Friday, January 30, 2015

More Works : Bowls by Stephen Rodriguez


Large bowls by Stephen Rodriguez, the artist of the vases we showed yesterday.
From small serving size to huge decorative/functional bowls.
Each one has dynamic brush texture and glazing.
We have more works, come and check widely variety of his works.


Large Shallow Bowl
Shino + Ash Glaze
φ17" x H4" $400





Large Brushed Shino Bowl
φ20" x H5"1/2 , $650






White Stoneware Bowls φ10" x H5"1/2 ( front )
φ9"1/2 x H5"3/4 ( back )
$195 each



Thursday, January 29, 2015

New Arrivals Vases by Stephen Rodriguez


New arrivals from Stephen Rodriguez, who works in New Heaven, CT.
From small to large, with variety of shapes and glazed vases.

We have more works from him, please come and check at Sara Japanese Pottery.
 
The pottery of Stephen Rodriguez involves endless exploration of handmade clay formulas, high-fire stonewares ranging from black to earth-tones to porcelain. He fires in a gas kiln and often uses ash of different woods to give a cast of "light" or green glassy-ness over glazes to enhance the forms. Stephen has made a long-time commitment to mastering the expressive and proportional nuances of the classical forms of vases and bowls. They are utilitarian yet individually worked with esthetic presence in mind. 
 
Large Vase
Green Matte Ash Glaze
φ9"1/2 x H15" $450



Long Neck Vase
Tenmoku Glaze
φ7" x H12"1/2 , $270



Bottle Vase
Porcelain
φ6" x H12", $230



Curved Blue Bottle Vase
φ5" x H10", $180

 

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Bird with Flowering Branch Large Plate by Ruri Takeuchi



Ruri Takeuchi's imagination runs wild with the ancient history of counties from another world.

The Chinese lute or five-stringed biwa (Japanese lute) made of mother of pearl and rosewood, found in Nara's ‪Shōsōin, are treasures that she deems most valuable. On the back of either lute, there is an exquisite design of a bird holding a flowering branch.‬

The motif of a bird holding a flowering branch, which is as old as the Sasanian Empire in Persia, symbolizes good fortune and luck. The design illustrates an auspicious bird, such as the Chinese Phoenix or crane, holding a branch with flower blossoms.


Ruri Takeuchi's Bird with Flowering Branch large plate aspires to this famed pattern and is one of her greatest works.

On the outer edge is an arabesque pattern painted with gold leaf; looking closely, chrysanthemums are placed evenly between the arabesque tendrils. Adjacent is an even more detailed shippou, interlocking rings pattern, in gold leaf. This is used to frame the full and saturated painting of a climbing rose in full bloom and three green parrots.



 
Each vibrant leaf is delicately drawn, coated in layers of paint with a hint of brown at the tip of the leaf. The rose petals are a beautiful and elegant pale pink; the stamen and pistil are painted yellow. Its entirety was carefully outlined with a thin brush, then filled with colors. The paint never deviates from the outline and there are no outlined spaces left blank to be found. The layers of paint create a raised texture that uses deep and light colors for shading. The reverse side is painted with the gold pattern and a climbing rose. Five rings of the gold painted motif reach toward the inner foot of the dish and written in the middle are the characters "瑠璃" (Ruri).


The feathers of the green parrots with round bead eyes were painted with multiple layers of fine thin strokes and fired in the kiln after each layer; it was fired four times. A near realistic depiction and texture of bird feathers, one-by-one, among the layers of paint and infinite number of strokes, the luster disappears to reveal a sparkling brightness and movement.

At a simple glance, one would ask exactly what color is being used for this parrot? From the base of its beak to its cheeks is a faint blue-green color, then a deep blue-green, lime green and brown is used to show the overlapping feathers. No outlines are drawn and filled in for the feathers, emphasizing the contrast when surrounding the climbing rose.

What makes this Bird with Flowering Branch pattern Ruri's own is that the birds are not holding the branch. It is as if it were a riddle for those who see and understand the pattern and her design.

While looking at this piece, my thoughts are also swept into the ancient times of a country from another world.
 

 
竹内瑠璃 花喰い鳥大皿


竹内瑠璃は、いにしえの遠い異国へ思いを馳せる。

奈良、正倉院の螺鈿紫檀阮咸(らでんしたんのげんかん)や螺鈿紫檀五弦琵琶(らでんしたんごげんびわ)は、瑠璃の憧れの宝物だ。
どちらも背面に花喰い鳥の意匠が美しい。
花喰い鳥のモチーフは、古くササン朝ペルシャ伝来で、吉祥文様の代表的な図柄。
鳳凰や鶴などの瑞鳥(ずいちょう)が花の付いた枝などをくわえた姿の文様である。

竹内瑠璃の花喰い鳥の大皿は、そんな憧れを形にした大作だ。
外側に唐草の金彩、よく見ると菊を等間隔に挟んである。
その一つ内側には、より細かな七宝文様の金彩。
その枠からはみ出す形で皿面一杯に描かれた満開の蔓薔薇の枝に緑のインコが3羽とまっている。

瑞々しい葉の一つ一つは丁寧に絵の具が乗せられて、葉先には、ほんのりと茶色を副えてある。蔓薔薇の花びらは淡いピンクで、艶やか。
おしべ、めしべは黄色で描かれている。
どれも線描き絵の具で丁寧に描かれた中に色絵の具を入れてある。
決して、はみ出す事無く、また塗り残しなど見つけられない。
濃く薄く絵の具で盛り上げられた濃淡が立体的だ。
裏面にも金彩と蔓薔薇がある。
5重に描かれた金彩は高台の内側にも及んでいて、その真ん中に『瑠璃』の文字が書かれている。

丸いつぶらな瞳を持った緑のインコの羽は、細い線を何度も塗り重ねて、実際4度も焼成を重ねて描かれている。
まるで本物の鳥の羽のような質感、羽1枚1枚に描かれた無数の線の重なりによって、艶の消された中に、きらきらと光る躍動感が表現されている。
一見、単色のこのインコに一体何色の絵の具が使われているのだろうか。
くちばしの付け根から頬にかけては、うっすら青い色、羽の重なりを表現するために濃い緑、黄緑、茶色も見える。
羽には線描き絵の具の枠取りは無く、縁取られた蔓薔薇とのコントラストを際立たせている。

花喰い鳥なのに花をくわえていないのは、彼女らしい所だろう。見る人が見れば分かるという謎かけにも似たデザインだ。

この作品を見ながら、私もいにしえの遠い異国へ思いを馳せる。
 






Thursday, January 22, 2015

Kirari Glass Tumblers : WINTER SALE Vol.4

Kirari Glass Tumblers are now 25% OFF
until January 24th, Saturday

Winter Sale Vol.4 from Sara Japanese Pottery.
Kirari Glass Tumblers are now 25% off.
Simple clear glass with clack pattern illuminates your table. Some of the size is very limited, please feel free to contact us if any of them interests you.


* Items are limited and sold on a first-come-first-served basis.
* Please note that all sale items will be final sale.

Kirari Tall Tumbler
10oz : φ2"1/2 x H 4"3/4  $42→$31.50
14oz : φ2"3/4 x H 5"1/2  $48→$36


Kirari OLD Tumbler
10oz : φ3" x H 3"1/2  $42→$31.50
14oz : φ3"1/2 x H 4"  $48→$36



OLD tumbler 10oz, Old tumbler 14oz
Tall 10oz, Tall 14oz

from left to right

Friday, January 16, 2015

A Letter from Joy Brown

Ceramic people making sculptor, Joy Brown, wrote us about her visit to Japan and China last year.
On her way to China she was included in an exhibition with her pottery teacher, Shigeyoshi Morioka, and ten of his apprentices. The show was at Moon Gallery, up in the mountains near Nara.
It is fun to look her pictures and her large sculptures.
We'd like to share this letter, we hope you enjoy it.



 In Japan
It was a special time in Japan with my teacher Shige, his wife and other apprentices. We are like family. Not only did we learn how to make pots and build and fire kilns but we learned a way of life. I was his first apprentice 40 years ago! Shige is like a brother to me. For several days I stayed in his home in Amano, a village in Wakayama mountains.






Moon Gallery is in a beautiful old renovated farmhouse up in the mountains near Nara. We walked up into the hills behind the gallery to pick flowers and greens for the opening of our show. We all stayed in a nearby farmhouse and cooked and ate together, wonderful dinners, lots of sake and late nights talking.



That's Shige waiting for his coffee.. always inspiring and fun to be with him, always my teacher. 




In China
After Japan, I went on to Shanghai for a couple weeks to finish a big form in plaster and finish some figures in bronze to prepare for the show at Shanghai Art Fair. It's always lots of fun (and hard work) to be working there. After 5 years of going to this workshop, several times a year for several weeks at a time, I have come to know the small team pretty well and have become very fond of many of them.



Truck loaded, heading to the show in Shanghai
the guys, my friends, working over time on my behalf, installing for stability