Statement
Pottery is, for me, the constant exploration of new possibilities. Through thirty years of work within the tradition of Japanese pottery techniques, I have found an ever-changing ideal of beauty.
As most potters, I work in a world of earth, water, and fire. It is a basic way of living and working that is becoming a lost art in our modern, busy lives. As a trained production potter, I enjoy the day-to-day tasks of forming clay pieces one after another, “throwing off the hump,” lining them up carefully on boards, turning them over in the evening, and trimming them the next morning with hand-made tools of steel and bamboo.
Pottery cycles, like ocean waves, follow one another in ebb and flow. Clay needs shaping; pieces need trimming; glazes need mixing; kilns need firing. I live within these cycles.
There have been times, as well, in the last thirty years when I have taken a break from pottery—and I have found myself wandering. I have explored other creative media, and I enjoy painting and sculpture. However, I am the most complete with clay spinning in my hands, feeling strength and timeless wisdom flow through myself into this amazing material. There is always a new form to throw, a new design to explore, a different glaze combination to try. I approach the studio each morning with anticipation.
Real beauty appeals to us, asks to be used;
beauty cannot be neglected.
The seeing eye will urge the using hand.
—Soetsu Yanagi The Unknown Craftsman