SOUNDS SIMPLE ENOUGH ON PAPER

Stop me if you have heard this one before, a bellied cylinder is thrown out of porcelain, over a foot tall, then is carefully manipulated creating intersecting plains which are all covered over in a thin coat of white slip and combed to accentuate each surface, well it sounds simple enough on paper. Having had the opportunity to study this piece it is painfully obvious that the potter, Kakutani Hideaki (b.1945) is quite skilled at altering and moving porcelain as each intersecting plain is defined from the interior and I suspect from the exterior prior to having the slip applied. This all making for a rather intriguing vessel with a wonderful array of textures and a beautiful soft blue seihakuji landscape all stemming from an uncomplicated cylinder. Kakutani Hideaki, whose father was Ningen Kokuho for his iron tea kettles, Kakutani Ikkei (Tatsujiro) went on to  study with Kondo Yuzo and Kiyomizu Rokubei VI before setting up his own studio in 1975 and was awarded the Cultural Merit Award from Mie Prefecture for his dedication and preservation of his art form. Born into a household where craft was highly valued and its place in life well understood, Kakutani's work speak of a desire to create functional objects while being ever considerate of the beauty and atmosphere that craft presents to viewer and user alike.

"Strong reasons make strong actions." Wm. Shakespeare (King John)

鬼に金棒

I really like the contradictions in this colorful Oni(no)Kanabo painting by Sato Katsuhiko. The image portrayed is known as an Oni with an iron club which has come to mean a variety of things from ultimate resolve and determination to herculean strength however the oni portrayed doesn't exactly give one the sense of unwavering power and resolve rather he has a look of being a bit undecided and even a bit unsure of himself. It may just be how I perceive the semi-comical nature of this oni based a bit on folk painting and even Otsu-e but Sato has a sly wit and it shows in his painting and even his pottery and their decoration so I am going with the intended contradiction of image and action. At any rate it is a thoroughly enjoyable and vivid image brushed in a quick and bold style that is sure to get your attention. Though it is a bit premature, all I can think to say is; "Oni go out, blessings come in" (Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi! 鬼は外！福は内！") as Setsubun is right around the corner.

AT HOME IN CLEVELAND

I received this photo the other day showing another one of my pots, hard at work at home in Cleveland. This black and white slip jar was made quite some time ago and is flanked by tomatoes and pears while holding its mysterious contents. I have made a lot of jars, jar sets and canisters like this pot with simple white trailed decoration over the deep black slip that I use and in fact it seems like I may have made more slipware then anything else while living in Cleveland at a time when black and white seemed to be at a zenith of its popularity for decorating and accenting the home. The truth is my original foray into slipware was using the black and white slip with non-traditional decoration under amber, burgundy and a green glaze until I decided to make up the base recipe without any colorants and so this slipware began way back when. I suspect there is a lot of this slipware out and about in Cleveland as prior to moving away, I sold about 85% of my pots right out of the studio on Hillbrook in University Heights and at a few Ohio Galleries, including The American Craft Gallery and Gordon Beale & Frank Gallery both down on Larchmere Blvd. It is always rewarding to see old pots in use and hear from satisfied customers who continue to use my pottery day in and day out.

WAITING FOR THE UME BLOSSOMS

A fellow collector or rather someone who is buying pots to use, sent these two photos which I assembled to give both views of the vase. The pot is an all naturally fired Echizan hanaire by Kumano Kuroemon, the type he puts in his blast furnace kiln without any glaze and as you can tell what is visible is the rich purple surface of the pot with areas of running ash, rushing to the bottom as the piece was fired together with an array of wad scars adding to the rustic and powerful landscape. The pot stand guard in front of wind swept pine scroll waiting for the ume blossoms to bloom come spring to fulfill the purpose of this vase. There is another factor to this vase as it was selected by Kumano to appear in the TOH #88 dedicated to his work (and vision) as a potter attesting to the fondness and regard he must have had for this pot. I think it is safe to say that with or without the vivid blossoms, this vase is more than enough to get you through the winter months with something to have a pleasant fireside chat with.

PLANS CHANGE II

A short while back, I made two covered jars each with two lids to possibly perform two specific or different functions and wrote a post about it entitled; PLANS CHANGE. The two pieces came out of the kiln this weekend and after photographing them I decided to build a short video slideshow to give a perspective of the pieces in the round or as close to it as possible, each also shown with their extra lid which allows them to act as koro or incense burners. I think that in the photos you can get a sense of the texture created by the rich glaze and slip and the varying effects of this incarnation of my Oribe glaze. With the pieces I went with a rather crisp, almost formal form down to the tapered foot with cut notches meant to echo the form of the body though in reverse. One close up in particular shows a rather wet, gravity defying roll of glaze that is highlighted by the light source and gives off a glint of the iridescence that copper glazes are capable of. Considering neither was planned and happened solely because I wedged up too much clay, I think I have found a new form to fill those tight spots between their bigger brethren.

ALL THAT GLITTERS IV

Though Shakespeare's line is; "all that glisters (glitters) is not gold", at least in this case it is, superficially. Though not quite like the Maltese falcon, this small sculpture by Tsukigata Nahiko is in fact bronze with a gilding of pure gold over making for a rather opulent and rich looking little piece. Portraying a small shishi balanced and perhaps preforming atop a ball this sculpture is not highly detail, though creatively sculpted to bring the mythical lion dog to life in which you can sense the tension of his balancing act written across its facial expression. The ball is signed by Tsukigata with his Nahiko in English and his engraved mei signature leaving no doubt as to the creator. I have seen a number of bronzes by Tsukigata and have to admit his portrayals of shishi in a variety of poses and purposes, including as a koro, never cease to bring a smile to my face.

"Gold's father is dirt, yet it regards itself as noble." An old proverb

WALKING ON EGGSHELLS

As I have mentioned before, over the years I have come to think of Kimura Ichiro and his work as quintessential Mashiko-yaki from it simple execution, design and glazing to its folksy, utilitarian practicality even when it comes for articles intended for tea ceremony. The posted illustration comes from an old catalogue of Kimura's work and illustrates the honesty and range of his pottery and even though this pot is intended as a mizusashi, it is easy to picture it in an multiplicity of uses from rice storage to holding your cat (or dog) treats. I am impressed by the simplicity of the form made all the more interesting by the crackle glaze that reminds me of eggshell impressed lacquer decoration that has been around for centuries. The surface on these pots is enjoyably tactile with recesses creating fissures which in turn create the wonderful visual landscape of the pot. After you study this pot for a while it is easy to see the influences of his master, Hamada Shoji from the effortless practicality and simplicity of the form to the easy to use classic style knob set a top the recessed lid. The raised bands around the form and mouth of the pot look very much like they are holding the pot together and keeping the volume of the interior from expanding any further; with all of these visual and tactile cues I think there is little else that could have been done to make such a simple mizusashi so thoughtfully interesting.

LOST & FOUND

I was lucky enough to handle and study this wonderful E-Shino chawan by Hayashi Shotaro back in 2012 at which time I took quite a few photos of the piece. As time went on and I was making slideshow videos of pieces I have handled, I made one for this Hayashi chawan and then somehow forgot about it but while cleaning up the computer recently I found this video and several others that I thought I would share from this group of lost and found videos. As for the chawan itself, it was quite large, very powerful and one of the finest I had seen as attested by the fact that it was part of an exhibition that the potter had back in 2011 (?). In my opinion it is one of those near perfect chawan that fits well in the hand and every detail is just right without a single element being out of sorts or asking for a slight correction. I hope the video coveys the chawan to its absolute best and wonder if you will agree with Hayashi's pick to include it in a major exhibition. Enjoy!

PHOTO ENHANCED

I found an old photo of one of my winged covered serving pieces with a large spiral knob recently and the time spent making it and others flooded back as if made yesterday. This one is thrown out of stoneware with a notch cut foot , glazed in Shino and then fired at PSUC  while working with Bill Klock sometime in the late 1990s while I was living in Cleveland. This photo came from a bunch of negatives I recently converted to digital images and the platter was made along with maybe 50 or so pots that were intended for the reduction glaze firing at Plattsburgh State or for Bill's wood kiln and in this case, the piece was dusted with a thin coat of ash prior to firing to enhance the effects. I miss those days of going back to work with Bill at the university and to his studio on the old Jersey Swamp Road, making pots, firing kilns and tending the fire while talking about his time with Bernard Leach and visits to see Michael Cardew. It is amazing that a simple photo can spark a number of memories that are held within, well beyond the image captured.

INVITATION

I put this short video slideshow together to try to capture the presence, attitude and intention of this Shigaraki chawan by master potter, Otani Shiro. Though clearly a very visually pleasing chawan, from my perspective this chawan is all about purpose, the function it was created for, tea. The bowl fits well in the hand, the mouth is smooth and unincumbered by debris, the pool is smooth and wisk friendly and the weight of the piece is just about perfect. The manner in which the bowl was thrown and ever so slightly manipulated to create the soft, rolling lip, curved exterior and the smooth ash covered interior calls to the viewer, an invitation to use. I am not trying to paint this bowl as the perfect chawan, rather it was created using adegree of resolve, broad knowledge of the chanoyu and the utility of an everyday pot; it was crafted with experienced direction and in doing so a rather lyrical bowl was made.