tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141571862052056382024-11-01T05:01:34.429-04:00Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939074707659681899noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214157186205205638.post-48584497867894527512014-01-10T23:29:00.002-05:002014-01-10T23:29:28.187-05:00

I will preface this post with the fact that I will be both incredibly vague, and oddly specific, and I hope it comes across as intended.  While I have not acquired any new ceramics wares in quite some time, and I know quite a few of my recent posts have been posts on pieces I've made, and they've all mostly lost the novelty that I made them and it continuously sinks in exactly how bad they

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939074707659681899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214157186205205638.post-21822561061611811312013-10-12T21:15:00.000-04:002013-10-12T21:15:47.010-04:00

This chawan was the large bowl I made in my woodfired ceramics class that was reasonably thin enough to be sipped from.  My other massive bowl which has really cool glazing effects is so thick and heavy, it might better be served as gym equipment than a functional piece.  The longer this Chawan has sat upon the shelf the more and more it called to me, I honestly wish I had some

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939074707659681899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214157186205205638.post-15458472633282863052013-08-02T22:24:00.000-04:002013-08-02T22:24:24.290-04:00

Sorry I have not posted in quite some time, but I decided to write up notes on another piece I made in the Anagama kiln.   Looking at the interior of this wan the only guess I have as to the glaze used is an oribe glaze, but well you tell me. While yes there is a good amount of green inside, there is a heck of a lot of purple.  It honestly reminds me of an odd imitation of a Japanese

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939074707659681899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214157186205205638.post-46269081728843285552013-06-29T22:15:00.001-04:002013-06-29T22:15:05.280-04:00

While my teaware display I still consider far from perfect, I still feel it is quite nicely put together.  But one of the things I really like about my new display set up, which can be seen here.  Is I managed to create a dedicated space and interesting display for my very special pieces of teaware.  While the following picture does not show it, I also have a desk lamp on the other

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939074707659681899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214157186205205638.post-42870051106120222752013-06-23T18:45:00.002-04:002013-06-23T18:45:51.487-04:00

This is a special piece I purchased for my birthday this past May.  Oddly fitting as I had just come from working on a wood fire, that I should buy a piece from a Japanese pottery town known for producing wonderful wood fired pieces.  This piece was certainly woodfired, though it has a very minimal build up of ash, it did however smell like a bonfire for quite awhile after receiving

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939074707659681899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214157186205205638.post-87349486635937761672013-06-16T19:38:00.000-04:002013-06-16T19:38:07.719-04:00

This kyusu is a dream to hold and use.  I have said that I seem to be escalating the quality of the kyusu's a buy each time, and I am really not sure how much higher I can climb even though this was a rather affordable kyusu.   This is a wonderfully light piece of potter with a soft and delicate clay which I honestly say makes me think I am holding air, or really do not have a

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939074707659681899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214157186205205638.post-47356776638440898432013-06-11T20:30:00.000-04:002013-06-11T20:30:29.858-04:00

I can not remember how many years ago it was that a Tsuchinohana Yunomi from Mukuhara Kashun first caught my eye.  Well needless to say, that one was bought before I could save up the money, and I have been watching them in anticipation ever since, finally for my 25th birthday decided to purchase one.   I was asked by someone what caught my eye about this style of piece, and it

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939074707659681899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214157186205205638.post-38116329818872419772013-06-01T15:26:00.000-04:002013-06-01T15:26:04.136-04:00

Kiln placement is certainly an amazing thing.  This being one of my pieces from the latest Ceramics class that I took, and as you will see nearly all the pieces look completely different from one another.  This piece like all the others is unglazed on the outside.  Well actually I lie with this one, on this cup I dipped my finger in the glaze and made a few streaks on the outside

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939074707659681899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214157186205205638.post-55819425550647567892013-05-25T14:49:00.000-04:002013-05-25T14:49:23.946-04:00

This is the first piece I made the was pulled from the anagama kiln from my class at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts that I have used.  I used it two nights in a row, while it is a good size for sencha, it is also an interesting and good shape for Chinese teas as well, though often only filling it a third to half of the way with the way I brew. I actually quite enjoy this piece,

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939074707659681899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214157186205205638.post-88337672323280785722013-04-26T21:45:00.001-04:002013-04-26T21:45:21.545-04:00

Enjoy this video showing off my Karatsu yunomi by Kimita Kaoru.  This video includes narration of myself talking about the piece and what I enjoy the most of this wonderful simple yunomi.

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939074707659681899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214157186205205638.post-91565443176789528762013-04-22T20:07:00.000-04:002013-04-22T20:07:05.070-04:00

I took out my camera and filmed myself talking about my Xu De Jia celadon pieces.  They are at three different levels of staining, and my Chawan is starting to look really cool, I can't wait till the outside looks that way as well. Enjoy!

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939074707659681899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214157186205205638.post-68350590542918485362013-04-09T21:26:00.002-04:002013-04-09T21:26:46.278-04:00

Do not take my word on this cups provenance, heck I barely feel right calling this a porcelain cup, though the clay does appear to have a porcelain character to it.  But it certainly is not the refined pure white, with stylized blue of typical antique Chinese blue and white porcelain. This piece is surprisingly shallow, but feels quite nice while it is being held.  It has that

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939074707659681899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214157186205205638.post-81604209812170025862013-03-22T21:32:00.000-04:002013-03-22T21:32:10.540-04:00

I guess I should attach a footnote on that title.  The attempted tea tray which was going to be a gamble anyway that is in the back, and bone dry, did not survive the night.  I went to pick it up by its edge, and SNAP! I am sure I don't need to tell any tea drinkers on the forum a tea tray is only useful if it can actually hold the water. I have two carved pieces attempting to mimic

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939074707659681899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214157186205205638.post-59055862933413219942013-03-17T17:21:00.000-04:002013-03-17T17:21:07.383-04:00

So I know a few years I wrote a post somewhat denouncing yixing ( I forget if it was on this blog, or my tea blog), but I have slowly waded in, and the pace has made all the difference.  The first rule of Yixing, do not even think about yixing until you have read massive amounts about them, and drank massive amounts of tea so you know where your tastes lie.  Somewhere in there you

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939074707659681899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214157186205205638.post-14863686489598344542013-03-03T20:34:00.000-05:002013-03-03T20:34:59.938-05:00

The amazing thing about networking is sometimes offers come your way that seem too good to pass up, these two pieces are related to such an offer.  Through a tea forum I have had access to conversations with several well respected teaware artisans, one of which gave me the offer that if I could get some pieces bisque fired to send them off to him to be glazed and fired in his wood kiln.&nbsp

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939074707659681899noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214157186205205638.post-71645357499770186482013-03-01T22:13:00.001-05:002013-03-01T22:13:43.784-05:00

It was only a matter of until I started having dreams about ceramics.  In the past week I have had two dreams involving ceramics, one a just weird dream, and the other a nightmare. The first dream while weird because it was surreal in only the way dreams can be, but it involved a ceramics class, but this time it took place in a large warehouse, which I remember wandering around for quite

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939074707659681899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214157186205205638.post-64037745408839557462013-02-22T19:59:00.003-05:002013-02-22T19:59:52.201-05:00

I promised some studio shots, and this post is hopefully the first of several that deliver.    The blobs above are how I first set up my clay to start my pinching and forming of the pieces.  I have been exploring several different shapes, I did not photo graph any pieces that are really close to being ready for the bisque fire.  But I did take some photos of the

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939074707659681899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214157186205205638.post-23231694255885398432013-02-20T18:51:00.003-05:002013-02-20T18:51:37.795-05:00

I shot another video showing off some more of my teaware so you can get a bit of how the piece looks like in sizing, and when it is moving about.  Shibuya Eiichi is a real up an coming Hagi Artist and is the grandson of Shibuya Deishi another Hagi potter whose work I really admire, and use on a regular basis.   Its rather funny as for the longest time every single Shibuya Eiichi

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939074707659681899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214157186205205638.post-10561052403009599202013-02-15T19:38:00.001-05:002013-02-15T19:38:31.960-05:00

There is something amazing about working with clay.  While I am far from proficient at throwing, I have in my ceramics class which is based on firing in an anagama kiln later this spring, been working on hand building pieces.  This is the second clay body I have worked with, and its already teaching me a lot.  I never realized that different clay bodies could act so incredibly

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939074707659681899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214157186205205638.post-36172151170365797522013-02-11T19:01:00.000-05:002013-02-11T19:01:07.826-05:00

This is a piece I have had for quite some time now, it is a massive Yunomi/ wan, but so incredibly enjoyable.  It is tebineri ( pinchwork), and in the Sansai glaze.  I am a huge fan of pinchwork pieces as they are wonderful to feel and hold close in your hands.  Even better is the Sansai glaze is mostly white in color wonderfully showing of the color of the tea. As you can

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939074707659681899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214157186205205638.post-13488077581844516272013-02-02T17:17:00.001-05:002013-02-02T17:17:37.820-05:00

First and foremost I want to apologize for the somewhat sketchy quality of these videos, I will work on improving them, and also test various lighting conditions.  But I am launching a series of You tube videos featuring ceramics, and hopefully feature me brewing various types of tea showing off brewing styles and practices. My first two are up, and they feature some nice Hagi Yaki pottery.

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939074707659681899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214157186205205638.post-3374863087495933612013-01-15T16:09:00.001-05:002013-01-15T16:09:54.864-05:00

In almost any area, once you have done enough reading, browsing, research, etc. you find people who you deeply respect their work.  Kaneta Masanao is one such ceramic artist for myself.  While Hagi-yaki was my first love so to speak in terms of ceramic styles, it is only fitting that one of the artists I had most lusted over is an well respected Hagi artist. In a way not often done

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939074707659681899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214157186205205638.post-75848654633200436382013-01-09T19:56:00.003-05:002013-01-09T19:56:52.394-05:00

This orange wood-fired beauty comes from Shawn over at Greenwood Studio's.  I have two more pieces that were glazed and fired by Shawn but made by myself.   This one though as far as I know was made entirely by Shawn. This picture shows off the wonderful effects in the glaze, but hides the nice form factor, there is actually several "wings" around where the vertical walls meed

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939074707659681899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214157186205205638.post-65605116423492320742012-12-02T12:30:00.002-05:002012-12-02T12:30:42.635-05:00

There is something about Korean teaware that just makes me happy, and this Teapot set from Park Jong Il does not disappoint. A ghostly mix of Blue, White and Grey, with some pinkish purple fawn spots, its wonderfully put together and thought out.   The Cups are small simple and elegant, playing with them in your fingers is a huge tactile adventure going from smooth and glassy to

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939074707659681899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214157186205205638.post-22742119218137967942012-09-09T21:19:00.000-04:002012-09-09T21:19:02.705-04:00

Keep in mind we are talking about the teaboat, the misshapen green thing underneath the teapot. I have had this piece for quite awhile, I really didn't think I was going to post about it, but it has certainly seen enough use, I figure I really should. This is another one of the pieces whose form comes from day 1 of my pottery class this past summer.  It took me awhile to remember exactly

Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08939074707659681899noreply@blogger.com0