David Beumee on mon 16 may 05
Lee quoted,
"In the seventeenth century,
> after the strict formalism of the Tokugawa rule had been developed, it (the tea room) offered the only opportunity possible for the free communion of artistic
> spirits. Before a great work of art there was no distinction between
> daimyo, samurai, and commoner. Nowadays industrialism is making true
> refinement more and more difficult all the world over. Do we not need
> the tea-room more than ever?"
Thanks very much for the post Lee. I never quite understood the significance of the tea ceremony until now. It's interesting to consider the author's twist on the use of the word refinement. Great stuff. I ball milled some local fire clay with very high iron content (charcoal black at cone 10) to get a source of iron for tenmoku's, perhaps even celadons, in hopes the trace minerals will have their effect, their "refinement" of my work with glazes.
David Beumee
www.davidbeumee.com
Lafayette, CO
-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: Lee Love
> URL Krueger wrote:
>
> >When I go to the grocery store and buy a gallon of 2% milk I
> >have certain expectations of what it will be like when I
> >get it home; not soured, no "off" flavors, not too rich or
> >too watery, etc.
> >
> Hi Earl,
>
> Most of the qualities in milk that you are describing are physical
> qualities. The main way these qualities are achieved is by mixing milk
> from various sources in very large quantities. It has little to do the
> the industrialization of materials that folks were proposing earlier.
> And we drink huge amounts of milk, compared to how much clay potters use
> back home. The high production volume of milk allows for higher levels
> of consistency. Quality is also helped by the large, discriminating
> consumer base.
>
> If you work with ash glazes as I do, it becomes apparent quickly, that
> larger batches of ash need to be processed , and then they need to be
> tested before you use them on your pots, if you want consistency from
> this natural material.
>
> Our clay here in Mashiko is minimally processed, but I have never had a
> bad batch of clay here. Why? Because it is mixed up in large batches.. I
> am guessing Mashiko produces and consumes much more clay than it does
> milk. The amount of clay used in Tochigi prefecture alone, I would
> guess, is more than all the clay used by potters in all of North
> America. It is difficult to comprehend unless you see it for yourself.
>
> Natural, unrefined materials help us create pots that have life. As
> Okakura, the author of The Book of Tea says: "Nowadays industrialism is
> making true refinement more and more difficult all the world over." The
> beauty of the imperfect isn't the only aesthetic, but it is a valid
> alternative one. It remedies what is wrong with the throw-a-way society.
> I defend it because it is in constant threat from cheaply produced
> industrially made products. Because folks are protected from the world
> of touch, they are loosing the ability to discriminate tactically. We
> need handmade things, and we need more people creating things with their
> hands, than we have ever needed them in the past. I believe it is an
> important way we can keep from being turned into mere consumers.
>
> Below, I include a larger quote from Okakura. I hope it helps to explain
> the aesthetic of imperfect beauty:
>
> "The Taoist and Zen conception of perfection, however, was different.
> The dynamic nature of their philosophy laid more stress upon the process
> through which perfection was sought than upon perfection itself. True
> beauty could be discovered only by one who mentally completed the
> incomplete. The virility of life and art lay in its possibilities for
> growth. In the tea-room it is left for each guest in imagination to
> complete the total effect in relation to himself. Since Zen has become
> the prevailing mode of thought, the art of the extreme Orient has
> purposefully avoided the symmetrical as expressing not only completion,
> but repetition. Uniformity of design was considered fatal to the
> freshness of imagination. Thus, landscapes, birds, and flowers became
> the favorite subjects for depiction rather than the human figure, the
> latter being present in the person of the beholder himself. We are often
> too much in evidence as it is, and in spite of our vanity even
> self-regard is apt to become monotonous.
>
> The simplicity of the tea-room and its freedom from vulgarity make it
> truly a sanctuary from the vexations of the outer world. There and there
> alone one can consecrate himself to undisturbed adoration of the
> beautiful. In the sixteenth century the tea-room afforded a welcome
> respite from labour to the fierce warriors and statesmen engaged in the
> unification and reconstruction of Japan. In the seventeenth century,
> after the strict formalism of the Tokugawa rule had been developed, it
> offered the only opportunity possible for the free communion of artistic
> spirits. Before a great work of art there was no distinction between
> daimyo, samurai, and commoner. Nowadays industrialism is making true
> refinement more and more difficult all the world over. Do we not need
> the tea-room more than ever?"
>
> You can find the whole Book Of Tea here:
>
> http://ikiru.blogspot.com/2005_04_03_ikiru_archive.html#111257654464573093
>
> --
>
> � Lee Love 大
> 愛　　 　　 鱗
> in Mashiko, Japan http://mashiko.org
> http://hankos.blogspot.com/ Visual Bookmarks
> http://ikiru.blogspot.com/ Zen and Craft
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
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>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.
Lee Love on mon 16 may 05
claybuds@att.net wrote:
> Thanks very much for the post Lee. I never quite understood the significance of the tea ceremony until now. It's interesting to consider the author's twist on the use of the word refinement. Great stuff.
>
Thanks David. A link to the entire book can be found here:
http://ikiru.blogspot.com/2005_04_03_ikiru_archive.html#111257654464573093
We visited the Okakura museum and it was beautiful. Jean visited a while back with our wood block printing class and thought I would like the sea shore because it reminds her of the North Shore of Lake Superior back home.
>I ball milled some local fire clay with very high iron content (charcoal black at cone 10) to get a source of iron for tenmoku's, perhaps even celadons, in hopes the trace minerals will have their effect, their "refinement" of my work with glazes.
Have you tried pulling them from the kiln (like Hank does) at cone 10? That's how they did seto guro.
> Seto-guro ware
> Encyclopædia Britannica Article
>
> Japanese ceramic ware created at Mino during 1573–96. A black ware, it
> stands in contrast to the contemporary pure-white Shino ware.
> Seto-guro (“black Seto”) was produced by a process that involved
> firing the iron-glaze ware in an oxidizing kiln from which it was
> suddenly removed and immediately cooled. The shade of black achieved
> was far richer than had been achieved in the earlier…
-
李 Lee Love 大
愛　　 　　 鱗
in Mashiko, Japan http://mashiko.org
http://hankos.blogspot.com/ Visual Bookmarks
http://ikiru.blogspot.com/ Zen and Craft
Tony Ferguson on mon 16 may 05
David,
I am not sure if you know but Lee's quote comes from "The Book of Tea" by Kakuzo Okakura. I would encourage every clay person to read this book, cover to cover. Worth purchasing for your library, and here is a link to an ebook of it: http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/tea.htm
I believe the roots of abstract expressionism lie in what the Southern Chinese Zen Buddists created in terms of the tea ceremony and its further development in Japan. Very worth reading and gaining a beginning of the understanding of Western pottery roots.
Tony Ferguson
David Beumee wrote:
Lee quoted,
"In the seventeenth century,
> after the strict formalism of the Tokugawa rule had been developed, it (the tea room) offered the only opportunity possible for the free communion of artistic
> spirits. Before a great work of art there was no distinction between
> daimyo, samurai, and commoner. Nowadays industrialism is making true
> refinement more and more difficult all the world over. Do we not need
> the tea-room more than ever?"
Thanks very much for the post Lee. I never quite understood the significance of the tea ceremony until now. It's interesting to consider the author's twist on the use of the word refinement. Great stuff. I ball milled some local fire clay with very high iron content (charcoal black at cone 10) to get a source of iron for tenmoku's, perhaps even celadons, in hopes the trace minerals will have their effect, their "refinement" of my work with glazes.
David Beumee
www.davidbeumee.com
Lafayette, CO
-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: Lee Love
> URL Krueger wrote:
>
> >When I go to the grocery store and buy a gallon of 2% milk I
> >have certain expectations of what it will be like when I
> >get it home; not soured, no "off" flavors, not too rich or
> >too watery, etc.
> >
> Hi Earl,
>
> Most of the qualities in milk that you are describing are physical
> qualities. The main way these qualities are achieved is by mixing milk
> from various sources in very large quantities. It has little to do the
> the industrialization of materials that folks were proposing earlier.
> And we drink huge amounts of milk, compared to how much clay potters use
> back home. The high production volume of milk allows for higher levels
> of consistency. Quality is also helped by the large, discriminating
> consumer base.
>
> If you work with ash glazes as I do, it becomes apparent quickly, that
> larger batches of ash need to be processed , and then they need to be
> tested before you use them on your pots, if you want consistency from
> this natural material.
>
> Our clay here in Mashiko is minimally processed, but I have never had a
> bad batch of clay here. Why? Because it is mixed up in large batches.. I
> am guessing Mashiko produces and consumes much more clay than it does
> milk. The amount of clay used in Tochigi prefecture alone, I would
> guess, is more than all the clay used by potters in all of North
> America. It is difficult to comprehend unless you see it for yourself.
>
> Natural, unrefined materials help us create pots that have life. As
> Okakura, the author of The Book of Tea says: "Nowadays industrialism is
> making true refinement more and more difficult all the world over." The
> beauty of the imperfect isn't the only aesthetic, but it is a valid
> alternative one. It remedies what is wrong with the throw-a-way society.
> I defend it because it is in constant threat from cheaply produced
> industrially made products. Because folks are protected from the world
> of touch, they are loosing the ability to discriminate tactically. We
> need handmade things, and we need more people creating things with their
> hands, than we have ever needed them in the past. I believe it is an
> important way we can keep from being turned into mere consumers.
>
> Below, I include a larger quote from Okakura. I hope it helps to explain
> the aesthetic of imperfect beauty:
>
> "The Taoist and Zen conception of perfection, however, was different.
> The dynamic nature of their philosophy laid more stress upon the process
> through which perfection was sought than upon perfection itself. True
> beauty could be discovered only by one who mentally completed the
> incomplete. The virility of life and art lay in its possibilities for
> growth. In the tea-room it is left for each guest in imagination to
> complete the total effect in relation to himself. Since Zen has become
> the prevailing mode of thought, the art of the extreme Orient has
> purposefully avoided the symmetrical as expressing not only completion,
> but repetition. Uniformity of design was considered fatal to the
> freshness of imagination. Thus, landscapes, birds, and flowers became
> the favorite subjects for depiction rather than the human figure, the
> latter being present in the person of the beholder himself. We are often
> too much in evidence as it is, and in spite of our vanity even
> self-regard is apt to become monotonous.
>
> The simplicity of the tea-room and its freedom from vulgarity make it
> truly a sanctuary from the vexations of the outer world. There and there
> alone one can consecrate himself to undisturbed adoration of the
> beautiful. In the sixteenth century the tea-room afforded a welcome
> respite from labour to the fierce warriors and statesmen engaged in the
> unification and reconstruction of Japan. In the seventeenth century,
> after the strict formalism of the Tokugawa rule had been developed, it
> offered the only opportunity possible for the free communion of artistic
> spirits. Before a great work of art there was no distinction between
> daimyo, samurai, and commoner. Nowadays industrialism is making true
> refinement more and more difficult all the world over. Do we not need
> the tea-room more than ever?"
>
> You can find the whole Book Of Tea here:
>
> http://ikiru.blogspot.com/2005_04_03_ikiru_archive.html#111257654464573093
>
> --
>
> � Lee Love 大
> 愛　　 　　 鱗
> in Mashiko, Japan http://mashiko.org
> http://hankos.blogspot.com/ Visual Bookmarks
> http://ikiru.blogspot.com/ Zen and Craft
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.
______________________________________________________________________________
Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.
Tony Ferguson
..where the sky meets the lake..
Artist & Educator
fergyart@yahoo.com
fergy@cpinternet.com
(218) 727-6339
http://www.aquariusartgallery.com
http://www.tonyferguson.net
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Lee Love on fri 20 may 05
Tony Ferguson wrote:
> http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/tea.htm
>
>
My visual link connected there too. :-)
>I believe the roots of abstract expressionism lie in what the Southern Chinese Zen Buddists created in terms of the tea ceremony and its further development in Japan. Very worth reading and gaining a beginning of the understanding of Western pottery roots.
>
>
The impressionist were strongly influenced by Japanese art. They
discovered Japanese woodblock prints, that were crumpled up and used as
packing material. The appreciation of these prints in the West brought
them to the attention of the Japanese as "art." Previously, they only
appreciated them in a similar way that we appreciate magazines and
posters. The Ukiyo-e prints ("images of the floating world") were for
popular consumption.
We saw a killer show of Sharaku's work at the Hiroshige museum in Bato
last week. The potriats of actors used mica in the black background that
sparkled. Sharaku was a mysterious Noh actor, about whom little is
known. In a burst of energy in 1794-5 he produced over 300 prints in
only 10 months, mostly of other Kabuki and Noh actors.
You can see his work here:
http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/ukiyoe/sharaku.html
This is a good link to an online Ukiyo-e gallery:
http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/ukiyoe/ukiyoe.html
including:
* Hiroshige
* Utamaro
* Eizan
* Hokusai
* Harunobu
* Sharaku
* Shunsho
* Shun-ei
* Kiyonaga
* Kunichika
* Yoshitoshi
--
李 Lee Love 大
愛　　 　　 鱗
in Mashiko, Japan http://mashiko.org
http://hankos.blogspot.com/ Visual Bookmarks
http://ikiru.blogspot.com/ Zen and Craft
"With Humans it's what's here (he points to his heart) that makes the difference. If you don't have it in the heart, nothing you make will make a difference." ~~Bernard Leach~~ (As told to Dean Schwarz)
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