Kurinuki, Hasu Yoshitaka, Sphere Inside Out

Tuesday - Clay Share

Kurinuki - Demonstration by Lucien Koonce

Kurinuki - Carving out a shaped solid block clay to obtain interior space, photos by potter Lucien Koonce

'Kurinuki' is a Japanese term relating to a particular hand-forming process. This technique employs carving out a shaped solid block of clay to obtain interior space. We want to thank Lucien Koonce for sending us some great photos of this process.  We met Lucien when we first moved to Seagrove, North Carolina.  We remember taking a class at the Randolph Community College together in the late 90's on how to take professional photographs of our pottery.  In 2008 Lucien left North Carolina and now resides in the western Massachusetts village of Haydenville, where he maintains Horsepen Kiln Studio. His ceramic work consists of hand built functional and sculptural forms, which are wood fired. We have kept in contact with Lucien on Facebook and have enjoyed following his studio work.

 To see more of Lucien Koonce's ceramics art work visit Lucien Koonce website.

Lucien Koonce

 Thursday - Potters Pick

Hasu Yoshitaka

Yoshitaka Hasu, Iga, Japan

Yoshitaka Hasu, a Japanese potter from Iga makes functional as well as sculptural works. Mr. Hasu apprenticed with Shiro Banura during the 1970’s and stayed in Iga to set his roos and build his wood kiln. Mr. Hasu  makes work with the philosophy handed down from Rozanjin to Banura, “who advocated living with art through serving fine food with beautiful handmade utensils and decorating with flowers in exquisite vases…this philosophy blurs the distinction between utility and art.”

*information extracted from Touching Stone, a gallery in Sante Fe, New Mexico,
        "During his career, Hasu has produced some of the most exciting original work built upon the Iga tradition. He works like a sculptor. Using a technique called kurinuki, he carves out exterior forms and scoops out the interiors, paring away anything superfluous to distill out the strongest lines unique for each piece. His works are powerful, direct and dynamic. Another hallmark of Hasu’s work is the dramatic decorations created by combining beautiful natural ash glaze with black iron glaze, a process that requires sequential firing and intimate knowledge of the materials."

To see more of Yoshitaka Hasu’s ceramics visit the gallery Touching Stone in Sante Fe, New Mexico. www.touchingstone.com/ShowJuly11.htm

North Carolina Potters Conference - March 5-8, 2015

Yoshitaka Hasu will be a demonstrator for the upcoming North Carolina Potters Conference in Asheboro, NC, hosted by The Randolph Arts Guild.  The Randolph Arts Guild is located on Sunset Ave. in downtown Asheboro.

On March 6-8, 2015 there will be three Japanese pottery demonstrators up on stage simultaneously - Mr. Hasu will be joined by Peter Hamann and Fuku Fukumoto.  Mr. Hasu will also give a presentation Sunday morning about "History of Japanese Ceramics - How Japan Supports so Many Potters".

This year there is a bonus day at STARworks on March 5, 2015, with presentations in the morning by Shizuko Kohara on "Shigaraki" and Peter Hamann will talk about the "Japanese Tea Bowl" and in the afternoon there will be a demonstration by STARwork's visiting artist Yoshiki Onoyama.

You can registrar online at Randolph Arts Guild website.

Yoshitaka Hasu, Iga, Japan

Sunday - Playing off the Instrument

Sphere Inside Out

It is possible to turn a sphere inside out in 3D-space with possible self-intersections but without creating any crease, a process often called sphere eversion (eversion means "to turn inside out"). This is a link to part I, there is also a Part II availabe to watch on You Tube.  While at Alfred University this past summer John Gill showed us this video. 

We post our: Clay Share - Tuesday,

Potters Pick - Thursday,

Playing off the Instrument - Sunday

weekly on our Bulldog Pottery Facebook Page