BLUE MONDAY X

March 4, 2013, 2:59 pm

≪ Previous: IT'S ABOUT FORM, IT'S ABOUT SPACE

Illustrated is a very large pot by internationally recognized ceramic artist, Morino Taimei (b. 1934). There is a great deal written about Morino across a variety of websites, so I will skip the accolades and focus on the pot. At over 16" tall, it is one of the largest pieces by Morino that I have seen. His choice of decoration, reaching vertically up the pot only adds to the scale and presence of this piece which has the sense of some ancient totemic stele bathed in blue, turquoise and tan tones. Named, CHUO (Listening to the Rain), this vessel won the 1993 Minister of Education Prize at the Nikko-kai Exhibit and a special notation and date inside of the box lid attests to the fact as well. Having seen a great number of pieces by Morino over the years, this particular one will rank as one of the most powerful and memorable contemporary Japanese sculptural vessel that I have encountered.

↧

KOGO

March 6, 2013, 2:59 pm

≫ Next: SUI GENERIS

≪ Previous: BLUE MONDAY X

Illustrated is an Oribe glazed kogo that I made as one of those spur of the moment ideas, an exercise in haste. It was thrown as a closed form, paddled square in form and "crinkle" faceted, then cut to create a top and bottom. Once bisque, it was glazed in a thinner coat of Oribe than usual so that the glaze would not run and glue the pieces together. Despite its thinness, the Oribe still managed to pool at the base of the top and bottom inside the furrows which run around the kogo. These exercises are meant to be all about spontaneity, directness and the least amount of thinking possible. I think this piece took less than 5 minutes to make.

"Though I am always in haste, I am never in a hurry." John Wesley (1703-1791)

↧

SUI GENERIS

March 8, 2013, 4:09 pm

≫ Next: INCOMING VII

≪ Previous: KOGO

Illustrated is a close up of a Shigaraki mentori-tsubo by Kohyama Yasuhisa. Beyond the fact that his work stands unique and apart from most other wood fired pots in Japan and abroad, there is a singular uniqueness in how Kohyama-san fires and builds up ash on his pieces. Having researched and experimented in how he fires and what woods he uses, he is able to build up ash creating a pebblely texture which at times is reminiscent of the nodes which make up rayskin, same-gawa. It is a vivid and evocative texture created quite naturally, through skilled firing and this texture adds dimension to his already unique works. The ash pebbles cling to the work, defining the surfaces only relinquishing their grasp on the crisp and hard edges created through faceting the hardy Shigaraki clay. Though the visual texture is quite wonderful, it also adds to the way light plays with the surface, not to mention how wonderfully tactile the pot is to run your hand, carefully over the pot. Few if any other potter creates pottery with such vivid and timeless texture that harkens ones thoughts back to the age of the ancient Sueki wares. It is a rare and complex texture that is worthy of what modern Shigaraki has to say in the 20th and 21st centuries.

↧

INCOMING VII

March 11, 2013, 3:11 pm

≫ Next: SPOT

≪ Previous: SUI GENERIS

There is an unmistakable elegance and beauty to well done celadon. The wide variety of colors, crackle patterns, kannyu style and depth makes celadon of infinite interest and perpetually conversant with the viewer. There are a number of potters who come to mind when I think about modern Japanese celadon, but few shine as brightly as the versatile and varied, Uraguchi Masayuki (b.1964). Uraguchi is practically a household name when it comes to a plethora of celadon styles, he was fortunate to be the singular student of the late Ningen Kokuho, Miura Koheiji and his works are part Miura, part Okabe Mineo and yet entirely his own thing. His creations of both classic traditionalism and architectonic sculptural vessels has paved his way to a brilliant future and even the potential for one day rising to the heights of his master, Ningen Kokuho.

On Friday, I had a package arrive with two wonderful Uraguchi Masayuki pots, one a classic beishokuji influenced chawan and the other an illustrated rinka style serving bowl, both are exhibition pieces. They were sent here so that I could sell them for their current owner who is continuing to down-size and fine tune his collection but due to a slight family emergency, I have been a bit slow in getting them put up on my Trocadero marketplace. I will add additional description to the two offerings in the coming days.

http://www.trocadero.com/stores/albedo3studio/catalog/query.php

↧

SPOT

March 13, 2013, 2:49 pm

≫ Next: IDUS MARTII

≪ Previous: INCOMING VII

A friend sent this picture, entitled "spot" that I found rather captivating. It is a simple picture of the interior of an Iga bowl of a rich, deep bidoro pool that has accumulated at the lowest point of the piece where the ash built up along the walls and during the firing ran and built up in a centralized point. This natural occurrence is part of why I find both Iga and Shigaraki so fascinating and though this effect can be artificially created, it is rarely done so in such a convincing and serendipitous manner.

"The ignorant man marvels at the exceptional; the wise man marvels at the common; the greatest wonder of all is the regularity of nature." George Dana Boardman (1828-1903)

↧

IDUS MARTII

March 15, 2013, 2:54 pm

≫ Next: MAKING CLAY

≪ Previous: SPOT

"Beware the Ides of March", And so goes the prophecy given to Julius Cesar and yet, he did not pay enough heed to the augury of Spurrina on that fateful day of March 15th, 44BCE. He was assassinated by the group, known as the Liberators, one of whose members was Marcus Brutus a trusted ally and son of a former mistress. For all of his great military genius and political acumen, in the end, it would seem, he did not know whom to trust and who to stand sentinel against, his hubris may have been his undoing.

I would also like to take the opportunity to wish any and all with even the wee bit-o-green in their being, a very Happy St. Patrick's day (3/17/20)!

↧

MAKING CLAY

March 18, 2013, 3:00 pm

≫ Next: ACALA

≪ Previous: IDUS MARTII

It gets very easy relying on clay, fresh out of the box, be it terra cotta, stoneware or porcelain. In the case of my terra cotta, I have it made for me by the clay professionals at Standard Ceramics in Pittsburgh. Over the years I have made my fair share of clay including up to 600 pounds a day while I was the tech assistant at Cleveland State. Since then, though most of my clay is prepared clays, I have continued to make up small batches of varying clays for a variety of uses and specific needs. The process I use is quite simple; I measure out the ingredients in a 5 gallon bucket, mix it thoroughly into a slurry consistency, pour it out on plaster to firm up and finish up the process by vigorous wedging. All in all, not a terribly difficult undertaking as long as I keep it under 25 pounds or so.

Last summer I made up a clay body that I wanted to fire slightly darker than the normal stoneware I work with for use with a new Oribe glaze I was testing. The darker body with more iron, tempers the green and makes for a richer looking surface. I fired several bowls from this clay and glaze combo and promptly sold all of them. About a month or so after selling one of the bowls, I was asked if I could make a mate to one of them and much to my chagrin, I realized, I had misplaced the test notes. I only recently found the notes to that particular conundrum and made up 20lbs of the clay and more of the Oribe as well. In a week or so, I should see if the pieces come out as they did before. I say this because I have taken explicit notes before and when trying to reproduce the results, the pots were just not the same. Most likely some variable that I over looked, but sometimes, inexplicably, the results are just not possible to reproduce, kismet maybe?

↧

ACALA

March 20, 2013, 2:55 pm

≫ Next: KAWAI STYLE

≪ Previous: MAKING CLAY

Illustrated is an eccentric chawan potted/painted by the modern artist, Sato Katsuhiko (b.1940). Though best known for his 2-D art work, Sato is multi-talented across a wide array of pursuits; paintings, calligraphy, lacquer, pottery, glass and others, he imposes his will and vision into each medium he works with. This chawan was loosely thrown and then decorated in iron with the design of Fudo-myoo, the Immovable also known as Acala. Sato is internationally recognized for his images of Fudo-myoo, among others, and he has fit this decoration well within the circular confines of the teabowl with temmoku glaze accents on either side of the piece. Though Sato paints on a large number of premade bisque pottery, both commercially and studio created, this chawan was thrown by Katsuhiko and the manner in which the bowl was thrown, more than adequately compliments his fast and folk style painting which he is so well known for.

↧

KAWAI STYLE

March 22, 2013, 2:46 pm

≫ Next: MAKING CLAY UPDATE

≪ Previous: ACALA

There are times when Kawai Kanjiro and his students create pieces that are as much about the truth of form as anything else. When these pieces are simply glazed with minimal decoration they speak about the essence and basics of pottery that is the Kawai tradition. Perhaps it was his long exposure and proximity to the master, but the works of Kawai Takeichi best carry on the tradition of Kanjiro without being copies or clones of his teacher. Illustrated is a well proportioned chawan by Kawai Takeichi; the bowl sits wonderfully perched atop a characteristic Kawai school foot. The classic form is decorated in a rich, yet simple banding of a tessha iron glaze which has run ever so slightly adding movement and interest to the form. It is a simple bowl made of simple clay and with simple decoration but the reality is that it is anything but simple and presents the Kawai style at its very core.

↧

MAKING CLAY UPDATE

March 25, 2013, 2:45 pm

≫ Next: INSIGHT

≪ Previous: KAWAI STYLE

I fired off the glaze kiln last week which included a group of pots thrown from the clay I made up which I am calling CBSW5050. The majority of pots in this clay were teabowls and yunomi and most of which were fired using the latest version of Oribe (Oh9-12) glaze that I am using. Illustrated is one of the variants from the group, paddled and with poured slip under the Oribe glaze. I am constantly tinkering with various base glazes and oxide/carbonate additions to get as many tones and textures of Oribe as possible. I am happy with these particular results and will continue to push the boundaries of the combinations and effects that it may produce.

If interested, you can see more photos of this chawan and a yunomi glazed in this manner over on my Trocadero marketplace;

http://www.trocadero.com/stores/albedo3studio/catalog/query.php

↧

INSIGHT

March 27, 2013, 2:53 pm

≫ Next: FOUR SEASONS

≪ Previous: MAKING CLAY UPDATE

I have always know potters to both curious and insightful and having very diverse experiences and approaches to both clay and life. It is very rewarding to be able to glimpse into the experiences and insights of another potter, especially one who is both a great potter and exceptional teacher. Chris Staley, as Penn State Laureate, has put out a series of videos on various topics that navigate around the world of both art and clay that provide a unique look into how an artist in clay thinks as well as acts. To date, there is quite a few of these videos that can be seen by perusing the attached link and all are more than worth the time spent watching them and ;

http://www.youtube.com/user/ArtsandArch/videos

↧

FOUR SEASONS

March 29, 2013, 3:01 pm

≫ Next: KOKORO CHAWAN

≪ Previous: INSIGHT

The weather has finally changed here and it would seem that spring has finally sprung. For the past three weeks, the Canadian geese have been flying north, in small groups early on and through some blinding snow storms, but now there are huge flocks, numbering into the thousands. Given this past winter, I will not be at all sorry to see spring take hold in the Mohawk Valley; it will be good to see green everywhere. After all, who doesn't like green?

A friend recently sent me a jpeg of another Sato Katsuhiko pottery piece. This one not thrown by Sato, is decorated on a white slipped body and decorated in iron at the center in his ever familiar design of Jizo-bosatsu. The hachi is then flanked by four bold and rich kanji; FUYU, NATSU, HARU and AKI, the ideograms for winter, spring, summer and fall; the four seasons. I am a huge fan of Sato's painted works, they are playful and direct, spontaneous and insightful and immediately put me in mind of the cycle of seasons which he has captured in such sparse and lyrical decoration.

↧

KOKORO CHAWAN

April 1, 2013, 2:41 pm

≫ Next: SEEING IS BELIEVING

≪ Previous: FOUR SEASONS

I enjoy the occasional snippets found in TV and movies regarding pottery making. In Japan, the craft is explored in a wide array of jidai-geki, chambara and normal TV programming as pottery is considered a noble and essential pursuit to the Japanese. This short video, from SHIN-ZATOICHI, a TV show that is about a blind traveling masseur, who is also a notorious swordsman and yakuza member is just such a moment where Zatoichi has decided he wishes to learn to make pottery chawan. The back story revolves around Zatoichi, over hearing a transaction in which a contemporary chawan (circa 1850's) is sold for ju-ryo (10 pieces of gold) and exorbitant sum, hence the interest in making chawan. It is worth a watch for the blend of humor and sentiment between Zatoichi, a student and the master. Enjoy!

↧

SEEING IS BELIEVING

April 3, 2013, 3:01 pm

≫ Next: TOOLED ECONOMY

≪ Previous: KOKORO CHAWAN

Having studied chawan for a good number of years, it has become very clear how easy it is to ruin a chawan with a less than well addressed foot. How is it that a potter can form the bowl and glaze it to near perfection and neglect the foot? I am sure you have all seen a nice bowl form, with a very nice surface and flip the chawan over only to see a weak or somewhat perfunctory foot cut in haste and without any sense of complimenting the form or establishing its any style. I am always quick to say, nothing ruins a good bowl faster than a bad foot.I have noticed some feet and the transition to the body of the chawan are abruptly stiff, without any lift of the form or grace to the line. It is more than a bit hard to describe good from bad, seeing examples in hand is the best teacher, but modern potters like Arakawa Toyozo, Tsuji Seimei, Furutani Michio and Hori Ichiro, among others create very fine kodai, realizing the foot is far more than a place to simply set the bowl on.

Illustrated is the kodai of a chawan by master potter, Ningen Kokuho; Arakawa Toyozo. The direct and swift cutting of the foot can be clearly seen in the delft cuts made using a bamboo knife practiced and perfected over a lifetime of making pottery. There are few better than Arakawa when it comes to cutting a complimentary kodai on almost any form.

"Striving to better, oft we mar what's well." Wm. Shakespeare (1556-1616)

↧

TOOLED ECONOMY

April 5, 2013, 4:21 pm

≫ Next: MOKU-TSUBO

≪ Previous: SEEING IS BELIEVING

Illustrated is an extremely effective and simple foot on a chawan by Sugimoto Sadamitsu (b. 1935). Though at first glance, it could seem this foot was cut in haste, the well conceived kodai compliments the cylindrical form of the chawan very well. In fact, everything about the form of this pot speaks to a tremendous economy of thought, process and execution like many of its medieval antecedents. The bowl has been created in a style that has stripped away any superfluous additions to allow the purity of form and clay to interact with the will and determination of the firing. Best known for his woodfired Shigaraki and Iga wares, Sugimoto is also a master at producing Raku chawan of sublime and beautiful simplicity, another style that relies of the simplicity of form, glaze and firing to create subtle yet effective master works. Though this foot is the model of efficiency, I cannot imagine any additions or subtractions that would improve upon what appears to be a perfect kodai for this chawan.

↧

MOKU-TSUBO

April 8, 2013, 2:56 pm

≫ Next: MUKOZUKE

≪ Previous: TOOLED ECONOMY

Illustrated is a very stark and bold panel with the single kanji for TSUBO carved into the wood and then covered in what appears to be a pure white gofun (glue and powdered oyster shell) that is painted into the carved recess of the character. The tsubo kanji is flanked on the lower left by a carved seal painted in red which complements the panel rather nicely. Though not carved by Kato Tokuro, he provided a calligraphy sheet which was then transferred on to the panel and carved by a professional wood carver. The rear is attested in ink by the carver that Kato Tokuro created the original art work for this panel. Having seen a number of calligraphies by Kato Tokuro, the carver has done a wonderful job capturing the attitude, posture and sincerity of the potter/calligrapher at his best. All in all, a wonderful panel that would look marvelous guarding over a tsubo in almost any setting.

↧

MUKOZUKE

April 10, 2013, 2:51 pm

≫ Next: KILN CHANGE

≪ Previous: MOKU-TSUBO

Illustrated is a rather involved set of Ki-Seto mukozuke by Iga potter Banura Shiro. Made to imitate teoke, handled buckets, each mukozuke has a thin coat of glaze that accentuates the form, simple incised decoration and is accented with copper. The glaze has run slightly, helping to emphasize the height of each piece and animating the rather strict, almost formal forms. One can just imagine them dominating a table, almost standing guard among an array of small plates, bowls and cups on a table. Though rather conventional in execution, Banura has made this form his own through his simple execution of the idea, design and surface decoration; the loose manner in which the lip is cut on the interior is a wonderful counterpoint to the lines of the exterior of the pieces and breaks up the forms in a way that Banura Shiro is quite adept at managing. In the end, these mukozuke have been transformed from formal to playful with little more that a knife cut and a quick dip in a bucket of glaze.

↧

KILN CHANGE

April 12, 2013, 2:41 pm

≫ Next: BLUE MONDAY XI

≪ Previous: MUKOZUKE

One of the fascinating aspects to firing work is the concept of yohen, or kiln change work. In the past I have played with a number of glazes that would change during a firing provided certain anomalies were present. In fact, my first kiln change experience was back at CSU when I was working with a tin based white glaze. At the time I was making pots that were influenced by both Delft ware and blue & white sometsuke pottery. In one firing I ended up decorating the glaze with a chrome based wash and when the pots came out of the kiln, they were chrome/tin pink. It was rather startling as the other pots were stark white and these select pieces were entirely mauve to pink in color with almost crimson tones where the brushwork was. I made a number of teapots, cups/saucer sets, covered jars, bowls and plates and decided to see how uniform I could get the surfaces of the pots. These firings were not so much about getting a desired color, but rather seeing the extent of homogeneity that could be experienced in the surfaces as well as proving out some of the theory from Cullen W. Parmelee. It was an excellent first exposure to getting things to alter dramatically in a kiln and the next experiments were all about altering Shino and copper red glazes.

Illustrated is a set of cups and saucers glazed in a tin based white glaze and then decorated with a chrome wash. Once fired they transmute from white to this mauve-pink toned surface without any help from Calvin & Hobbs. I believe this set was made in 1993.

↧

BLUE MONDAY XI

April 15, 2013, 3:01 pm

≫ Next: CANDID

≪ Previous: KILN CHANGE

You don't necessarily have to like blue glazes to appreciate the wonderful nature of this pot. Aside from the magnificent Persian blue glaze, it is the intricate, yet lyrical and casual brushwork of Kato Takuo that makes this piece so captivating. Though eminently modern in creation, Kato has captured a timeless essence in the decoration of the pot which finds its inspiration from old Persian pottery with the flowing, intricate border acting as a frame for the two figures and foliage on the interior of the bowl. The piece ends up as regal as the two princes that the pot depicts and is irrefutably a work of a potter in command of not only his brushwork, but his glazing and firing as well.

↧

CANDID

April 17, 2013, 3:14 pm

≫ Next: KAKU-KINUTA

≪ Previous: BLUE MONDAY XI

A while back, I was fortunate to handle a rather nice Shigaraki mizusashi by the late Furutani Michio and like many pots, it has found its new home. The form, illustrated in this candid shot, was coil and thrown and is a classic style pot by a potter who had an innate sense which blended clay, form and firing to create a pot that was meant to be wood fired. In this case, the form, like a pair of stacked stones faced the fire and stood up to the fury of the flame and charcoal which painted the face in a variety of ash effects. The lugs toward the top of the pot and a few delft makes created while the wheel was spinning, add gesture and articulate the piece while the large knob on the lid beckons the viewer to pick it up. It is easy for me to get carried away looking at a pot by Furutani, he made it very easy to do so.

Though Furutani Michio did not lack for any skilled and insightful effort, when I look at his work, this quote often springs to mind; "Experience shows that success is due less to effort than to zeal. The winner is he who gives himself to his work, body and soul." Charles Buxton (1823-1871)

↧

Latest Images