Crossing Seas with Charles

Not much time for a big update. Tomorrow is my busy day of lessons, and I've cookies to finish baking for the English Club's surprise party for our president. I got news this week that my first international customer had successfully received his sake set. Chuck and I went to The College of Wooster together, although he was a year ahead of me.

I spent my first night ever at Wooster under the watchful eyes of he and his friends (have to credit David Wigger with being my official overnight host turned greatest of friends). In a way, the times I had with these fine gentlemen led to Wooster being my final choice. So, naturally when he sent me an e-mail asking if he could order a sake set I jumped all over it like a bear on honeycomb. Chuck forwarded me some pictures of the set in use with another mutual friend of ours Rob.

Chuck I hope the set brings you great joy! As for the rest of you I'm hoping to step back into the studio this week and finish up the bowls I threw last week as well as start on some more forms to help shake my hands back to their former selves. Have a great week folks. We'll see you on Thursday.

Back to Basics

Of all the beautiful places I've frequented in my time in Japan this view is the one where I continue to find the most peace. With the wheel before me, my neon orange apron on, and my hands submerged in a slurry of earth and water. It is such a great space. Finally had a productive day in the studio after my long vacation. Threw 12 pots of those 12 you can see the 5 that made the final cut. I'm sticking with very basic bowl forms until I've fully shaken my finger's coating of rust from these joints. It's just good to be back and working at it again. I also managed to dry and wedge about 2 or 3 kilograms of reclaim clay, and prepped the studio for the pottery class tomorrow afternoon. We'll see you all on Monday! Have a great weekend, and go out and make something! This guy watched me work all afternoon. I couldn't resist posting a photo of him.

Reboot and the Father of Inspiration

The nights are finally starting to cool from subtropical sauna to mildly warm, and I'm reflecting on a blissful but busy summer of old friends and new, travels, and adventures. I've been gone for so long it seems my hands have even developed a mild coating of rust that must be shaken off to return to making the pots I would like to be making. The coating of rust about my joints should perhaps more accurately be likened to build up of dust and grime from miles traveled because in just a short sumer I've managed to go all up and down the coast of Kochi, to Tokyo and back, up mount Fuji in the dead of night only to see the sun rise in radiant yellows and reds from it's peak. BUT! you're here to read about mud and fire.

In my various travels I managed to two absolutely lovely potter exhibits. The first was a small exhibit at the Kochi City Art Museum dedicated to functional local potters. The glazes were simple, and the work a bit heavy at times, but the I will always love any exhibit that includes a table of artists work you are allowed to touch. Picking up a piece adds so much to my appreciation of it. When I turn it over to inspect the foot and feel the weight of it's walls in my hands I feel a more direct connection to the maker. So that was a very nice touch to add into the exhibit.

And then there is the real star of this summer's ceramics findings. I went to the Japan Folk Crafts Museum, mingeikan, to see an exhibition of Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada's work. It was just a such an experience. Their works were all displayed on simple hand made furniture, and the colors, brush work, and power their pots held for me was an almost indescribable sensation. Leach's writings on pottery are borderline biblical in my minds eye. To see them in Japan was simple fantastic. The unfortunate thing about museums is that you can almost never photograph the collections. To carry his imagines to you I brought home a beautiful book of his work. I have a host of new ideas and goals, one of which is to return to sketching and drawing. Leach's brushwork and designs (specifically his animals and trees) just stuck with me as I never thought a plate with a ram or bird would. I've never even especially enjoyed ceramics with actual imagery on it. I'm much more attracted to patterns, splashes of color, fire marks, and in general things that seem a bit like fantastically controlled chaos, OCD, or nature working through man's guidance. BUT Leach's imagery and brush work hit a chord with me, and I think the only way to work on those skills is to try them. So, ready yourselves for some clumsily brushed pots in my future as I embark on a new adventure. Unfortunately, the exhibit has come and gone, but the Mingeikan is a truly inspirational museum, and I can't recommend paying it a visit with enough enthusiasm. 

And for all those fantastic things it seems there had to be a bit of an evening of the old karmic scales. 

We are gathered here today friends, to bid farewell to a personal favorite of my personal collection. It was a mistake turned into a wonderful work. It has a rim of charred copper about it's foot that gave it something far different than any of my other pots. It ruined a kiln shelf, and was one of the first pots I glazed with my current favorite iron red. It slipped from my hands whilst doing dishes Saturday morning, and I am still in mourning for it's loss.

I'm quite busy this week with the return of teaching and normal classes, but I'm really going to push to get into the studio and shake this caking rust off from my joint.

Glad to be back!

QUICK!

Filled some coffee mug orders last night! Hopefully the new owners are enjoying a fresh pot from them this morning. The new forms I managed to turn out are up above. Today's the last day of prep for my friends visit and all the other big travels, presentations, and STUFF that has kept me nice and distracted from working in the studio. Sorry for the lack of new stuff. 

A Brief Return

 I'm back for this week with a whirl of preparations
for the up coming new JET orientation in Kochi City,
the arrival of my dear friend Marcus Liotta this Saturday, and fevered attempts at cramming in some studio time. Managed to make some new rice bowls today. The only nice thing about the summer heat is that it allows me to throw forms in the morning, dry them through the day, and trim them in the late afternoon. Hopefully the new work will be photographed and uploaded by Thursday for your viewing pleasure. Sorry about the busy summer time table, but we'll do the best we can!
                                                          It's all for the love of clay!

This station is non operational

This piece still needs a tittle. Now accepting ideas! Please post them in the comments section! 

One and a half days more of work, a night bus which promises to be far longer than I care to think on, and a good bit of line standing and I'll be ready for three days of mountains and rock my face off music.  I am headed for Fuji Rock which will  culminate with me seeing a band I have loved since I was at Hamilton Jr. High, but thought I would never have a chance to see because they broke up, BUT THEY'RE back and I can't wait to see them, and all the other bands. 

See ya'll next Thursday! 

Isogashi [busy]

This week went in a flash, and yielded no studio time. That means ceramic dreams and more photos from the last firing. Perhaps next week will be a more giving in free time. Off to English Camp for three days. Have a great weekend!