Artist’s Statement |
| Much of the inspiration for my work is taken from the colors and textures of Oak Creek Canyon. I try to translate the beauty of the area into a piece of pottery that is appealing both visually and tactilely. Creating pieces that push the limits of the clay and that are challenging to build provides a satisfaction that goes beyond the finished product. Even without a title, I hope my pottery will bring to mind the bark of a spruce or pine, a prickly pear cactus, an outcropping in the red rocks or a vein of copper. When I combine the pottery piece with another medium, it is organic or mineral in nature. A piece of bamboo, petrified wood, a fossil or copper leaf can add interest and balance to a piece without detracting from the vision of the piece as a translation of the canyon. I am also inspired by the potters in Japan. Japanese ceramic art, particularly as expressed in the handmade tokkuri (sake flasks) and guinomi (sake cups), is unique in character and timeless. Viewing a collection of these pieces, with their distinctive regional and seasonal forms and colors, is like coming into a room full of interesting people. I hope with my sake pottery to bring an interesting person or two into the homes of others. To bring them a piece of pottery that, unlike most mass-produced products which quickly become obsolete, will give them joy now and eventually pass into the hands of their children. I prefer cups with some weight that would perhaps be described as masculine. A Bizen potter has said that the rim of the cup should feel as if it rolls off the lip like a kiss. A sake flask should fit the hand and be a size that is easy to hold. The neck should taper so that the sake flows out in a way that produces a sound, which the Japanese describe as “toku…toku…toku”; hence the name tokkuri for a sake flask. |
Jinni Newnam February 2007 |