Erosion

With all the rain going on here I gave thought to a little bud vase I bought in Japan. Don't ask me what I paid for it!  It looks absolutely lovely with a small plum blossom in it.

It is a classic example of firing erosion. The clay went into the firing thicker than it came out. The alkaline vapours from the long wood firing eroded the clay to a point on the rim that I could probably shave with this piece. I also love all the grinding that Ryogi Matsumya had to do on the foot of the pot because of the ash build up around the wads. We also have another nice piece of his where a piece of another pot is stuck to the side. Happy accidents, wabi sabi, the art of imperfection whatever you want to call it. I call it surface.

Comments

Cambria Pottery said…
Amazing. I never thought about the thickness of the pieces before and after the havoc wrecked on the clay body during those kind of long firings. But I have never had the opportunity to handle those magnificent pots. Thanks for posting

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