Flat Vase with Paracord Handle パラコードの取っ手付き平花器

ディストリクト・クレーで初めに作った器です。
流木で取っ手を作るはずでしたが、パラコードだけにしてみました。
My first piece completed at District Clay. I was planing to put drift wood handle but decided to have only paracord.

この器は弁柄を下に薄く塗って、その上に志野釉薬をかけて、ガス窯でコーン１０まで還元焼成したものです。
Iron oxide under Shino glaze. Reduction fired in a gas kiln to cone 10.

器の形については、前記した「どう花を見せるかを考える」を参照にしてください。
Please refer to my earlier entry, "Thinking about how to present flowers," for the shape of the vessel.

植物を入れる入れない、後ろの幕の色の違い、などでいろいろな楽しみ方があります！
Various ways to enjoy it- with or without flowers, different back ground colors..

野に遊ぶ Enjoying Nature

やはり、自然が良い。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　                      Great is nature.
空があり、地があり。                                                                                 There is sky, there is land.
動植物がいる。                                                                                        There are animals and plants.
ありがたいことです。                                                                              So many to be thankful for.

My family and I went camping in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. It was not a long drive there from DC area. (Just about 1 1/2 hrs.) The park had a wonderful road called Sky Drive. I felt like we were driving into the sky!

At a vista point on Sky Drive.

As we drove on Sky Drive, we did not really want to leave the area because the park was so intensely beautiful!
We were prepared to camp outside the park, but instead stopped at the nearest camp ground on the northern part of Sky Drive. It was called Mathews Arm. We hoped they would still have a first-come-first-serve camping area. And they did! For $15! It was a large and family friendly camp site. We camped near by camp hosts who were super nice and eager to help! They warned me that I tied up our food too close to a tree trunk... in arms reach of bears! They explained that unlike their West coast friends, East coast bears can't open car! So we left our food in the car instead.

Stopping to play around in a meadow.

We only walked on a part of Mathews Arm trail. We enjoyed the area very much:) 

五月初頭にバージニア州にあるシェナンドーア国立公園に行ってきました。DCから車で一時間半とお手軽な距離。公園にはスカイドライブという車道があり、開けたところでは空に乗り入れてしまうような気分でした！

shot by our daughter

数日前に調べたところ、国立公園の運営するキャンプサイトは全て予約済みとあったので、公園の近くにある私営のキャンプサイトに予約を取りました。しかし、スカイドライブを進むにつれ、あまりにもに絶景故その周辺を離れたくなくなり、北入口から一番近いマシューズアームというキャンプサイトに立寄り、ファーストカムファーストサーブのキャンプサイトがまだ開いているか尋ねてみました。するとどうでしょう！予約ができるキャンプサイトは混み込みなのに対して、ファーストカムファーストサーブの方はほぼガラ空きでした！というわけで、15ドルでとても条件の良いサイトとあって、即座にここに留まることに決定！家族ずれに便利で、キャンプ場のホストもとても丁寧でとてもよろしいキャンプ場でした！

ハイキングは、マシューズアーム・トレールを半分くらい歩いただけでしたが、とても気持ちよかったです：）

Thinking about how to present flowers. どう花を見せるかを考える。

陶芸をすれば、誰でも食器と花器を作ろうとするのではないでしょうか。僕はその典型で、９５年に始めた陶芸ですが、造形以外、殆ど僕の作る物は食器か花器だったと思います。（この中には、茶器も入る。）

When people start pottery, almost everyone makes dishes and vases. I am a typical example of that. I started making ceramics in '95, and almost every piece I made - other than ceramic art - fell into these categories (including tea ceremony related items.)

この中で、最近面白いなぁと思うのが、花器です。花器といえば、古伊賀のスタイルしか興味がありませんでした。というのも、造形を学んだ僕にとっては、桃山時代に作成された、これらの花器群は他の花器を寄せ付けない、造形美溢れる魅力があるのです。だから、僕なりに形と釉薬のバランスなどを考えて、セッセと古伊賀花器モドキを作り続けていたのです。（これは、作陶生活が続く限りやめられないのかもしれない。）
For the past few years, I've had a special interest in vases. Not that I'm new to vases. I've actually made lots of them,  but when I did make them, I almost exclusively made them  in old Iga style - at least the shape of it. Old Iga or Ko-Iga ware were made in Momoyama period (late 1500s). Their vases are highly sculptural. For a man who studied sculpture, Ko-Iga vases shined like no other. Hence, I have had made this style of vases paying attention to the balance of the shapes and the glazes. (I suspect this indulgence of mine will not stop as long as I make pottery.)

反面、僕は新たな刺激が欲しく、ここ数年間「どのようにこの美しい古伊賀花器の呪縛から自分を解放することができるのか？」などとも、一人でぶつぶつ言ってもいました。
Recently, I wanted something fresh. It is true that for a few years I would mumble to myself, "How can I liberate myself from this spell of  beautiful Ko-Iga vases?"

僕は草花が好きです。野草が好きです。花屋さんに行って、整然と並ぶ草花たちも好きです。一番好きな草花の姿は、自然のままです。何でも自然のままが良いのです。地から生える草花。木から伸びる枝に咲いては散る花。季節ごとに表情を変える植物は、生きる教訓を見る側に訴えます。

I like leaves and flowers. I like wild foliage. I also like flowers and plants that are neatly organized in flower shops. But I like plants in their natural setting the best. To me, anything really looks the best in its natural state. Those plants that grow out of soil, the flowers that bloom on the branches off a trunk, or the foliage that changes its expression by season, all give some sort of life lessons to the viewer.

でも人間とは面白い、自然を放っておけない。いろいろな見方(意地悪な見方も含めて)が有りますが、要するに自然が大好きなのだと思います。そしてその美しさや、自然の象徴する何かにあやかりたくて、草花を自然から切り離し、自分の手に負える範囲でもう一度、今度は自分のフィルターを通して、自然を表現したいのではないでしょうか？少なくても、僕はそうなのです。
The interesting thing about us humans is that we can not leave nature alone. There may be many ways to explain why we can't leave nature alone (including not so nice intentions,) I personally think it is simply because we love nature. In the process of or in attempt to emanate beauty or something that nature symbolizes, we take the plant out of its natural environment, and recreate and express nature through our own filters in more manageable setting.  At least, that is my case.

この数年に間、ただ考えていたわけではありません。幾度ともなく、試行錯誤しながら、土と語らってきました。僕の中では、あるコンセプトがありました。「自然からほど遠くない草花のあり方。」要するに、「切られたそのままの状態を僕の作った器でどう受けとめるか？」それが、課題なのです。
Last few years, I repeated the process of trial and error. I tried to understand the language of clay. I had a concept which is,"Presenting foliage not too far from its natural environment." The challenge was how the vessels I made accept fresh cut plants or vise versa. 

若かった頃、父と母がよく庭いじりをしながら、切った花をバケツに入れたのを思い出します。そういえば、イギリスに住んでいた時も、そん光景を頻繁に見たことがあります。バケツに入れられた花たちは、とても生き生きとしていたことを思い出します。どの花もバケツに入れられた時は意図的に立たせられたりはしていません。ただ切られた時のままバケツの口に寄りかかっているのです。でもそれがかえって新鮮に見えました。この「無造作さ」、それが僕のコンセプトの根底にあります。でも、先にも述べたように、やはり人間は、表現するものですから、僕の作る花入は、立てても横たえても良いようにデザインしているつもりです。

I remember my dad and mom putting flowers in a bucket as they worked in their yard in Japan when I was young. In England, I saw many gardeners doing so as well. I recall the flowers leaning at the mouth of the bucket looking extra fresh. Presenting the flowers well was probably the last thing they had in their mind. Such "un-intention" is at the root of my practice. However, I could not help designing my vessels so plants can stand or lay in them.    

きっと、先に花器を作ってきた人たちは同じようなことを考えていたにちがいない。
I am certain that people who made flower vessels before me thought, had concerns, and dealt with similar issues as I do.

NEW STUDUO: DISTRICT CLAY

Me and my family moved from NYC to Bethesda, MD. Naturally, I had to look for a new clay studio, and District Clay in DC was it! My wife and I separately found this place online. My friend, Shino Takeda, had a connection to this place. So, it was meant to be. :)

ニューヨークからメリーランドのベセズダ市に越してきました。当然、作陶の場を探すことになり、ディストリクト・クレーというスタジオをDCに見つけました。妻と友達の紫乃ちゃんの協力により見つけられたところです。感謝、感謝：）

So here are some links to my friends and old and new studios:

ということで、感謝の気持ちを込めて、前のと新しいスタジオ、それと、お世話になった作陶家のリンクです：

Shino Takeda 竹田紫乃　She looked for my new studio via Instagram and connected me to Pegah! Thank you, Shino chan!:)　紫乃ちゃんはインスタグラムで僕の新しいスタジオを探してくれました！紫乃ちゃん、ありがとう！！：）：）

Togei Kyoshitsu of NY Many many thanks to Mako san and Risa sama from Togei Kyoshitsu of NY!!　ニューヨーク陶芸教室のマコさん、リサちゃん、お世話になりました！！

District Clay The owner Cass is awesome! And A few of studio mates I met are great too! Here are couple of them below:　ディストリクト・クレーのオーナーのキャスさんはとても気の良い人です！下記の人たちは、ここで出会った作陶仲間：

Pegah Shahghasemi　ペガ

Lisa Ramber　リサ　ランバー

My most recent works from District Clay.

最新の作品群.

The left one will have gold lacquer, the middle and the right ones will have handles.

左のやつは、金の上絵付けをします。そして、他の二つには、取っ手wお付ける予定。

test pieces

テストピース。

In addition, my new look with my wife'd flower arrangement.

ついでに、僕のニュールックと僕の愛妻のフラワーアレンジメント。

New Blood

It's been more than a year since the last entry, I experimented a bunch with my work but I was not convinced with any of them until now. This kind of work I present here is not actually new to me. But yet I am very thrilled to be making things like this. In the past year, I struggled with my identity as an object maker and realized I have none. I thought the purist approach to ceramics was the way to go, but who was I kidding? After all, I do have a sculpture degree, and while I made sculptures, I enjoyed throwing different materials together. After almost a decade since I left school, I finally feel like I've come back to some of my roots as an artist.

Mixed media: ceramic, drift wood, ostrich leather, Japanese cord.

The most important part of this is having fun in the process. To me, just dealing with ceramics was not satisfying. Yes, I know the purist ceramicists out there would say that I am copping out. But I am well aware that I don't have crazy skills like those very talented ceramicists. But then, I am not really interested in challenging myself to make every part of my work in clay. I am allured by seduction of combining different materials, colors and texture. It's like wearing clothes. All those different colors, patterns, textures compliment or clash each other and present a person. In a way, it is my most honest attempt to make something in recent years. On top of that, I am having so much fun! So I have no reservations!!! 

Celebration of Combining Two of My Blogs in One and My Motto: Let it Speak its own Language and Listen

   I am combining my blogs into one. Having said that, I have not posted anything on the other blog, Enjoy!, since before my daughter was born in 2011. I originally started that blog to talk about spirituality, however, I finally decided there will not be no separation between what I do and think. You may feel a slight change of mood in this blog. But, life goes on. :)
   So, as you can read it in my profile, my motto (at least one of my motto) is, "Let it Speak its own Language and Listen." My belief, as a human being, is that we come to this world to bring yourself to higher self. In Japanese, when somebody is born, it is said, "He/she was given a life (命)." The Chinese character, 命, means life but also to order, to give direction, or to name, as well as a destiny. In Japan, giving a name is written,  命名, and it could simply mean, giving the name but it actually has much deeper meaning than just giving a name.  The important part is being born (being given life) and naming (being given name) are inseparable things. The first step of life is being born that is a collaboration between you and your mother. And the second step of life is being named that is the first involuntary contract in this world. It is a spell that is bound to the human society. Sure, you can change your name down the road, but first, you are given your life and you are given your name. Well, it is true, many people feel like we are born with our own will- and I do admit I know I chose to be born, but I won't discuss that now. Anyway, about being born and naming, I strongly feel there was a sense of obligation or some sort of life assignment that was given with life and my own name at the birth. In that sense, I feel that I became complete when all of those things like the birth time, the body, the name, the soul, and the mind came together.  And further more, I was given a family, the community, the environment, and so forth at the same time. Long story short, this is what I believe: I, this consciousness, is responsible of making this person, Atsushi Iwai, to meet the satisfaction of this soul in order to fulfill the mission that is somehow attached to the birth time of mine. Fulfilling the mission means the highest place you can go in this life time.
   Lately, well, more like past ten years or so, I felt that part of what I am supposed to do is to listen. So, I started thinking that the big part of my action should be listening. A lot of times, this "listening" is actually more like deeply feeling or accepting, but "listening" sounds more poetic, doesn't it? So, listening. I propose my theory: we are the deciphers of our own lives. Regardless of what we learn from school and from society or languages that we speak, you are the only person in the whole world who can understand the signs that are given to you, which are encoded in your environment. (I know it is not a new concept, but it does have importance to me now again. Regardless of how many times there was the same message given to me, if I could not accept the message, then it was as good as nothing. )
    I think the secret to deciphering the signs is to become sensitive. If I can perceive the subtle differences in a narrow signal, then I can learn much more things than I previously did from the same range of information. This is, I can say it without hesitation, true to all discipline. As a yogi, I listen to the language of my body, mind, and soul. When I say the language, I don't mean a chattering that is in the mind, what I mean is the series of sensations that are separate from chattering or feelings. Maybe, the chattering and feelings are at the first gate to enter, then there are sensations of the body, the obvious sensations include pain or pressure that are connected to the feelings. There may be a feeling of heavy presence of time.  Then, there is a shift of sensations that comes with the suspended feeling of time. There is hardly any boarders between I and other or time. When I am there, I trust what is happening. I feel as if I contain the cosmos and the cosmos contains me. Each movement, each breath, or each moment, it is a conversation and unification of broken pieces. When I am there, I literally hear, "Welcome back," to my soul ear , every cell of my body is smiling, and I know I am home.
   As a potter, I listen to the language of clay, water, air and fire. Again, subtlety is the key to this discipline. For instance, when I am throwing a pot, if I ignored even a slight sign of resistance, then the pot will be hard to be tamed.  But if I listen patiently, then I, the machine, and the clay will move, like there are no separations. I have not heard, "Welcome back," yet, when I throw pots,  but it is my hope, when I am working on ceramics, I get the same feeling of  being at home like when I am doing yoga someday.
   So, I "Let it Speak its Own Language, and Listen."
  

Simple Pattern on Bowls

Recently, I got very excited seeing Lucie Rie's work. Her simple pattern inspired me to do those pieces. I made a test piece and then a set of six. Contrasting my previous karakusa pattern in blue, I would like to continue playing with simple patterns on various shapes.

最近見つけたルーシー リーのとってもシンプルな柄はぼくとってもわくわくさせてくれました。まずテストピースを作って、それに次ぐ六つピースのセット。僕の今まで紹介した唐草とは違う柄ですが、これもまたもっと遊べそうです。