PRESENTO

Over the number of trips we have taken to Japan, one of our go-to places was always Shigaraki. We were fortunate to meet with a number of the Shigaraki and local potters over the years and in doing so, we always made a point of visiting with Tani Seiuemon (b.1913-d.?). His studio was not far at all from the train station and he had a wide array of Ko-Shigaraki style pottery which he was dedicated to producing. His pots were warm, genuine and inviting. Having built an anagama in the early 1970's, his work maintained a consistent medieval quality to it and from my perspective, his work is easy to recognize. Together with his son, the current Seiuemon, the studio produced everything from utilitarian pots to those for tea ceremony. Illustrated are three Ko-Shigaraki style kogo made by Tani-san and given to my wife and I over three trips to his studio, each with their own box and wrapped to survive their trip back to the US. We could not have asked or dreamt of a finer presento from our visits to Shigaraki and the home and studio of Tani-san.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

I think that I can finally say, I made my last piece of terra cotta for the time being to satisfy some upcoming shows and for gallery restocks. It seems like I have been locked in a mock battle with the red menace for a long while and I can't say, I am sorry to be done with the making end. I still need to get pots dry, decorated, bisque, glazed and fired and barring any unforeseen hiccups, fait accompli. I know it sounds like everything I say about terra cotta is disparaging and negative, the truth is, as a clay and the various techniques I use with it, when it is well behaved, I enjoy its properties and the degree of control necessary to keep it from gaining the upper hand. The other day, after throwing a group of pots, I was rather sad to stop as the throwing had gone so well and it is easy to get lost in the moment when throwing. It was enjoyable, but now with a studio filled to the brim with pots in varying stages, the last, but not least of the pots has been completed.

Illustrated is a long, 20", terra cotta tray, black slipped with a carved pattern overall and accents, maybe punctuations of white slip. Once bisque, the tray will be glazed in a clear, from my table to yours.

"Like the bee, we should make our industry our amusement."   Oliver Goldsmith (1730-1774)

SIMPLE SHINO

Strictly speaking, Shino is a rather simple glaze. Composed of mostly feldspar and ash in Japan and of nepheline syenite and spodumene in the West; the bulk of the formulas are just a small handful of materials. It would seem that the proportions of the materials and those "secret ingredients" makes all the difference from glaze to glaze and potter to potter. Secret ingredients aside, there are other such variables like type of clay body, quality of slip or washes and of course how the pots are fired, wood fired being among the finest, that can really make a Shino glaze stand out. I guess in the end, there is no such thing as simple Shino.

Simple glaze plus simple chawan equals, masterpiece. Illustrated is a wonderful Aka-Shino chawan by the father of modern Shino, Arakawa Toyozo. Using a fine traditional mogusa clay, this chawan was wood fired to produce a bowl reminiscent of some of those Momoyama masterpieces.

ITS MY WORLD AND WELCOME TO IT

As I child, I was amused, fascinated and somewhat enthralled with the wit, wisdom and humor of James Thurber. I read what I could lay my hands on by him and searched out every cartoon available (remember, this predates the immediacy of the internet by a few decades!) and watched every episode of ITS  MY WORLD AND WELCOME TO IT (1969-1970) . One of my favorite stories and also movies based on Thurber's stories, was THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY,  the perfect foil for Danny Kaye, possibly only surpassed by, THE COURT JESTER. I realize you may be wondering what any of this has to do with pottery and I could say nothing or everything, but truthfully, one of Thurber's quotes reminds me of a photo I took some while back.

Last year I had a very fine Kumano Kuroemon Shino chawan come through my hands. Beyond the obvious sheer scale of the pot, the surface exterior and interior was covered in a luscious coat of natural green ash from his intense wood firing. I examined the piece thoroughly and documented it in a myriad of photos, but none seemed to capture the real beauty of the bowl. By happenstance, in one of my favorite places to display pots, the sunlight came through as an illuminating sliver and finally showed the real presence and essence of this particular chawan. All I had to do was point and shoot and keep the pot in focus. I have said enough, I'll let the photo continue the narrative.

"There are two kinds of light - the glow that illuminates and the glare that obscures." James Thurber (1894-1961)

 

TEMPUS FUGIT DUOS

Today was another one of those rather busy days with a variety of tasks to accomplish; from unloading a glaze kiln and loading another, carving several plates, tooling several wall bowls and covered serving bowls to throwing some larger pasta bowls. Add into the mix a visit from our roofer regarding an ongoing issue and the time really does just evaporate. Little by little I am making inroads into getting done what needs to be finished with a deadline for an inventory of work to be delivered by Friday (well, most likely Sunday!).

Illustrated is a plate and a covered serving bowl in my "Falling Leaves" design. The idea for these pots come from early Korin/Kenzan Rimpa pottery as well as those of the 20th century master, Kitaoji Rosanjin. Given the way the leaves and seasons are changing, it came out of the kiln at about the right time.

"Occupation is the scythe of time."  Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821)

BLUE MONDAY VII

Today was another one of those Mondays, it started out very dreary and overcast  and has become a rather pleasant, if cool day in the Mohawk Valley. I spent the day firing off a glaze kiln and throwing plates and separating out finished work to see what needs to be done. The throwing got me thinking about one of the curious side effects of starting this blog; the number of people who I have been able to reconnect with, because they stumbled, or possibly went looking, for me on the web. I have reconnected with family, friends, old clientele and collectors and I have the blog and the internet to thank for that.

I also was able to reconnect with a potter, who I knew in passing from Cleveland. At one point in her travels, said potter had the opportunity to meet with my favorite Persian influenced potter, Kato Kenji and she was able to get one of his formula for his unique blue glazes, which she has very kindly passed on to me (Thanks, Jo!).  After I finish my terra cotta run, I'll order some Cone 2 cones and will try my hand at this recipe. I have made up 10 pounds of clay that I used a long time back in Cleveland for a project at about cone 2 and hope to get this tested sometime after Nov. Like everything else, one step at a time and all in good time.

Illustrated is a Persian influenced vase by Kato Kenji (1933-2008). The vase was thrown round and then gently paddled square in form, the foot is carefully carved out to compliment the form. Under the crisp electric blue glaze is a fluid decoration in dark black pigment which takes on a decidedly blue tint as it peaks through to the surface. This particular design is seen on a number of Kato Kenji's works as it was easily adapted to a wide array of forms and works well to animate the surfaces of any given pot.

WAISTED

I like waisted forms, not Spicoli wasted, but pots with a defined narrowing waist. The majority of waisted forms I like are both old and new though the pots by Lucie Rie, Warren Mackenzie, Colin Pearson and the chawan of Tsujimura Shiro are all certainly among my favorites. Over the years I have made a number of waisted forms, mostly based on seeing stones piled one on top of another throughout Japan. These forms seem to harkens back to necessity and a defined purpose which interests me as functional potter. The waist acts as an invitation to the viewer and it is instinctively where the hands go when picking up the pot. The waist also adds a sense of visual tension to the form and creates an area the separates as well as connects the areas above and below. I think it is this tension that really interests me, it is also why I like pots balanced on small or precarious feet, it gets the heart racing for the myriad of possibilities.

Illustrated is a temmoku and haiyu glazed teabowl with a undulating lip, highlighted with amber tones as the glaze ran down the pot. The waist creates a sense of the form being reigned under some imaginary tension. The waist runs around the oval bowl and is finished off with a hand carved oval foot to compliment the form. Waist not, want not.

POST FIRING, FIRING

For the potter Banura Shiro, most times his work had only just started once a piece was glaze fired. After the pot was fired, he would set about adding various overglazes along with gold(kinji), silver (ginji) luster to complete his vision for the piece. Wispy tendrils, moss, autumn foliage, fauna, drifting leaves and a number of other devices decorated his surfaces animating the pots and blending the Rimpa and Nihonga traditions with his Iga sensibilities. Whatever he decided on, it came natural and his use of space on a three-dimensional form brought the piece to life.

Illustrated is a close-up of a Banura Shiro large serving bowl. The bowl is covered first in his well textured black base glaze to which he then has several additional firings to add the pewter like leaves and the gold and silver luster. It is easy to see how rapidly he laid on each and every stroke, without a moment's hesitation as if he had already seen the pot completed in his mind's eye.

ANOTHER CLASSIC; PART TWO

As you approach and study the various works of Furutani Michio, there is absolutely no denying his mastery of clay  as well as that of fire. His intuitive ability firing the anagama is legendary and he wrote a book explaining the process for the whole world to share in his love of the controlled dragon. It appears that the collision of potter, clay and fire was Furutani's destiny and his story is woven into each and every one of his pots.

Illustrated is a detail of an Iga lid from the mizusashi I posted last Monday (9/24/2012). There is a phenomenal pool of wet, luxurious green glassy ash that encircles the lid knob, as though it was perfectly planned. By studying the lid, you can see what direction the pot was facing during the firing and the protruding knob, acted as a sail, catching the fly ash, where it would drip into the lowest spot of the lid, creating this vivid pool. Serendipity? To a certain degree it was, but knowing the pots and firing methods of the potter, it is far safer to say, it was part of his bigger plan for the pots in the fire.

"Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved."  William Jennings Bryan (1860-1925)

LESSON LEARNED

It never fails, the other day while working, I ran out of most of my colors and slips and figured, heck, I'll get to it tomorrow. Well, I forgot to get to it and had no choice but to spend the morning making them up to decorate another group of pots destined for the bisque. Had I not procrastinated, I would have completed at least half again as much as I did get finished. You would think I would have learned my lesson from all the previous times that having put off a tedious chore only to screw up my schedule; this time putting off a bisque for a day. I do wonder if a lesson was learned or I will simply put off till tomorrow, what I surely should have done today.

Illustrated is a group of Abstrakt Resist and Falling Leaves pieces I finished up this afternoon after getting the colors and slip made up. Seventeen pieces finished and only a zillion more to go.

 "Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday."  Don Marquis (b.1935)