and back, this routine has served me rather well over the past decade or so despite the fact that back in the day if there weren't at least a zillion pots covering every available free space, I would just not feel satisfied but that was then and this is now.  

Illustrated are the three terra cotta covered serving bowls thrown yesterday and tooled today, two as yet to be decorated.

TOASTY

Illustrated is a rather toasty warm Shino chawan by Hori Ichiro that I will admit, surprised me just a bit upon its arrival. In the original pictures this chawan looked rather nice but quite white and certainly lacking the warmth that it actually exudes. Expecting a more or less white Shino chawan as I began to unpack this bowl it became immediately clear that this bowl had a rather appealing and welcoming surface which works in perfect harmony with the form. The meandering lip and rustic, almost rough kodai add real flavor to this chawan beyond the rich, orangy tinted surface. As I mentioned, the bowl has a warmth that many Shino chawan only aspire to and wish for, the tone and smoothness of the surface adds a rather comforting tactile quality making it easy to handle and appreciate the piece all the more. I am not trying to oversell the bowl but it does have a standout quality where depth, warmth and curb appeal all blend together to spotlight exactly why Hori Ichiro's work have added an untold amount to a tradition that goes back well over four centuries with work like this it is clear there is no end in sight.

EVERYTHING BAGEL

I have to admit it has been quite some time since I have seen and handled a new chaire by Furutani Michio but everytime I think, that the previous may have been the very last one, another one shows up. As you can see this chaire is broad, wide and sturdy in appearance and construction, The whole form is broad and overall I would say this is clearly built like a tank. Clearly marked; SHIGARAKI CHAIRE,  this chaire has a bit of everything you could hope or ask for, just like an everything bagel (!) from the glassy shoulder and cascading ash and areas of darker, deep brown ash from the velocity of the kiln. I should also note that another feature that makes this piece a bit special is that the shifuku (not shown in this photo obviously) is a simple homespun piece actually made by Furutani Michio's wife. This personal and intimate addition is something that I always greatly appreciate and makes this combo of chaire and shifuku truly a Shigaraki cottage "industry". Though I haven't seen a Furutani chaire in some time, this encounter was rather welcomed and just what the pottery doctor ordered.

WHAT'S NEXT

Illustrated is a recent etched teabowl with spirals and slashes design. This was glazed in a clear glaze with the golden brown amber over it and I am a bit enthralled with all the running, streaking that creates an almost holographic effect. The design under the glaze is clearly visable which is always a plus and the glaze creates a distinct sense of movement which abruptly stops at the widest point of the bowl, the transition between the main part of the form and the decending base culminating in the foot. Beyond the etched decoration, the rich deep, dark amber is probably the most eye catching feature which truth be told is hard to miss, though it wasn't intentional it couldn't have happened at a better place exactly where the design ends. Unfortunatley my mind is now wondering, what else, what's next in relation to this glaze because naturally, I won't be content until I screw it up.

NEAR PERFECT HARMONY

There is something rather special about a simple bowl that though subtle has all the bells and whistles you may want or need. This Yamada Kazu E-Shino is mostly pure white Shino with a perpetual wetness and texture that has a life of its own and a simple decoration just rising to the surface in bold or muted tones of iron red adding some depth and movement to the bowl. In truth, the simple yet gestural form is an apt canvas for Yamada's classic Shino glaze that is fat and full adding a pinch to the volume of the pot where its motion and posture are enjoyable all on their own. This is a large, robust bowl, a handful if you will that has a good, considered lip and a kodai that speaks to the fact that the potter is rather practiced on this features. Putting these details together narrates the character and presentation of the chawan which though simple is like many other pots, nothing short of complex  getting all the pieces to work together in near perfect harmony.

PEANUT BUTTER & CHOCOLATE

When I first saw this chawan and read the box I was immediately transported back in mind-time to the old Reese's peanut butter cups commercials, "you got peanut butter on my chocolate".  The box reads; SHIGARAKI-ORIBE and though I have heard a number of things paired up with either, the combination was a bit new to me. This chawan comes from the inventive persona of Kengo  Saeki where almost anything would seem possible as longs as he doesn't stray outside the laws of physics, where old feudal locks become wood fired vases and old koma-inu become fanciful, whimsical and even comical caricatures of centuries of traditional representation.    

Like many of his Shigaraki chawan this Shigaraki-Oribe chawan was wood fired and is a study in his forms and texture where the tactile qualities and aesthetic decision making wrestle with each other to see who becomes the dominate player but like many competitions, a draw is called as they are equally matched. As you can see the paddled texture completes the sturdy, almost angular form as it it was hewn from a block of stone or close enough, clay in this case. The form fits well in the hand and despite its presence it is neither too heavy nor to light, it would seem that Kengo Saeki landed smack dab in the Goldilock's zone once again. Shigaraki-Oribe, the term grows on you and the more I think about it the more natural it sounds.

 

CITRINE

Illustrated is a recent teabowl made out of a sandy small batch clay with the new(ish) golden brown amber glaze. I am trying to figure out where it works and where and doesn't and give it a little more depth but testing can be challenging by going too far or not far enough. After several more adjustments something new has shown up, where there are small voids of collection points, the glaze settles in to become like citrine, sparkly and puctuating the surface here and there. I can't say I exactly know why or how but realize the more I fiddle with the glaze the more likely I will lose some of the features that add interest to the surface. I think my next steps will to leave the glaze formula alone and start by adding a wash or two or three to the surface and see what happens next. I realize I can't just leave things be and will continue to tinker with it until the next time I unload the kiln the test piece is surrounded by a puddle of glaze.

WAY BACK MACHINE

Illustrated is a rather robust and sturdy covered Shino and ash pot by Don Spraque of Oregon and every time I walk past this piece it is just like a 'way back machine" bringing me back to our time in Cleveland. This covered pot was purchased from Sylvia Ullman at her gallery, American Craft Gallery in the 90s and has found its way on a shelf in our home through a number of moves and has never lost its appeal or presence especially as I turn the pot base and lid quite frequently making for quite a number of presented faces.

Thrown out of stoneware, the pot is a vocabulary of Spraque's pottery marks and stamps and the lid is finished off in his classic, ritualistic knob while the surface is a rich Shino glaze going from a blushed  orange to a more sedate creamy color with applied ash here and there adding a some visual accents where needed.  The base is finished off with the footring being cut away to provide four stable feet making for a nice sense of lift and shadow. This is a hard pot to tire of as there are little details here and there that keep you on your toes wondering, did I know or remember there was a small impressed stamp here or there making it almost factory fresh every time I pass by.

JUST ANOTHER ONI

Illustrated is a rather stoic, defiant and possibly irate Oni seated and taking full advantage of the sun as it emerges from the shadows. Though this is just another oni in the oeuvre of Fujiwara Ikuzo, this particular piece strikes a chord with its strong posture and pose and the well fired surface where just the right amount of ash has coated the form without obscuring any of the details. Carved from a solid block of clay by Mashiko artist, potter Fujiwara Ikuzo, his process starts out in a flurry where he gets to the bones of the sculpture, removing the broad strokes if you will before honing in on the details and bringing character and emotion one knife cut (or chisel) at a time. 

Like something akin to Frankenstein's monster, hewn from some amount of malleable earth, it is not electricity by rather the intense process and flame of the wood kiln that breathes life into his creation. The sheer diversity, animation and scale makes Fujiwara Ikuzo's work worth a second, third and one hundredth look to drink in all the spirit of the clay and his various studies of mischievous oni.

NEW TOOL

So I have been working on this new series of teabowls where the bowl is thrown and slightly altered and then the rest of the work is done off the wheel on a foam pad on a banding wheel for elevation more than anything else. As per usual I have been struggling with the foot which just is a constant thorn and a conundrum that I just can't crack. I kept thinking that maybe I can blame my available tools for the foot attempts failing to materialize as I want it to and then just within eyeshot I found a new tool. Off on a shelf not far from where I work on the wheelhead there was an opened pack of shims bought at the local hardware store, 20 to a pack for $3 and with the finest adjustment to sharpen the front and one side, I was in business. 

First I set up the size of the foot and begin nearly vertical cut to define the size and shape, next using the shim at a slight angle but horizontal I cut around the bowl and remove the donut like ring of extra clay. From there I use the shim to contour the foot and bowl profile and I think I may actually be getting somewhere. As I mentioned in a previous post it may take another 108,000 bowl but armed with my .15 cent shim and some amount of idealistic determination maybe I can get somewhere (?) sooner than later.