UNITY

Lugs, ears, mimi, what have you, have been used to accentuate and decorate pots for almost as long as pots have been made. If you think back to the fantastical and functional lugs of Jomon vessels, the concept has certainly been a part of Japanese pottery from a long while. Lugs on woodfired pots, in particular, help define, unify and accentuate the forms as well as acting to trap ash or create pathways for the ash and flame. For the pots of the various distorted, weathered and rustic pots of Iga, Bizen and Shigaraki the attachments need to compliment the form in attitude, posture and strength which is a bit easier said than done. Like a mediocre foot on a fine chawan, lugs can easily ruin a strong and well fired form; Kermit the frog style arms on a solid, purposeful form comes off as timid and almost feeble, yet this is far more common that one would think. The ultimate goal of such attached clay is to create a complementary anthropomorphic form without appearing superfluous or contrary to the pot.

Illustrated is a strong, wonky Shigaraki style vase with overtones of whimsy and modernism by the master of combining tradition, playfulness and purpose; Suzuki Goro. The wonderful form echoes the human form with undulating neck appearing to be held in place by the strong, arm-like lugs as if Alice in Wonderland had first visited Japan. The parts of this vase all work well to create a form that has a whimsical sense of movement which accentuated by aggressive marks and rich hi-iro and ash. Created by an innate understanding of form, clay and firing, Suzuki recognized the importance of putting together strong elements that cease to be just pieces parts and create unity as a strong and impressive pot.

SQUARE DEAL II

I have seen square form kinuta vases before, mostly older Chinese pieces and late Edo and Meiji Period Japanese examples. The coil built and thrown and altered examples seem to be mostly 20th century as far as I can tell, though I am open to evidence to the contrary. The modern "squared" kinuta are seen frequently, but not exclusively in Hagi and Bizen though in each case the forms differ quite a bit and move as far afield from the archetype as possible, maintaining enough of the characteristics to be recognizable. The illustrated Bizen vase was made by Kaneshige Michiaki in the 1980s. It was thrown and the form squared up using ribs and scrapers to define the geometry of the piece. The creative process is written all over the form where scratches add unintentional decoration to the pot that is completed with hi-iro, ash and bota-mochi areas where flame and ash were denied access. I find the totemic form exceptionally stoic and determined with a purity that is defined by lines and planes that are casual and weathered; the perfect blend of the Momoyama aesthetic and modern design.

BASICS II

In every firing, I try to go back to the basics with a few pots and my medieval green and temmoku combination is just that. Though I am sure some will point out the inconsistency of these pieces as a set, I made the strap handles for the mugs and the pulled round handle for the jug rather intentionally. I am not sure how easy it is to imagine, but this particular jug shape with a strap handle looks quite different than the appearance I was after which is based on an older style pot. The use of this glaze combo is meant to have the old atmosphere of medieval galena glazes as well as its counterpart from Japan seen in Oribe glazes. The goal of both jug and mugs was to be designed with an economy of form, meant to create strictly functional pots that hopefully are as enjoyable to look at as they are to use. I can only hope that if I make another thousand mugs and half that many jugs, I may just satisfy both of my goals.

"A goal is a dream with a deadline."  Napoleon Hill (1883-1970)

BLUE MONDAY XVIII

I know it must seem that I seem to gravitate to the same potters over and over again. Truth is, I have really broad, eccentric and diverse tastes when it comes to pots (music and movies as well) though less so when it comes to food! In terms of pottery with blue glazes, there are actually not that many that I really enjoy beyond the Kawai school gosu, Kato Takuo and Kobei VII, Kato Kenji and a handful of others. It is most likely for this reason that I tend to focus on a select group for these "Blue Monday" posts and this one will be no exception.

Illustrated is a large Raqqa (toruko-ao) influenced blue vase by Kato Kenji. Thrown round and then the mouth formed in to an hexagon, the pot was decorated with his trademark black decoration which has run a bit blue at the lip. The wonderful flared mouth is complimented by small pierced lugs on either side of the vase that along with the geometric patterning help define the form and its graceful stance to near perfection. I am drawn to the skillful throwing, simple lines, well executed decoration and honesty of the pots of Kato Kenji which snake along some imaginary timeline of the Silk Road that has found its way to Japan and become just as much Japanese as Persian in the hands of this thoughtful and enthusiastic practitioner.

I suspect this vase was made in the early 1980's and I thought this tune somewhat appropriate, the1983 classic Blue Monday by New Order.

ALTERING GEOMETRY

Illustrated is another paddled vase flanked with four flat panels. This vase was glazed in a crystal rich kaki and the spirals and the neck of the piece are glazed in a deep black that has oil-spotted over the spirals. The lugs both correspond to the points where the panels intersect and add a bit more to the profile of the vase as well as aiding in animating the posture of the pot. As I already have mentioned, I like making these vases, it allows me to throw a piece and then with a few additional movements create a form that is "out of round". It is this simple act of altering geometry that interests me in these pots and the right decoration ties the flat surfaces back to the original thrown form rather well.

"There is geometry in the humming of strings, there is music in the spacing of spheres." Pythagoras of Samos (570-495BC)

PAINTED WITH FIRE

This Shigaraki kinuta vase is by Furutani Michio whose construction of the pot, placement in the kiln and exceptional firing have created a lyrical pot that is literally "painted with fire". Like the sun rising over some distant mountain range, this mallet vase is all about landscape, literally a painting in three dimensions created by bare tsuchi-aji, natural ash and hi-iro. Furutani is arguably the best potter to use an anagama from both Iga and Shigaraki pottery during the 20th century. His works builds on a medieval tradition and it is his sensitivity to material and fire that has left a body of work that present such phenomenal blend of katachi and keshiki (form and landscape surface). Given the large number of these forms that Furutani has left, he must have had an affinity and comfort with making them with each one proving to be an exercise in form and foresight as to how and where they would be fired. These simple pots present a narrative that is weathered and understated and though created in the chaotic atmosphere of the anagama carry a tranquil and eloquent tone that will inspire for many generations to come.

JAPANESE CERAMICS FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY

If you would have asked me years ago, what goes in to assembling a good collection, it would have been easy to say, "it would be composed of the pots that I like". Over the years of seeing notable collections of modern Japanese ceramics, sometimes the how and why the pieces were collected are obvious, other times it appears the pots were collected for their voice and impact on the collector. The later would seem to be the case when looking through the wonderful collection of Betsy and Robert Feinberg. The emphasis of the collection is non-tea oriented functional pots from the medieval traditions, Chinese inspired pottery and painted porcelain with sculptural, yet functional vessels all represented and in nearly every case, there is a clarity of idea and conversation that has been captured in clay. The pots range from a beautiful collection of celadon pieces by Kawase Shinobu to a number of my personal favorites, including; Kohyama Yasuhisa, Kakurezaki Ryuichi, Matsuzaki Ken, Furutani Michio and Higashida Shigemasa.

The hardbound catalogue for the collection; JAPANESE CERAMICS FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY is profusely illustrated, 208 pages with an accompanying paragraph with each illustration or covering an artist and a must have. There are three essays included in the book by Betsy Feinberg (collector), Joan Mirviss (dealer) and Robert Mintz (curator) that provide both context and purpose to the collection. On loan to The Walters Art Gallery, each pot is an insight in to each of the various ceramic artists and their tradition or direction providing a wonderful conversational narrative that links each piece from maker, to object, to viewer. In retrospect, it is the persistence and dedication of an informed and receptive collector that makes for a truly thoughtful collection.

WAVE LENGTH

Illustrated is a thrown vase where I have paddled the body square to create 4 intersecting planes. Glazed in a slightly tweaked variant of Shaner's Yellow the wave length design was waxed off with a thin iron glaze brushed over to create medallions over each plane of the pot. I enjoy making pots like this, they are easy to throw and by the simple act of paddling, the geometry and feeling of the pot are changed, round is good but as predominantly a thrower, just round can get a bit monotonous at times. This process solves that problem and keeps me and clay on the same wave length.

"The man that will make such an execrable pun as that...will pick my pocket." John Dennis (1657-1734)

ALL BUSINESS

Rustic and hearty with a compelling stance, this well fired Shigaraki guinomi is a visual delight with its undulating lip reminiscent of a far off landscape. The broad foot matches well with the wide open volume of the guinomi, generous in both size and capacity and all business concerning its one purpose. This well fired little gem is by Kon Chiharu who excelled at a style of firing that is synonymous with his master, Tsuji Seimei. Firing in the Shigaraki style and using Shigaraki kiln and clay, Kon is creating works that are infused with the medieval tradition, a modern eloquence and maybe just a small amount of Niigata, where he lives and works. However you wish to define this wood fired guinomi, the definition is not complete without the word, resolute.

USAGI-BLUE

Though firmly rooted in the year of the horse, this wonderful rabbit okimono is worth a look none the less. The rabbit is ever-present in Japanese art as the lunar hare and a number of other depictions and according to the zodiac, one major characteristic of those born in the year of the rabbit is creativity. Made by Sodeisha co-founder and exceptionally creative ceramic artist, Suzuki Osamu (1926-2001), this pale blue seihakuji rabbit is one of a number of zodiac influenced pieces he made sometime after 1969. Though best known for his powerful, abstracted sculptural works, Suzuki left a large number of smaller and very intimate ceramic works which have little to do with function in the strictest sense, though objects of playfulness, enjoyment and contemplation are function enough. This particular piece is patterned after usagi-ningyo dolls that can be found in and around Kyoto, some with drawstring interiors filled with flagrant incense. Made in multiples, these were simple in design, execution and glazing and flawlessly capture a sense of whimsy and spirit of the ubiquitous Japanese rabbit.