It
has been warm here, I know, it's summer and it is warm just about everywhere
but the weather is more like a force
than anything else and the humidity doesn't help especially while I am trying
to get pots to dry. Enter this cool blue and refreshing piece by Ono Kotaro,
the undulating channels which are deeply carved radiate with coolness of the
seiji glaze which breaks to a thin white on the ridges. Like naturally sculpted
ice, the atmosphere of this semi-triangular kensui is highly intoxicating, even mesmerizing in
its simple elegance which I can only imagine is a wonderful addition to a
summer tea ceremony; would its cooling contemplation keep the viewers just a
bit cooler? On a side note, I am rather amazed at how few kensui
actually come my way. I suspect that most collectors gravitate to chawan, then
mizusashi, chaire, tsubo/ hanaire and useable pieces like guinomi, yunomi and
tokkuri before they think about the humble and essential kensui which probably
is as overlooked as futaoki. I can say having seen this Ono Kotaro kensui in
person, it would be very difficult to overlook this piece and even harder to
put it down!
It
is always nice to be busy or at the very least have enough to do to pass the
days by making pots or working in the studio. The last couple of weeks have
been busier than usual and I am not complaining; throwing larger v-bowls, covered serving
bowls, various utilitarian bowls and teabowls and covered jars for a variety of
surfaces in terra cotta. Part of what I am doing is making extras for a new
gallery that will be opening somewhat soon (more info later), I was approached
by the owner and asked if I would like to send some work and have been doing
what I can to get things processed and meet these various commitments.
Illustrated is a group of terra cotta "snowberry" bowls drying among
shelves filled with various other pots and as of tomorrow, I am going to have to
start pushing pots closer together as I tool and finish a group of smaller
functional bowls and teabowl. As more pots get made it becomes more and more
difficult to store and dry the pieces and then find room in the bisque and glaze
fire cleans, it should all get worked out as it boils down to time and simply working
for a living!
Illustrated
is the big blue tsubo that I showed a detail of last week that was made by
Kyoto potter, Furukawa Toshio. Though Furukawa Toshio was very well known for
his various celadon works, he exhibited quite a number of these yuri-hakkin-sai
style pots at various venues which is also the technique that his son, Furukawa
Takuro (b.1979) has become quite well known for. In this case, cut and incised
platinum with gold foil accents are used before the pot is glazed over in this
brilliant blue glaze. This tsubo is rather impressive in person at over
13" tall and 12" across its surface is electric and alive and
depending on the light source it has a variety of hues of color and flashes
reflected light every opportunity it gets. As I mentioned I had a large hachi
by Furukawa here over a year ago, created in the same technique and glaze and
only wish that I could have had both on display if only for a brief moment, I
think it would be quite a spectacle.
Illustrated
is a rather nice, generous yunomi byShino/ Oribe/ Seto-guro specialist, Higashida Shigemasa. Though an early piece
it has many of the classic tell tale signs of Higashida from the obvious Oribe
glaze to the incised and impressed decoration to the crumbly foot that many of
his mizusashi and vases have. This
yunomi really is my cup of tea as it holds quite a bit more than the typical
yunomi and the soft nature of the clay acts as a slight insulator to the heat
of the beverage and also acts to keep cold drinks colder for just a bit longer.
What I can tell you is that despite it being a rather straight forward, even
simple piece what table wouldn't benefit from a set of these yunomi and what
drink wouldn't taste just a bit better coming from such an inspired, handmade
cup?
A
while back I put up a blog post about an Oribe textured teabowl and recently
tried the same surface treatment on a bowl than glazed in temmoku with a thin,
really thin coat of ash glaze over it. The illustration is the results of the
trial which has a rather brooding and ominous appearance though being a bit
more slender than normal and with the very present texture the teabowl is
easily handled with one hand and functions well. Probably the only caveat is
that the texture at the lip clearly registers on the user and though it is not quite
weaponized, it definitely is noticeable and possibly a concern for some users.
Not that my opinion matters but I have long held the belief that once you move
away from the industrial manufacturer and the very conventional the user should
accommodate themselves to the pot and not the other way around. I realize this
is not strictly speaking the definition of function but let's be honest, given
the sheer number of potters and the way they throw, tool, put handles on pots,
make lips, not every pot is going to work for each and every users this is where
some degree of accommodation surely would come in handy. I should also mention
this effect looks a bit harsh in the photo but is less so in person, admittedly
the lightening is not exactly this teabowls best friend.
After
having a chance to study and converse with this yohen-temmoku chawan I spent
some time trying to answer a rather specific question, have I ever seen a Kimura
Morikazu chawan that I didn't like? This chawan has a rather seductive yet simple
form that acts as the perfect canvas for this inviting surface composed of
varying layers and colors like the fabled feather cloak of Japanese mythology. Kimura
Morikazu (b.1922), originally worked in Kyoto but moved to Echizen Prefecture
(1976) where he continued to specialize in iron, temmoku and yuteki glazes, his
career really took off in 1947 as he was chosen to exhibit at a major art
exhibition and since that time he has spent a life time dedicated to the
pursuit of Chinese style iron glazes of which this yohen-temmoku is a nice
example. This chawan underwent the ferocity of being wood fired which adds a
slightly different quality to the glaze and exposed clay, something that is
lacking on most more modern yuteki and yohen style iron glazed pots. What I
really get from this chawan is the deliberateness and purpose of the creation,
glazing and firing of the piece written across the form and surface making for
a timeless aesthetic that is appreciated as much today as the day it was made. "Silence
is one of the great arts of conversation."Marcus Tullius Cicero
Almost
exactly a year ago, I posted up a large yuri-hakkin-sai hachi by Furukawa
Toshio with a deep, rich blue glaze over cut and incised platinum decoration.
Just this week, another large tsubo of the same style, glaze and technique
showed up but under the blue glaze was platinum and gold accents at the center
of each medallion which decorated the form. Like the hachi, this piece was more
than likely made as an exhibition piece though I have nothing to substantiate
my theory other than an exhibition sticker reading no. 11. The use of the
underglaze decoration makes for a rather striking presentation which glimmers
and reflects light at every given opportunity thoroughly complimenting the rather large,sturdy and straight forward
form of the piece. This Furukawa tsubo only just arrived and when I get a
moment, I will more thoroughly document the piece with photos and make a
slideshow video or at the very least provide and overall image to give a
clearer picture of just exactly what we are dealing with here.
Though
I used the finished teabowl in a Youtube video, I thought this composite photo
gave a clear picture regarding the progression of the slip application,
decoration and glazing of one of the squared bowls. In the first photo, the
slip has been applied and finger combed, the second photo shows the pot
decorated using cut paper and wax to apply the black slip and in the last photo
is the finished product. As with most stuff that I do, no rocket science or
heavy lifting was involved, just basic know how and some patience which I have
almost none of. Truthfully, the most difficult part of the teabowl was getting
the bowl firmed up and the lines somewhat reasonable as I can tell you, not
getting the geometry close to right makes for a visual focal point when the
piece is finished fired. I think with these altered geometric pieces I spend
more time fussing to get the lines right than anything else as I have a few
years experience with slip application and getting the decorative devices
worked out. Every now and again my wife
reminds me that I am much more considered and patient than I was when I first
started and though I admit there may be some small measure of truth to this, I
still draw the line at three songs in duration and only if there is copious
amounts of coffee involved.
I have been trying to create various files of digital images I have by both
potter and pottery tradition and came across these old images of a simple kogo
with a somewhat interesting story. What makes this kogo interesting is that it
was discovered by accident while we were visiting the studio of Honiwa Rakunyu
II, while looking at and inside his kiln, we spotted this lone kogo from the
recent firing still on a shelf way off in the distance with wads still
attached. We pointed it out to Honiwa-san and he retrieved it, later knocking
off the wads, putting it in a signed box and then gave it to my wife as a small
gift. I realize these photos are not the best, they date to the very late 90s
using a digital camera my wife borrowed from her work, taken when we lived in
NH if memory serves me correctly. This kogo, along with a number of other kogo,
guinomi and yunomi that we received as gifts were on constant display prior to
our last move and due to the limited space in our current home they are all sequestered
away. It certainly was a nice little display and I am thinking that the nostalgia
of it all is getting the better of me and I might just need to go get these
pieces out again so that we can see them in 3-D again, hopefully Khan will
cooperate.
Sleek,
streamlined and purely functional there is nothing superfluous about this
yunomi by Tsujimura Yui. It is quite clear from looking at this piece that the
potter had a good idea of exactly how it would look after his unique style of
firing in which lots of powdered ash are introduced in to the kiln when it is
at just the right temperature forming a glass like surface on his pots. In this case, the ash has run down the face of
the yunomi creating slight variations in the surface before collecting as a
thick green line at the base of the pot adding more visual interest to the form
which is simplicity personified. The person who sent me this photo uses a
number of his pieces and in this instance, I wonder if the photo was staged or
if the yunomi is just patiently waiting, an invitation to tea? "Nature
is pleased with simplicity. And nature is no dummy." Sir Issac Newton (Photo provided by a European collector)
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