Oriental Influences

Kanji Lantern

“Kanji” is oriental calligraphy. This picture depicts the shadows, light and magic that emanate from these lanterns - with only one candle illumination.

Kanji Spirit Lantern

This tall piece has a samurai lid and a bamboo crosspiece. The kanji translates “Spirit”.

Kanji Lights

These small lanterns are illuminated by one small tea candle. The reflection on table top moves and changes with the flickering flame.

Haiku Plaque

These pieces are carvings of classic Japanese haiku poems on thick stoneware slabs textured with old barn wood or tree bark.

Ronin Jar

“Ronin” means “Masterless Samurai”. After war, many warriors were unemployed and roaming the countryside looking for work.

Sake Set

Ready to honor your favorite rice wine.

This “leaning” set was fired in a Japanese wood-fueled anagama kiln.

Blossom Bowls

Whether you are schooled in the Japanese arts of ikebana (flower arranging) or simply like to put blooms, buds, and foliage together in a fine group, these vessels will work for you.

About My Oriental Work

My early training was with Toshiko Takaezu, a Japanese/Hawaiian potter. Her influence was largely in discipline, work and self-evaluation. Aesthetics was another matter entirely. If a piece was not satisfactory, she handed you a hammer. Traditional Japanese teachings in New Jersey…

In 1972 I was fortunate to travel to Japan and travel about for a month, visiting ancient temples, castles, and kiln sites. I met many established pottery masters and contemporary artists, visited museums and studios, and was immersed in tea ceremony and samurai culture.

In retrospect, that visual and visceral experience took root then and has continued to develop ever since. I lean toward many things Japanese even now, including martial arts, Kurosawa, Godzilla, and a curious blend of mingei (“folk pottery”), anime and Pokémon.

I have been firing with several “families” of potters during the past decade, part of crew dedicated to finishing pots with an ancient firing method developed in the Orient - the “anagama”, climbing kiln (traditionally was built at an angle for updraft and “climbed” the hillside). Not all of my “Oriental Influence” work is fired in this way, but this seems like a good place to discuss the kilns.

I currently fire at two different kilns: Stephen Mickey’s “Soulgama” in Brush Prairie, Washington and Nils Lou’s East Creek Anagama in Willamina, Oregon. I have also fired with Richard Rowland at his “Dragon Kiln” in Astoria, Oregon. It is an honor and a privilege to be part of these kiln families, and I am grateful for their generosity.

An anagama kiln takes several days to “stack” - loading the hundreds of pots inside in a way that is stable and considers the path of the flame during firing. The actual firing consumes from four to six cords of wood and can take three to five days of round-the-clock stoking to achieve the desired temperature and ash “melt”. The type of wood burned affects the color and texture of the finished work.

The anagama blesses the pots that survive with a glaze, texture and color that cannot be achieved by any other firing process. Many pieces are destroyed, ruined, or fractured due to the incredibly active and powerful atmosphere in the kiln. Each piece is truly its own survival story. You can see the path of the flame etched on the work, the flow of the melted wood ash - like solidified lava from a volcano. Pots look weathered, ancient. Texture is embellished, every detail revealed.