mel jacobson on sat 9 jul 05
kelly and a few others.
it is impossible to clump pots into `japan`
as one thought. (i know kelly did not mean that.)
my opinions follow..they are mine..i take ownership.)
japan is very regional...very. what potters
think in kyoto, is not what they think 50 miles away.
we tend to get lee's view of mashiko. it is one small
center of pottery in a country loaded with pottery centers.
thousands.
each has a style, a way of making things...and they all
believe their's is the correct way.
americans flock to mashiko because they think that is were
all the pots are made. not true. most famous japanese potters
do not let tourists near them.
mr. uchida could not stand mashiko pots.
he called them `korean farm pots`. he said
that they had no place in the modern world of
design. (that was his opinion, and he wrote for some
very prestigious magazines in the 70's, and expressed that opinion.
he also backed it up. and i general, that was the kyoto opinion.)
a rather famous japanese master stopped at our
show in pomona just a week ago...of mashiko,
he said...`it is the disneyland of pots in japan...a theme park.
and loaded with foreigners, trying to be japapese potters.`
(his opinion, not mine.) he had some other very strong
opinions that i will not share on clayart. remember, there are
many very famous japanese potters...hundreds..that would not
step foot in mashiko.
just be careful not to clump japanese ceramics into one concept.
it is vast...it is flowing and changing every day. just like american
or european art. we get a great deal of the hamada/leach tradition
here in the west. a great deal written. most of it is 50 years old.
it was important...very, in all of our past education. but, it is 50 years
old...and art movements tend to be 10 years in length...so, post modern
thought is now 50 years old..and the leach/hamada tradition is 50 years
old. (actually more like 70.) not many young potters in the world give a damn.
(and we can stomp our feet and whine at the moon...but it will not change
a thing.)
modern art concepts of design are strong in japan. you will find
some very contemporary potters...thousands. they are international
in scope. and, they control their clay and glaze very well. the skill
and tradition of craft is alive in japan.
it is a changing world. china is moving fast into the fray. they have a
great deal of ceramic history and skill. you will be seeing more and more
as time
goes on. it is force to be dealt with.
so if anyone thinks that regional, ethnic or national language is complex...
well, add to that design. design, art, language, history. very complex
stuff...and there is no one answer.
mr. hamada gave me a sage piece of advice...sitting in his treasure
room..surrounded by pots...`melsan, go back to minnesota and be a
nordic, minnesota potter...you will never be japanese.` he sure was a
brilliant man. my respect for him, and warren mackenzie and mr. leach
are vast. it was my history. i do not in any way put that down or
belittle it. it is just not the way of 2005, and i am trying the best i
can to stay in step with new research, new ideas and be a part
of it. it would be very easy to sit back and be old...and say.
`nothing is as good as it used to be`
in fact, i am rather excited about clay in 2005. a great deal more
equality now. not just 10 old men in charge.
mel
from mel/minnetonka.mn.usa
website: http://www.pclink.com/melpots
http://www.amsterlaw.com/clayart.html for gail's year book.
Elizabeth Priddy on sat 9 jul 05
For a comprehensive look at this regionality,
http://www.e-yakimono.net/guide/html/styles.html
it lists the region and shows examples of each style.
NC has one of the largest concentrations of potters
in the world. It is due to regional clay deposits and
settlers from Europe. The result is a clay culture
that is deep and hundreds of years old, thousands if
you consider that it is an emigre culture.
Our regions have historically been fairly competitive.
Seagrove potters have been know to refer to Catawba
Valley potters as making "rocks with holes punched
in 'em". Seagrove pottery is thin and went through
some real conniptions over time.
I am an eastern NC potter. I know what that means.
But to encapsulate it is impossible. It is a more or
less pragmatic view. less high brow than some work
at Seagrove, not art pottery like in Asheville, not thick
functional work like Catawba. Not as traditional as
Seagrove either, although if you went to a pottery
festival at Seagrove, you will see legions of styles and
most of them NOT indiginous to Seagrove OR NC for
that matter.
When you go there ask people how long their family has
owned a pottery there. If they say something like, " Well,
we moved here in 1977..." That means they are not
"from" Seagrove. They are transplants. And what they make
may or may not be traditional NC work. For that you need
to educate yourself on our history before shopping.
"Raised in Clay" or "Jugtown Pottery" will help you out.
But that is if you are a collector, or a historian. In the real
world, buy what you like, what you need, what you want.
It is important to know where you are and to deal with your
personal circumstances. Believe that wherever you are is
ok and look for the bright side. We all have issues, but
pretending to be part of something because you can't seem to
deal with what you really are....faking takes too much time.
E
mel jacobson wrote:
kelly and a few others.
it is impossible to clump pots into `japan`
as one thought. (i know kelly did not mean that.)
my opinions follow..they are mine..i take ownership.)
japan is very regional...very. what potters
think in kyoto, is not what they think 50 miles away.
Elizabeth Priddy
252-504-2622
1273 Hwy 101
Beaufort, NC 28516
http://www.elizabethpriddy.com
*If you are an extra-sensitive
or easily-offended type:
Remember that what I say is obviously
just my opinion based on my experiences
and that I, like most people, don't go around
intending to step on toes and make folks cry.
Take it with a grain of salt.
__________________________________________________
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Tony Ferguson on sat 9 jul 05
"old...and art movements tend to be 10 years in length...so, post modern
thought is now 50 years old..and the leach/hamada tradition is 50 years
old. (actually more like 70.) not many young potters in the world give
a damn.
(and we can stomp our feet and whine at the moon...but it will not
change a thing.)"
Mel, could you please share your experiences/stories with many of the young potters in the world who don't give a dam? Also, is there perhaps something the older potters you describe can do besides what you mention, stomping, whining at the moon and so forth? I would like to think that anyone is educable at any age and that change is always possible with an open mind, especially among artists.
Tony Ferguson
mel jacobson wrote:kelly and a few others.
it is impossible to clump pots into `japan`
as one thought. (i know kelly did not mean that.)
my opinions follow..they are mine..i take ownership.)
japan is very regional...very. what potters
think in kyoto, is not what they think 50 miles away.
we tend to get lee's view of mashiko. it is one small
center of pottery in a country loaded with pottery centers.
thousands.
each has a style, a way of making things...and they all
believe their's is the correct way.
americans flock to mashiko because they think that is were
all the pots are made. not true. most famous japanese potters
do not let tourists near them.
mr. uchida could not stand mashiko pots.
he called them `korean farm pots`. he said
that they had no place in the modern world of
design. (that was his opinion, and he wrote for some
very prestigious magazines in the 70's, and expressed that opinion.
he also backed it up. and i general, that was the kyoto opinion.)
a rather famous japanese master stopped at our
show in pomona just a week ago...of mashiko,
he said...`it is the disneyland of pots in japan...a theme park.
and loaded with foreigners, trying to be japapese potters.`
(his opinion, not mine.) he had some other very strong
opinions that i will not share on clayart. remember, there are
many very famous japanese potters...hundreds..that would not
step foot in mashiko.
just be careful not to clump japanese ceramics into one concept.
it is vast...it is flowing and changing every day. just like american
or european art. we get a great deal of the hamada/leach tradition
here in the west. a great deal written. most of it is 50 years old.
it was important...very, in all of our past education. but, it is 50 years
old...and art movements tend to be 10 years in length...so, post modern
thought is now 50 years old..and the leach/hamada tradition is 50 years
old. (actually more like 70.) not many young potters in the world give a damn.
(and we can stomp our feet and whine at the moon...but it will not change
a thing.)
modern art concepts of design are strong in japan. you will find
some very contemporary potters...thousands. they are international
in scope. and, they control their clay and glaze very well. the skill
and tradition of craft is alive in japan.
it is a changing world. china is moving fast into the fray. they have a
great deal of ceramic history and skill. you will be seeing more and more
as time
goes on. it is force to be dealt with.
so if anyone thinks that regional, ethnic or national language is complex...
well, add to that design. design, art, language, history. very complex
stuff...and there is no one answer.
mr. hamada gave me a sage piece of advice...sitting in his treasure
room..surrounded by pots...`melsan, go back to minnesota and be a
nordic, minnesota potter...you will never be japanese.` he sure was a
brilliant man. my respect for him, and warren mackenzie and mr. leach
are vast. it was my history. i do not in any way put that down or
belittle it. it is just not the way of 2005, and i am trying the best i
can to stay in step with new research, new ideas and be a part
of it. it would be very easy to sit back and be old...and say.
`nothing is as good as it used to be`
in fact, i am rather excited about clay in 2005. a great deal more
equality now. not just 10 old men in charge.
mel
from mel/minnetonka.mn.usa
website: http://www.pclink.com/melpots
http://www.amsterlaw.com/clayart.html for gail's year book.
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...where the sky meets the lake...
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