SPIRIT

When I first saw this large and bold mizusashi, the sheer sculptural qualities were inescapable though at the same time it had a real organic presence, the spirit, like some weather and water formed stone in a river bed. This imposing Hagi mizusashi was made by Kaneta Masanao using his kurinuki method of starting with a large hunk of clay and methodically hollowing or carving out the form from the inside. Once finished, this mizusashi was glazed over in a Shira-Hagi glaze which in this case has blushed to a pink tone in just all the right spots and the surface has thinned ever so slightly on the high points and areas of sharp, carved line to further define the form and its motion. Though I have seen a lot of Masanao’s mizusashi forms, this one spoke to me, it is conversant at a number of levels and also qualifies somewhat as fantastical and animated in its execution where the tapering form, elegant blushing, rich carved lines and the appearance of what appears to be sprouting wings on either side breathe life into the clay making which on most days would be a great pot and turning it into a true work of wonder where concept, creativity and technique have all conspired for unencumbered success.  

“Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art.”  Leonardo da Vinci

WAY BACK WEDNESDAY

I wonder if way back Wednesday is actually a thing? At any rate here is an older teabowl of mine, the idea is the classic bamboo form that I have worked with for a rather long time which is admittedly an amalgam of a bunch of pieces parts from pottery old and new. What always stood out to me about this rain patterned bowl is the way the iron and Shino glaze interacted and carbon trapped rather heavily leading to a rather unique surface which only occurred on perhaps one in fifty pieces among which this was the best example. Beyond having a smokey and reflective surface, the transitions boundaries between the iron and Shino created a bunch of subtle effects including these wild white spots or crystals. Bare in mind, while I was working on this combination, this was never anything I was trying to create, it was pure serendipity which rarely showed up but when it did, it was a most welcomed hitch-hiker and when it didn’t, I was always just a bit defeated. Glazing, firing and expectations, the trio of exuberance or (slight) disappointment.

SANCAI-HENKO

Illustrated is a rather old photo of a classic Kawai school pot, a sancai-henko by Kawai Hisashi one of Kanjiro’s last pupils. Created in a multi-part press mold, this henko is larger than most of Hisashi’s work and is glazed over in a fine, clear glaze covered in fine crackle crazing. Once glazed, this had three separate glazes splashed or ladled over; one using chrome, one using iron and one using copper. I have seen a number of this form and even several in this sancai style decoration and this remains one of my favorites by Kawai Hisashi.  There is really little else I can say other than this henko would seem to be the perfect collection of Kanjiro styling, simple, spontaneous glazing and a well-conceived and functional form and that is just about all one can ask for let alone expect.

TO HANG OR NOT TO HANG?

Though standing on a shelf, the illustrated Oni-Shino vase is in fact intended as a hanging vase though the small rectangular slot at the top rear is empty and devoid of a bronze hanging ring or piece of coarse hemp rope. As you can see in this sunlit picture, this surface is just alive with varying effects including the rich spotted iron interior that looks alive as you move by the piece. The form just naturally gives you that feeling you are looking at natural bamboo covered over in some other-worldly surface that is just filled with effects that show off the very essence of Tsukigata’s Oni-Shino. As you can see, the majority of the effects on the kakeire are in movement though there are areas of static punctuations where iron has come to the surface and formed crystals of sort. It has been a long while since I have handled this piece and over that time I have wondered if it was never intended to have some metal hanging ring or just a simple knotted piece of rustic rope leading to the bigger question, to hang or not to hang?

DUAL PURPOSE

A while back I was asked to make a set of four cog style bowls that also had lids. This is what I came up with and the thought was they could be used as covered serving pieces, covered bowls or just bowls without their lids, in essence, the near perfect (?) omni-bowls. This group were all about seven inches across for the body with slightly diagonal flutes to create the cog design and finished off in an oribe style glaze composed of three distinct glazes. This one is number five as it is always best to make one extra than be one short and more than likely will be impressed into Thanksgiving Day service. Enjoy your turkey day!

 

MINO-IGA?

This is another one of those, I am not sure I would have gotten there without the box description. My first thought was this was either Shigaraki or a general haikaburi vase but as I mentioned, the box notes that this is in fact, Mino-Iga. The form has that almost classic, utsushi-mono look as if it was some copy of a medieval vase with the deep vertical furrows, throwing marks, rugged lugs terminating in the oft seen bulbous neck/ mouth of a number of Shigaraki and Iga forms.   

This was made by Toki potter, Kato Mitsuhide which if you read my blog, you may remember as the creator of the funky, cool Ki-Seto koro that I have posted previously. Among other Mino styles, the tradition also showcases Mino-Iga where the pot is often woodfired with or without any seed glaze and also has iron accents splashed or trailed across the surface. As you can see, this hanaire is covered over in a rather uniform coating of textured ash with areas which have blackened a bit, breaking up the overall monotone coloration. I guess I am still not 100% sold on the description but I’ll go with, the potter knows best.  

(Hollywood backdrop courtesy of Tsujimura Shiro)

ECLIPSE

Like some museums and other collectors, we rotate our collection based on a schedule my wife has fit into her XCEL spreadsheet and recently this Tsukigata Nahiko Oni-Shino bowl came out for its limited engagement run through early next year. One criterion we have for all pots that come out of their hype sleep is that they have to still have that something special, that jolt as they come out of their storage boxes. Every now and again as the piece emerges, it would seem either we have changed, matured in out collecting and in that case I work to re-home the piece but in this instance, that is the furthest from the truth. Though extremely biased, I am always excited to see this chawan which I could among my absolutely favorite pieces.       

Feeling like seeing an old friend, I spent some time taking a group of new photos including a series of HBD (Hollywood backdrop) photos to get new perspectives of the piece. This photo uses a picture of the moon that I took a couple of years back as a background which adds just enough light and atmosphere to the chawan to give it a whole new look. I apologize for posting up yet another photo of this bowl but like with a number of other pieces, I find myself eager to see what comes up in the rotation. That being said, for me, there is very little that we own that would “eclipse”* this wonky chawan.

(* Eclipse, see what I did there?!)

WAVES

Looking a bit like continuous waves encircling this covered jar and lid, this is another take on combed slipware. In this case, thrown out of stoneware, covered over in a thin black slip before applying bands of white which were combed after waiting about ten minutes or so. I have added the second photo to try to give a feel for the tapering feel of the form which gets narrower as it goes down to the base before swelling out just a bit. Though the technique is positively medieval and older, using stoneware and my own take on the form, I would like to think this has a somewhat timeless-modern look. Long before moving this technique to higher temperatures, I made use at the high end of the terra cotta range. In that case the clay got fiercely red and dark which admittedly, this stoneware lacks the same appeal, most of which is hidden in glaze including the entire lid and into the gallery as well. This is certainly a simple jar and technique but with most slipwares you get a lot of bang for your buck!

KAZE-MON

This is another one of those odd photos taken while being at the right place at the right time. I don’t quite remember the circumstances but I was getting ready to take photos of my pots that came out of the kiln that morning and when I set up the lighting, this is what I got over on the tansu. Illustrated is the very top of a Wakao Toshisada Nezumi-Shino style “wind-gate” (KAZE-MON) casting a giant shadow on the wall. The greyish, textured glaze, the sukashi, pierced triangle and perfect pure white device work hand in hand with the low lighting and shadow to create an interesting photo. I am not quite sure how I ended up with a light and dark shadow against each other but that coupled with the triangular light spot is its own lesson in geometry. I am sure there are photographers out there that can plan all of these elements without so much as a second thought but for me, this may be the actual definition of serendipity.

HBD

Over the last several weeks we have had mostly overcast skies with intermittent direct and unencumbered sunlight which has led me to fall back on my old HBD (Hollywood Back Drop) photos for something other than white backgrounds. In this case a well fired Shigaraki chaire by Minagawa Takashi is accompanied by a hazy moon from earlier this year. The surface of the chaire is wet and clearly shows the rather quick and random fence design incised around most of the form where the natural ash does the rest of the heavy lifting. This piece is on the large side for a chaire but I must admit it is much lighter than I would have ever expected leading me to ask, how did such a thin pot stand up to the ferocity of a such a heavy firing?