AM I BLUE (FUDO)

Illustrated is a blend of ferocity and whimsy as only Sato Katsuhiko is capable. Painting in soft water colors and ink and depicting the Blue Fudo's menacing ire, strength and imposing nature the image and message is meant to compel or force individuals to adhere to the teachings of Buddha. Fudo-myoo (the Immovable Wisdom King), Acala in Sanskrit is a common theme of Katsauhiko's paintings and is rendered in a wide array of stances, colors and themes in his body of work. I am particularly fond of the fiery red ken, sword and the indigo blue hair which adds a wonderful focal point to the image. Among the work of Sato Katsuhiko, it is his evolving and dynamic imagery of Fudo-myoo that best captures the dichotomy of Buddhism; redemption and retribution.

LIVE OR MEMOREX?

In a previous post, I mentioned how Miyamoto Musashi understood the importance of studying master artists and craftsman across a wide array of pursuits in his pursuit of the perfection of his craft. There is something magical about watching a person who appears to have total mastery over their art/craft. The simplicity of their actions and spontaneity of the creation is both envious and intoxicating. Watching a master potter, like Suzuki Goro, either in person or on video (well dvd) is mesmerizing and seeing a chawan or mizusashi spring out of a lump of clay in an instant is  nothing short of an accomplished magic trick. The image grab from a dvd on Suzuki Goro shows him at the end of throwing a chawan, which may have taken a minute or so, sprung to life out of a lump of wonderful mokusa clay. It may well sound naïve or childish, but there is true wonderment when witnessing a master at work, irrespective of the art, craft or field.

Juan Hermosillo at work and at home;

 

 

DOORSTEP

A pot arrived on the doorstep today and oddly enough, it was by a potter that I really didn't think I would see another pot by for a very long time, Kajiura Soshu (b.1916-?). The boxed pot is a vivid little mizusashi that was glazed in iron and Shino and then violently fired in a wood kiln where tons of ash rained down on to the pot and encapsulated the entire form in glass. The form itself, is exceedingly casual and its attitude a bit aloof with firing cracks and a drooping lip and bidoro drips adding to the ambiance of the piece. One of the immediate charms of the pot is that where the Shino and ash have fused together, it has created a luminance jade green surface coating the pot both outside and in. I have put this pot up on Trocadero, so there will be more pictures to look at if you are so inclined;

http://www.trocadero.com/albedo3studio/items/1251356/item1251356store.html

I wrote about my quest to identify this potter in a previous post, please click the link for a reminder;

http://albedo3studio.blogspot.com/2011/10/elementary.html

 

THIS MEMORIAL DAY

I would like to take a moment to thank all those who have and are serving our country, across many wars, conflicts and police actions who maintain the security and interests of our nation and our hard won freedoms. Without those willing to make such sacrifice, our way of life would be ever in jeopardy.

"He is most free from danger, who even when safe, is on his guard." Publilius Syrus (First Century B.C.)

HONTO

There is a lot one can say about Funaki Kenji (b.1927) from idealist to a staple in the Mingei tradition. Unlike most of the post-war potters, Kenji embraced the teaching of both Bernard Leach and Yanagi Soetsu and in doing so fused together a distinctly Japanese sensibility with hints of Old English pottery and his personal mingei journey. This journey started under the tutelage of both Leach and his father, Funaki Michitada (1900-1963) creating a foundation for a dedicated mingei style. Working on the shoulders of the Fujina tradition and the Fujina-gama, founded in 1845, Funaki Kenji has crafted work that is direct, honest and aesthetically pleasing. His forms and glazes maintain a balance of function and practical utility but the simplicity of his pottery is betrayed by the luminescence and depth of the surfaces married well to strong and noble pots. Illustrated is a rather utilitarian covered jar, at its core a pot for everyday use, but examine the various details, the handles and knob are both practical and aesthetic considerations, the volume and decorative accents animates the verticality of the pot and rich, lustrous glazes encapsulate the piece to bring it all together and to life. It is a functional pot for everyday use, but the truth of the pot is, it is so much more.

"The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple." Oscar Wilde

AMALGAM

When I made this cap jar, I am not sure what I was after; I was playing a compilation cd of various Jarre & Vangelis tunes while throwing jars and this is what happened. Now finished, I can see an amalgam of various influences that I am sure I was not conscious of, or consciously pursuing at that time. All that I see, enters the mental blender and stuff just pours out in various combinations. Glazed in a rich temmoku, the impressed decoration has an ash glaze put over to accentuate the area and help define the pot. The lid has several steps, intentionally cut to create glaze breaks and the foot notched cut to break up the continuity of the lines. It is a simple jar that is a product of so many influences reassembled in a particular way that makes it my pot.

"Experience increases our wisdom but doesn't reduce our follies."  Josh Billings (Henry Wheeler Shaw 1818-1885) 

KON-JI

If you follow my blog or are just a casual reader, you may have noticed that I am also keenly interested in Japanese calligraphy. From scroll, shikishi, panels and what have you, all the way to the expressive calligraphy on pottery boxes, ink can provide insights into the artist or potters nature. There are a large number of potters who lend their artistic calligraphy to their hako-gaki but there are three who always spring to mind as being idiosyncratic and somewhat eccentric; Ishii Takahiro, Kumano Kuroemon and Shigaraki potter, Kon Chiharu. Over the years, the calligraphy of Kon Chiharu has become more personal and dynamic and the illustrated box lid is a good example of his ink from the mid-1990s. The playful nature of the ink is immediately recognizable as the hako-gaki of Kon and simply reads, from right to left; SHIGARAKI CHAIRE. The brushwork, both expressive and dynamic is economical in nature and in many respects relates to his pottery which is always presented without any superfluous addenda yet thoroughly energetic. Working out of Niigata, Kon Chiharu creates using ink and clay to reflect both his true nature and that of the tradition which he pursues.

(I apologize for the bad pun used in the title, it just seemed apropos.)

B&W

As much as I seem to complain working in terra cotta, there are few other clays that have the same feeling or sensibility in the wedging, throwing or trimming. It is a singularly unique clay and the range of firing allows wonderful opportunities in relation to brilliant color development and rich slip work. During my cycles dedicated to terra cotta, a large portion of the work ends up being black & white slipware. Though based on a historic tradition and even design devices, I am constantly trying to incorporate the "now" into the pots and hope that comes through in the finished pottery. Illustrated is a larger teapot and a larger platter decorated in black and white slips. The teapot is decorated in an all over slashes repeat pattern and the platter with repeated spiral designs. The spiral is one of my favorite devices and probably one of the oldest designs on earth representing a wide array of symbolic meanings among almost all cultures on Earth. I am not sure that there can be a more simple design that is imbued with such an infinity number of possible interpretations.

ROADSIDE HENKO

Illustrated is a slab and coil built Shigaraki henko by veteran potter, Furutani Churoku IV (b.1922). The vivid green glass and wadding scars together with the texture created when the piece was constructed create a wonderfully rich landscape and surface that brings the pot to life. The vertical form is a creative play on the slab henko most often associated with Furutani Michio, but these hand built forms pre-date both potters. Churoku IV, Furutanai Hiromu, is the fourth generation to work in Shigaraki and he was trained by his father and took the Churoku name in 1976. His works have been exhibited both regionally and across Japan as well as in England and Germany and he is best known for his traditional pursuit of tea ceramics, chadogu, as well as making tsubo based on old Shigaraki tea storage jars. Furutani Churoku is a must stop if you are in the Shigaraki vicinity where you can see a wide array of his pottery including his evocative hi-iro style pots which he is also well known for. Glistening like a lichen covered roadside Jizo stone statue after a rain storm, this henko makes me think of the highways which passed through Shigaraki Valley from a time long passed.

BLUE MONDAY XX REVISITED

I had several people email and ask to see a picture of the blue ash tsubo by Takeuchi Kimiaki, so here it is. Softly thrown, this classic pot has a wonderful surface created by both applied ash and natural ash acquired during the wood firing. The long and running tendrils of the ash glaze give the tsubo and impression of height despite being under a foot tall. Probably the most amazing aspect of this pot is that the glaze, very much like an opal, changes appearance rather dramatically depending on the light source. In low, dusky light, it has a somber, even brooding appearance in in bright light it has a rather festive attitude. The works of Takeuchi Kimiaki never cease to amaze me and I can hardly wait for my next encounter.