Blog
Mamoru Taku
Japanese potter; Article by Kiyomi Noma An Encounter with Organic Beauty A vase drew me into a small gallery in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture. It was a vase with naturally graceful presence. There was perfect harmony between the sand beige coloured base and the glowing scarlet pattern on such a gentle form, I felt warm comfort... Read More
Laura Andreson Papers
From the Smithsonian Archives of American Art Laura Andreson was a distinguished American studio potter and teacher. In 1934 she established the ceramics program at UCLA, where she taught for 36 years, from 1933-70. She initially made low-fired earthenware, but turned to reduction-fired stoneware in 1948 and porcelain in 1957. Andreson retired from teaching in 1970,... Read More
The Last Water Jar
Article By Jim Danisch. Lightning strikes dirt, blindingly fusing it into nature’s terra cotta, changing its color to red, brown, orange, white, gray or black, sometimes leaving behind strange fused bits of metal that are sought as amulets. Potters have simulated and controlled this process since before memory. The names for the parts of a pot... Read More
Rare Earth Colorants
Article by Max Campbell and Chris Keane Introduction We will be introducing you to a new range of glaze colorants that offer exciting new possibilities. They offer lemonade pinks, purple blues and acid greens. The colorants are based on oxides of the rare earth metals, neodymium, praseodymium and erbium. As the oxides are soluble in... Read More
Ryoji Koie – Ceramic Rebel
Article by Janet Mansfield Followers of the ceramics of the Japanese artist Ryoji Koie could be excused for wondering what Koie will turn his mind to next. When I first met Koie in the 1970s he was making pots covered in slip and firing them with wood that had been dredged from the harbor... Read More
National Center for Khmer Ceramics Revival (NCKCR)
The National Center for Khmer Ceramics Revival (NCKCR) is aimed at the revival of Cambodian ceramics. The NCKCR is a non-profit and non-governmental organization aiming to rediscover and reintroduce Khmer ancestral pottery techniques and support the development of contemporary Khmer ceramic art. In the process, NCKCR creates economic opportunities, helping to decrease poverty in Cambodia. Serge... Read More
Ken Ferguson
Ken Ferguson (1938-2004) studied at various art institutions, receiving his MFA from Alred University in 1954. From 1964 on he was he was head of the ceramics department at Kansas City Art Institute, where in 1996, his year of ‘retirement’, he became professor emeritus in ceramics. In 1981 he was voted one of the 12 greatest... Read More
Geschichte des KachelofenbausÂ
Kachelöfen haben Tradition Von den offenen Feuerstellen der Urzeit abgesehen, dürfte der Kachelofen das älteste Heizgerät sein. Der Wärmespender mit der längsten Tradition ist er sicherlich. Als Vorläufer des heutigen Kachelofens kann man den Pfahlbauofen aus der Bronzezeit um 2500 v. Chr. ansehen. Bei dieser im Alpengebiet und im süddeutschen Alpenvorland entstandenen Urform des Kachelofens... Read More
Japanese Ceramics Terminology
by Morgan Pitelka. The following article was originally published on Morgan Pitelka’s website: http://employees.oxy.edu/mpitelka/index.html. Below you will find rough definitions for a number of words commonly used in discussions of Japanese ceramics. I suggest using English equivalents whenever possible. If neccessary, give the Japanese term in italics with an English definition in parentheses. If you have... Read More
Rebuilding Afghanistan Pot by Pot: The Turquoise Mountain Foundation and the Potters of Istalifz
by Noah Coburn and Ester Svensson The Turquoise Mountain Foundation is a non-profit, non-governmental organization which invests in Afghanistan’s traditional crafts, historic building and landscapes in order to preserve cultural heritage, improve living conditions and create economic opportunities. The Turquoise Mountain Foundation believes that the preservation of Afghan culture is vitally and urgently linked to... Read More
Get Ready to Have No-Obligation Talks With Contractors