Wednesday, July 28, 2010

new things

Lately I've been collaborating with Grand Hotel Seifusou in Omuta City, Fukuoka Prefecture. I have sent a few of my plates as samples for them to use in their kitchen/dining area.
http://travel.rakuten.co.jp/HOTEL/37370/37370.html
最近は福岡県の大牟田市グランドホテル清風荘とコラボしている。あそこにサンプル皿を送った。






Here is a square flat plate, about 30cm x 30cm with sashimi and garnishes. これは四角の皿です30センチ。刺身用に使っている。




Here is a small free form dish I made awhile back with small appetizer and garnish. これは小さいなフリーフォーム皿です。おつまみ用使っている。

I am in the process of making more small serving dishes for them to use as samples. Here are 11 black clay dishes that are currently drying. Once fired they will be slightly larger than the palm of ones hand. 今もっとサンプル皿作る中です。ここは11個の黒粘土乾燥してる皿です。すいやきしたら手大きさくらいになる。

Here is a close up of he plates. My signature design is etched on the surface of each one. Each is unique yet apart of a set. I have also made 6 white clay plates of the same size and design, those have already been bisque fired and have been colored and are waiting for final firing. More pictures of those to come soon! はい、クロスアップ写真です。私のトレードマークのデザインが表面にそれぞれエッチングされた皿です。一枚一枚はユニークですけどセットにも入ってる感じもある。白の同じ風6枚も作った。色もつけったから焼くこと待ってる。また写真アップします!

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Metallics!

After making my color samples I've really realized how useful and convenient they really are. Like I mentioned in my previous blog (color samples) red shigaraki #104 and Tenmoku (C glaze) with RF firing gives a wonderful metallic color. I definitely wanted to use a metallic color since I've always been interested in them and that's exactly what I did this time around. Since Red Shigaraki #104 is one of the only clays that brings out the metallic to a great extent it was the only choice at Sara Yama.
色見本を作って本当にどのくらい便利や役に立つかやっと分かりました。前のブログ(Color samples)に言ったけれども、赤信楽#104は天目をつけるならRFで焼いてシルバーの色が出ます。前から金属色に興味もって今回は塗りたかった。皿山に金属色結構出れる持ってる粘土は赤信楽#104しかない。

Just having Tenmoku was a little boring so I took a chance and experimented by adding Kirabo (B) and the result was great! Here are the five pieces up close. 天目を使うだけのは面白くないと思って黄伊羅保共に使って、結果はめちゃ良かった!はい、今回の五つの作品です!




First is my favorite piece of this batch. A small vase which was originally going to be a cup but alas at the last minute i bumped it a bit and could not get the rim to be perfectly circular again, so I opted for a oval rimmed vase instead. Turning it into a vase was probably better since the rim is quite thin and probably wouldn't have turned out perfectly circular anyways. これは五つの中に一番気に入る作品です。小さい花瓶だけど、そもそも湯のみだったが、最後作ったときにちょっと手がずれてカップの線丸形がだめになった。。。でも線がちょっと薄すぎて花瓶のほうが似合うと思います。


I did a base glaze of Tenmoku and dipped the rim in Kirabo. The running of the glaze turned out perfectly. I had no idea the glaze would run this perfectly. It is very Japanese looking so I'm told by my fellow potters.


Here is a Yunomi or Japanese style tea cup I made (what the top vase was supposed to be) It turned out extremely well color wise but had a few minor mistakes. The rim wasn't perfectly circular, which happens when making thin pieces since when you carve them there's a high possibility of warping because of the pressure. Also I did a reverse glaze color of Kirabo as the base and Tenmoku as the rim. The result is is a great color combo but Kirabo runs a lot so my piece actually got stuck inside the kiln, so I had to grind the excess glaze off the cup's bottom. You can hardly tell that I had to grind the excess off but there is a slight color difference. 湯のみです。色は綺麗に仕上がりましたけど、小さいなミスがあった。カップの線は完全に丸じゃなかった。原因は削るときにプレシャーかかるから歪可能性が高い。更に先の花瓶の色の逆塗った。バースは黄伊羅保で湯のみの口に天目かけた。結果は面白い色なんですけど黄伊羅保は流れやすい色んでちょっと窯にくっつくって、残りの色をグラインダーにけずった。あんまりけずったところは目立てないけど、ちょっとだけ色の違いがある。



This is one of the small (8cm wide) plates I made. Base is Tenmoku with Kirabo dips on either side. Since the glaze couldn't run down the side like the small vase the result is slightly different, but neat non the less. I like how the Kirabo glaze pooled on either side to make a dark black color. これは皿三枚の中に一枚。ベースは天目でカップの線に黄伊羅保かけた。結果は花瓶みたいに流れはちょっと違うけど皿の上(8センチ)にきれいな黒プールは出来たい。


This is another plate, around the same size with the exact same glaze patter. I'm also very pleased with this one as well. The only difference is I dipped this one four times instead of two into the Kirabo glaze. 別の皿。サイズは前と一緒。この皿の色やり方は前と一緒でただディップは二回じゃなくて4回でした。



This is the last small plate of this series. I decided to experiment and do a Kirabo base with Tenmoku dip on the rim. The result isn't as dramatic as the vice versa but the color is still great, lots of texture and deep earthy mixtures of color. このシリーズの最後の小皿です。このさらはちょっと研究しようと思ってベースは黄伊羅保皿の線は天目。結果は前の二枚に比べ劇的じゃないけど、色はいいしテクスチャーもいいし、深くな色です。



Here are all the plates together!~ はい!全部の皿です!

Overall I've found another great color combo I'll definitely use a lot for future pieces! すべて含めて嬉しいコンボ発見!是非またこのいろ混ぜ合わせ使います。

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

What to do? #2



I have finished my project thus far and you can tell what it is by the photos now :) A beetle. Now it has to dry and get bisque fired, after it is glazed and fired I'll show you what it's used for.


















The back of the beetle is very detailed with small holes making a design.














Here is the face, simple and hopefully not too creepy? I hope it'll turn out great once its finished! I used red Shigaraki clay. Until next time!























Tuesday, July 20, 2010

What to do? #1

It's summer vacation and it's getting harder and harder to stay focused at the studio! The warm sunny days at the beach are more enticing than the hot non-airconditioned studio hehe. But besides the lack of motivation, things are trucking along as usual. I'm continuing to make several small plates, all the whilte trying to improve the shape and base rings. But I get bored making the same things every week so last week I decided to take a break and make something more artistic and unique. I won't say what it is just yet, but it'll become apparent once it's completed. But I'll give some hints... I like things that are both useful and beautiful, so this won't be just some piece ready to collect dust. It's also not something that's used on a regular basis. Lastly it's used in the dark. Three clues should be enough.

Sorry the picture is such low quality! It was taken with my cellphone

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Various Things

Lately I've been experimenting with many forms of clay and small plates and tea/coffee cups. Here are nine new pieces I've made in the last few weeks. The forms are nothing new or exciting but the clays I used are new and some of the colors came out great!


Here are two "matching" cups I made. Both have carved lines in the side, and similar handles. The green/blue cup on the left is red stone clay with Shinsha, OF firing. As with my usual mistakes it's a tad small, and the handle isn't quite where I want it to be, but it does look nice, and could be used for espresso or small amounts of tea. The handle is too thin though. Overall I give it a 68/100.
The cup on the right turned out much better. It is a good size, holds about 170cc. The handle is bigger and easy to hold and I love the texture of the clay. The color is interesting but I was hoping for a slightly more metallic outcome. So far I only have the smooth red clay color samples, not stone red clay so it was a guessing game to see how the glaze would turn out on this piece. It's a dark brown color with metallic specs. For some reason this cup seems manly, dark color and rustic feeling to it. Like something you'd find in a cabin in the woods. It was Oribe glaze with RF firing. 88/100


This is a newer clay I've been using. White clay with dark stones. It's very grainy but when given the right glaze (usually lighter colors to let the stones come through) it has a vintage feel to it. This color especially reminds me of the 50's and 60's kitchen color themes, sea foam green. This cup also has carved lines on the side, which is another aspect I've been toying around with. The lines add interest and also lighten the piece weight wise, but it is extremely tricky getting straight lines without the carving tool straying away, especially with stony clay. I'd like to try vertical lines soon but those are even more time consuming since they cannot be done on the wheel. They must be measured and done off the wheel.


I actually made this piece for use as a single scoop ice cream cup. It turned out to be a great size for a single scoop, I just can't pile on too many toppings. Here is a close up of the inside, I used Shikou and OF firing. 87/100


Here is another cup I made with the white clay with dark stones. This was also supposed to be an ice cream cup, but it is too small. It could be a sake cup, but seeing that I rarely drink Japanese sake at home it will most likely turn into a present or spare change holder. Besides the small size the color turned out great! A nice cool gray with great brown spots. I'll definitely use this clay and color combo again on other pieces. I used Mokuhaitoumei and RF firing. 85/100


Another white clay with stones pieces. A small h'orderves plate with Kirabo, RF firing. This plate is a little wobbly due to a neighbors glaze oozing all the way to the base of mine. I ground down the glaze stuck to the bottom but the evenness was destroyed. The plate is too small and mediocre to spend too much time fixing the base. 60/100


Out of all nine pieces these two are my favorite. I didn't plan on making a set when I started but after these two ended up the same color they looked great together as a tea set. The shape of is great, easy to hold and the size is perfect for serving tea in Japan. I like the lines on the side and the unique color of this set. I have never seen a tea set like this in Japan yet. White stone clay with Kirabo glaze, RF firing. 92/100
***Note*** In Japan it is customary for hosts to serve guests tea at stores, companies, schools, business meetings, at home etc. So these handle-less tea sets are a staple in every Japanese home and office.

Here is another small plate I made, about 18cm wide. White stone clay, Kohagi and Kirabo, RF firing.

The underside of the plate. See how the base ring is small? That's not good, it makes the plate unstable, so if you pick a piece of food off it with a fork or any sort of force the plate will wobble...When ever making a plate you want the base to be as wide as possible to prevent wobbling or tipping over. Wider equals more stable. 63/100

My last piece of the nine. Red stone clay with Shikou OF firing. This plate is ok, the base ring is too small, the color is cool but the shape isn't as good as it could be, somewhere it got slightly warped, so the edge ring isn't even. 65/100

That's all for now~ more to come soon!

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Color Samples!




The long awaited color samples have finally been completed! Both RF and OF firings and 3 types of clay. (White Stone, Smooth Red and Black Stone, all Shigaraki I believe) I have complied 13 of the colors I use the most which I will introduce one by one. All the samples are in the same order. From top to bottom White Stone clay, Black Stone clay and Smooth Red clay. Right is OF firing and left is RF. (You can see the small tags in the photos as well)

**Note** the color names my studio uses are not the factory names. Also some of the colors are hand mixed by my teacher so of course they can't be found anywhere but Sara Yama Studio. 













B 黄伊羅保 きいらぼ
Kirabo is one of my favorite colors to use
It has is a mat green type color that beads
together on the clay.














C 天目 てんもく
Tenmoku is a very plain dark brown color,
but when put in the red clay you can see
it turns a wonderful metallic silver. (RF firing)













E 鉄赤 てつあか
Tetsuaka is a color I use constantly.
It's a great rich mixture of reds and browns.
It turns out great in OF or RF. It also melts
well on the clay.














F 木灰透明 もくはいとうめい
Mokuhaitoumei is a very versatile color.
It is technically just a clear glaze, but depending
on the clay and firing used it comes out in slightly different
tints and hues. OF firing generally keeps it clear,
but RF firing tends to make colors come out.














J 織部 おりべ
Oribe is a great green/blue glaze.
It comes out pretty straightforward,
but the red clays make it have a metallic
hue to it as you can see in the picture.















K 均窯 きんよう
Kinyou is a wonderful blue,
one of my favorite glazes. This picture
doesn't give it justice but even the darker
clays have deep blue tints to them. I like to mix
Kinyou and Tetsuaka to get great red and blue
pieces.














L 辰紗 しんしゃ
Shinsha is another favorite of mine.
Especially the OF firing color since it
results in a nice sea foam green. I like to
use this one with white clays, since the result
reminds me of 18th century tea sets from Europe.
Nice vintage feel. RF produces a nice purple, which
I plan to experiment with more, but I do love that
sea foam green!














M 蕎麦 そば
Soba is another deep rich brown color.
It is a mix between Tenmoku and Tetsuaka.
It has the depth of color like Tetsuaka but
has the brown from Tenmoku. Another great
glaze to work and mix with.















R 古萩 こはぎ
Kohagi is probably to most popular
glaze at Sara Yama. Everyone loves and uses
this glaze constantly. OF firings give a nice milky
white color with tinges of purple, while RF gives a
nice milky blue color. As you can see the type of clays
make a huge difference as well. The range from white,
blue to brown. Kohagi is very versatile but runs
easily, so it can be tricky to work with.
















S 普賢灰 ふげんはい
I haven't worked much with
Fugenhai. It is a muddy brown that
has consistent color. I was drawn to
it's rich background. It is predictable
so it could be a great color to mix.















T 紫紅 しこう
Shikou is another beautiful blueish green
color. It is more subtle then the others
but it's delicate color is sometimes exactly
what I want. It gives a great deep blue tint
to black clays, and a cheery light green to white
clays.















U 黄瀬戸 きせと
Kiseto is a very unique glaze, and
a popular color for clays with large
stones. It works best with lighter color
clays since you can see the color much better.
It also gets great color around the stones on the RF firing.
On the white clay above you can see brown specs,
this is one of the great results of using Kiseto. The end
products are always interesting and have a vintage feel.
















W 結品 まんがん
Mangan is one of the newest colors at Sara Yama.
It's a great deep brown with nice depth to it. It
occasionally surprises you with cream color accents
on your piece. It's a great glaze to mix with Kohagi.
The two together produce wonderful mixtures.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Vacation

Arai Sensei is on vacation, so no pottery until next week! See you next week!