PERFECT PUNCTUATION

Since I have started my blog and even prior to that point, I have been asked by a number of collectors, just what is my fascination with Tsukigata Nahiko? The answer is simple, it is not exactly fascination, it is a bit more of a great appreciation of the work, the forms, the firing and all of the wonderful, even wondrous surfaces. Case in point is this illustrated detail shot of a Tsukigata Oni-Shino chawan, when is the last time you saw such a naturally spectacular surface as on this bowl? Sandwiched between the iron lip and the rusty, red clay this surface is a complex arrangement, much like a well constructed symphony of sight, not sound; the icy crackle, naturally deposited ash punctuated by a cosmic assortment of iron bleeding out through the feldspar glaze creating purple tinged spots painted across the surface. Though I am sure this was not planned, it is the abundance of serendipitous accidents that can be seen in many of Tsukigata's pots that make each one a welcome and appreciated encounter. Seriously, what's not to like?

DAY IN & DAY OUT

Illustrated is a wonderful, small beaked pouring vessel made by Jeff Oestreich that was wax resist decorated with the application of a glaze and then soda fired to create this rich and varied surface. The attention to detail in this piece is exacting from the way the handle is attached, knob created for ease of use and how well the lid fits and sets into the elongated beak are all characteristics of the approach he brings to making pots. Though well thought out and practiced through repetition, Oestreich's pots each possess unique qualities that distinguish one pot from another partly due to the finesse of problem solving on the construction of each pot but also because it is just how he works. Being around Jeff while he made altered teabowls, teapots, pouring vessels, pitchers and large vases gives a glimpse in to how his mind works while he constructs his pots from thrown parts that are squared, cut, folded and darted to create forms that are unique to him. Though this particular pouring vessel is somewhat simple in its construction, getting all of the pieces parts to work well together and present such a unified front is no small feat and one achieved through nearly four decades of working in clay and problem solving day in and day out.

JUST LIGHTEN UP

One could think that the day after our latest Presidential debate that I could be referencing the general mood of the country but as I was carefully schooled by a professor back in college it is best not to discuss politics, sex or religion if you wish to keep friends and not collect enemies and this advice has served me well. The title of the post relates to my 100th lamp that I have made over the course of making pots; it is not a large total but it has its illuminating qualities knowing that in and around Cleveland, Seattle, NY and a few other areas there are people using a pot that I made day in and day out. As a benefit of making pots there is always those moments when my wife or another family member needs soup bowls, mugs or in this case a lamp and I can oblige as best that I can though I draw the line at salt/pepper shakers and ash trays. This lamp was made as a request for my wife using the ishime-ji surface for a "landscapeman" design around the piece and it is finished off with a simple, craft paper style lampshade. It is not a really large lamp and has a 60watt bulb giving off enough light to just lighten up the bedroom from its perch on a 60" tall chest of drawers. Though we eat off many of my mismatched and irregular pots, it is a bit satisfying to make pottery that is intended as a part of the environment and plays a part in our everyday living.

WHAT COMES TO MIND

I was having an email exchange recently regarding modern Hagi pottery, more specifically regarding chawan and what comes to mind immediately for me is the bowl that is illustrated. This picture obviously comes from a book and is of a wonderfully modern, traditional and idiosyncratic chawan by Miwa Kyusetsu XI (Jyusetsu) that typifies modern Hagi to my eye. Though best known for his Oni-Hagi, Shiro-Hagi pottery,  Kyusetsu's more traditional pottery is seen in full expression in this chawan; form, posture, lip, foot and surface show off the array of the best Hagi-yaki characteristics from rich daido clay to blushed, creamy surface with a lip that beckons to the user, "drink, drink deeply for that is my purpose". I know everyone has that specific image that is conjured up when mentioning a particular region, style or tradition but for me, this chawan is quintessential Showa Hagi and what always springs to mind.

"The surface of Hagi Ware is essentially feminine. It has a soft, warm quality and kind of fascination, as though if touched it might attach itself or bewitch you. Even Oni-Hagi Ware with its rough interior has a great calm surface. " Someno Yoshinobu, an extract from the catalogue of the Someno Collection.

B&W CHARGER

I put together a rather short slideshow video of a wonderfully large exhibition charger by Kondo Yutaka. I was lucky enough to have this 18"+ platter here for almost a month and it is both impressive and powerful, it is now with the owner who has a couple of other wonderful Japanese pots that it can commune with. There is little else I can say except enjoy the video.

LUTING

"Luting; the act of attaching and sealing pottery parts or forms together with a clay slurry"

I learned a long while back that when throwing my terra cotta, it is best to make certain vase or bottle forms in two pieces, throwing the body and necks separately. This ends up being infinitely easier that throwing them in one piece where the terra cotta is constantly trying to collapse at every turn of the wheel head. I start out by throwing the bodies first and then measure the apertures and guesstimate what thrown neck form will look best on each piece, the illustration shows a single ware board with three bodies and their corresponding necks which are put together the next day after the pot base is trimmed with an inset foot. Once the pot and neck are put together I generally add some form of lug which connects from the neck to the body and brings some attention to the join and shoulder area. In this particular case, one of the vases will be black and white slipped and the other two will have an abstrakt resist decoration. This particular form works from very small to quite large though these pots will likely end up just shy of 14" when assembled. I can tell you from past experience, there is no music that I have that can make throwing these in one piece an enjoyable experience, thanks goodness to the person who pioneered luting pieces together all those centuries ago.  

GONE YESTERDAY, HERE TODAY

I know it will sound rather cliché but it is funny how things work out. In less than a month, we have collected two pieces that were recently posted on my blog, pieces that my wife and I both thoroughly enjoyed visually and now in person. In the first case the piece, a Hagi chaire was very similar to one posted, it is  nearly a perfect match in surface but of a different but stunning form. The other piece in question, a seiji chawan, we were actually offered the actual piece that I posted on my blog. The back story to the chawan is that a while back a friend in Japan sent me a group of photos of the pot in question which I decided would make for a good blog post and now only weeks later the piece came up for sale and we luckily added it to our collection. These were the first pots we had collected in some time and the chaire has arrived with the chawan arriving shortly; apparently what was gone yesterday is here today, sometimes.

I put together a short video slideshow of a very nice Hagi chaire by Hatano Zenzo. It is similar to the previous one I posted at least in surface and in the original pictures it appeared to have firing/ kiln debris attached to the glaze here and there.  Because of the incredible price and beauty of the piece we went ahead and purchased it and when it arrived the debris was simply static infused styrafoam particles and nothing more. This surface is classic Hatano Zenzo and just beautiful in person, I hope this video gives you a glimpse into what it looks like in person. Enjoy.

"Ownership is the most intimate relationship one can have to objects. Not that they come alive in him, it is he who comes alive in them." Walter Benjamin (1892-1940)

完璧

I'll start out by saying this is obviously not my photo, having found it somewhere on the web some time ago. I stumbled upon it this morning and was just awe-struck by the absolute serene beauty of this tiny pot. Created by celadon expert, Kawase Shinobu, this chaire is about as wonderful a seiji piece that I have ever seen, the glaze, fluting, detailing and lid all work in conjunction with one another to come up with a quiet and resonant perfection (完璧 ). It will sound repititious and cliche to remind one's self that celadon creation is a pursuit of the determined, persistant and patient with a large percentage of work finding its way to the shard piles but despite the odds, Kawase manages to continue to captivate and humble the viewer decade after decade. I have seen a lot of seiji, seihakuji and the various color and textural variations of celadon but very few have the ability to create works that are as celadon to the core as does Kawase Shinobu and this little gem is a perfect example.

"One that desires to excel should endeavor in those things that are in themselves most excellent."  Epictetus

 

 

 

TWO BOWLS

Though I use several commercially available clays, my terra cotta is my own formula as are several other stoneware clays that I use. Recently I have been making up small batches of an iron bearing stoneware, formulated back at CSU and Kent State to use for some of my on going Oribe pieces. Made in batches of about 50 lbs at a time it isn't such a major chore and since I mix it up to a pudding consistency, I then firm it up on plaster and have clay ready to use in about a week so proper planning makes everything work quite a bit better. The real reason I like this clay is that it has a tough quality to it; I can throw it, dry it out, tool it, get it bone dry and in a bisque all in the same day which makes testing much easier and even quicker if I use my test kiln so it is ready to glaze the next day.

I built another short slideshow video of two more impressed texture Oribe bowls using the bisque tile that created the first of this group. The texture is a bit finer but the overall decoration really creates an interesting surface to my eye and helps activate the glaze and a variety of nuances that go along with the use of copper and iron. The two recent teabowls are both tall, full pieces to maximize the texture and glaze with just the right curve to the body and inviting roll to the lip. With each bowl, I get a little bit better leaving only 9998 more to go.

"No matter where you go, there you are."  Buckaroo Banzai

シャープ

 

Though I regret not having had more time to study with and observe Kohyama Yasuhisa working, I am quite grateful to have had the opportunity to watch him prepare clay, wheel throw, coil build, slice earth, load his anagama and the firing process from beginning to end. Together with those experiences, I was also able to see him prepare and pack his pieces for his show at the Museum het Princessehof, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands, create pots for his standard ware firing and partake of his excellent cooking! Truthfully this experience was amazing and was filled with a myriad of details that have colored how I work and who I am as a potter whether it appears so or not.

It is the details of Kohyama-sensei's process that are easy to overlook and pass by as one takes in the whole, but it is the sharp and critical aspects that help define his works from the pots of other potters from Shigaraki and elsewhere in both the making and the firing. Illustrated is a close-up shot of a tsubo-guchi of one of Kohyama Yasuhisa's mentori vases. The way that Kohyama facets leads the clay to be cut crisply and definitively in a rather quick sucession of motions that few others can mimic and are clearly the result of having pioneered this particular approach to faceting and dedicated a lifetime to its perfection. It is these fast cuts that define the pot, from the long and broad facets around the body of a piece to the more intimate and intricate faceting that defines the neck and mouth that once fired allows a build up of a wet, green ash to paint the angular surfaces without obscuring the defined sharpness of the details. Though ever so slightly softened by firing process and ash, the form remains as created by a master who would appear to be gazing in to a crystal ball seeing well into the finished work even while he is still adding coils to a pot that has just started its journey to completion.