John Baymore on sun 1 jul 01
I just have to say here that Elca hit the nail on the head with a
sledgehammer with her last comments here . Way to go!!!!!!
The discussion blared on and someone turned to Porter and asked him what
he thought , and he replied " It's simple. If you are vain, then it is
vain to sign your name; if you are not vain, then it is not vain to sign
your name."
That says it all pretty well, doesn't it?
A huge aspect of this whole sign/not sign discussion that is going on
(again...see the archives) is rooted in the Mingei Tradition of Japan,
begun in the early part of the last century. To weigh the subject at all=
well..... you might want to first look at the context from which is
springs. A simple good source for learning about the basis of this conce=
pt
is "The Unknown Craftsman" by Yanagi Soetsu. Read it, and then you can
understand a bit of where Mackenzie got his early influences from..... vi=
a
Bernard Leach. We all are greatly impacted by our "roots" for our whole
lives. Hard to shake.... even if we WANT to.
Also read "Towards a Standard" in Leach's "A Potter's Book". Heck....rea=
d
all of "A Potter's Book'. While you are at it.... read Leach's "A Potter=
in Japan" and "East and West" too.
For some balance, then read "Folk Art Potters of Japan" by Brian Moeran. =
It is about the village of Onda...... the village that was one of my
original inspriations in becoming a potter. An eye opener about what goe=
s
on "behind the scenes" in pottery villages in Japan. =
Also you might want to learn a bit about the "iemoto" approach to doing
business (partucularly art and tea related business) in Japan. Another
somewhat foreign concept to most Americans, but it has some relevence her=
e
in looking at the background in which the Mingei Tradition formed and
was/is promulgated. The founding concept of MLM .
Is "Mingei" still valid in 21st century America? Many of Mingei's values=
and philosophy certainly seem to be to me. There is a lot to be learned
from studying the underlying concepts, no matter what. And bringing some=
of the core ideas into life itself is a good thing, I think.
But it is also important to note that Hamada Shoji was NOT really a true
mingei potter. He was a highly trained, well traveled, educated artist w=
ho
had a very good eye and brain and borrowed heavily from folk craft and te=
a
ceremony techniques, philosophy, and aesthetics. Ditto for Leach. Nor
Kawaii, nor Tomimoto, and so on.
Hamada Shoji may not have signed his pots....... but he DID sign the boxe=
s
that went with many of the pots (the more important pieces). In Japan
these wonderful palowina wood boxes are sort of like the "pedigree" for t=
he
piece. The box is the "value added" documentation, as well as a good
protective storage medium, allowing the piece itself to stand quietly on
it's own merits. This approach is/was a concession Hamada made to the
collectors and pottery business people in Japan..... plus he was a smart
business man too. A multimillionare potter (hard to fathom here in the U=
S
). I am sure that the "added value" of a well documented piece of his=
work was not lost on him in the slightest. After all, his monetary
successes ALLOWED him to continue to pursue the more dentoteki "Mingei"
lifestyle that he did...... and support an extensive group of pottery an=
d
household workers in his "traditional" setting........... a VERY expensiv=
e
proposition in modern Japan. As a businessman he made sure to protect an=
d
enhance the value of his work.
While Hamada Shoji's extended workshop group produced lots of Hamada piec=
es
that were sold at relatively inexpensive prices (the general "production"=
),
it is REALLY important to note that in pricing work for shows he had a ve=
ry
GOOD grasp of what his work was worth...... and charged accordingly. No=
"shrinking violet" in pricing, he! His pots were EXPENSIVE. In the late=
70's before his death, a large 24 inch bowl was in the $40 to 50 GRAND
range. Clearly not mingei priced. He often chose to give away pots.....=
.
but that was his personal choice, and in no way devalued his pieces that
were sold. His work is still very valuable today. His "story" (see belo=
w)
assured that.
By late in his career, Hamada Shoji's pots were pretty distinctive and
didn't really need a signature. Unless you were looking for the investme=
nt
value. Then they needed the box .
=
More power to Mackenzie if he wants to continue to promote the Mingei
philosophy in signing, and is in a position to do that here in the USA in=
2001. I don't think it is really all that arrogant...... it is just
fitting with a personal philosophy of object making that he has that
developed at an early time in his life. And he is expressing a strong
belief that the pot itself, not the maker of the pot, bears the final and=
definitive responsibility for it's own percieved value. A refreshing
philosophy here in the land of the "designer label" plastered on poorly
designed and crafted merchandise.
Even though my work is heavily influenced by Hamada and Leach et al and
Japanese ceramics in general, I have always signed my work..... because I=
have always looked at my work as that of an artist craftsman. I went to =
an
art school. In school I was taught to document my work on the
bottom.....so in early work I did not make the decision to sign or
not...... it was made for me. A little later...... I signed simply out o=
f
"force of habit" Until my work is so strong (I should ever be so lucky
) that it is instantly recognizable...... the signature simply documen=
ts
the piece as "mine"....for good or for bad. =
But it is also NOW become a marketing decision........ =
The idea of a "personal connection" involved in selling craft work really=
hit me a number of years ago, when I really started to understand the
motivation a lot of US pottery customers have for purchasing a particular=
piece or a particular artist. They are buying not only the work itself b=
ut
just as importantly......a little "piece" of the artist. Bruce Baker the=
craft marketing guru talks about this idea of the importance of 'stories"=
attached to work all the time. Read his stuff in the "Crafts Report". Y=
ou
are selling "you" as much as the pieces you make.
So..... many years ago I stopped trying to hide my signature and make it
"hard to find" on the bottoms of pieces. Now, on work that it can fit
onto, my pottery stamp (a stylized JB) is right there on the side of the=
foot. Prominent. Easy to see. That signature adds value
indirectly....... because it further reminds a customer of what they
learned about my pottery making activities, the day they visitied my
studio, or a conversation at a show. It is a tangible reminder of
something positive for them.
The stamp I am now using on my work was made in Japan in 1996. I was
taught to make a traditional stone hanko-style stamp by a potter I was
staying with there. Sat one evening after dinner and a bath over some ni=
ce
sake and carved it into a beautiful polished piece of stone he gave me. =
Took a couple hours. Not being a big drinker....... if I hadn't had the
sake it would have only have taken an hour . Now when I stamp a pot
with it there is also a reverse "connection" made. Every time I use that=
particular stamp I have very fond memories of a wonderful experience in
Japan and of a potter friend a long, long way around the globe. =
(Shinichiro-san..... domo arigato gozaimasu.)
Sign em' if you want to.... don't sign em' if you don't. Think about it =
a
bit......... then make a decision. Simple.
So... that's my two cents for now.
Best,
.............................john
John Baymore
River Bend Pottery
22 Riverbend Way
Wilton, NH 03086 USA
603-654-2752 (s)
800-900-1110 (s)
JohnBaymore.com
JBaymore@compuserve.com
John.Baymore@GSD-CO.com
"Earth, Water, and Fire Noborigama Woodfiring Workshop August 17-26,
2001"
Lee Love on mon 2 jul 01
----- Original Message -----
From: "John Baymore"
>But it is also important to note that Hamada Shoji was
>NOT really a true mingei potter.
Hi John,
It is a pleasure to be able to disagree with you again. If first
disagreed with you when you said that Shimaoka was not a "Mingei" potter.
I'll reply at length (might post the essay to the Mingei list first) but here
is the basis of my disagreement:
1. I tend to accept the labels people choose for themselves. Hamada saw
himself as a Mingei artist/craftsman.
2. The writing of Yanagi, Hamada and Kawaii support the notion that these
originatiors of the movement were Mingei inspired artist./craftsmen. All of
them were educated and not unknown craftsmen. Yanagi spoke of two types of
Mingei craftsmen: The Tariki (other powered) anonymous craftsman and the
Jiriki (self powered) craftsman artist.
3. In Japan, Hamada is seen as a Mingei potter. There are areas in the
galleries in the shops in Mashiko that are specifically aimed at this type of
potter. The single biggest misunderstanding in the West is that a Mingei
inspired artist is mixed up with "the Unknown Craftsman." Even Warren
MacKenzie is seen as Mingei here. I have a little story to tell about that.
Also, a Mingei artist's work is not necessarily dentoteki (traditional.)
Some of Shimaoka's work is a combination of old techniques in an entirely new
way. Both Hamada and Shimaoka tell their students that they should not
slavishly copy traditional work, but create some new personal expression.
Gotta take Jean to work in Ninomiya. She teaches english conversation at the
Ninomiya Kominkan (community center.)
Will write a long essay soon.
--
Lee Love
Mashiko JAPAN Ikiru@kami.com
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