Mary and I arrived at Shigaraki exactly 4 weeks ago today….it was cold and raining then, and the first morning it snowed. And to our disbelief, it tried to snow again today. Today I loaded my first reduction glaze kiln of all my dried and bisqued work, with some of Mary’s tests. So, will any of my sig’s have any colour or character?? I have used wood ash and soda ash as fluxes instead of my trusty colemonite. Meanwhile, there are five more days of making, before my last bisque.
At any residency, my goal is to respond to the place. Japan is a country filled with traditional beliefs, spirits and myths, – how to respond to that, as a secular person? The traditional roofs are resonant of Japanese beliefs, they are heavy and protective, embedded with emblems and demons to ward off evil – a different approach from European traditional roofs, which are practical. I have also been playing around with an East West face….
Now it is the last 2 weeks before the end of the residency and before Terry arrives!
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Our little Ninja tain takes us to Shigaraki -
NInjas, hiding inside the train -
Greeted by the Tanuki, racoon-dog mythical creatureof Japan, and mainly manufactured in Shigaraki. -
The large open studio for resident aritsts. -
My space, first day. -
The giant car kiln -
The ceramic buildings, shaped like an amagama kiln. Opened in June 1990. as an 'Interface with the world for cutlural exchange'. -
My space after a few days, festooned with oni-gawara images. -
More images, including some from the Leach and from MOA, most recent reseidncies. -
Images of the oni on the Japanese roof. -
Endless Tanuki, everywhere -
and more..... -
A wnonder ful xample of a traditiona roof on a traditional home. -
Another lovely roof -
Automated mortor and pestles, fro grinding colourants, in the Technical Collegee -
Melt test in the Techincal College, one of thousands... -
A piece of machinery at the college -
Little streams criss cross the town -
Whose Bones? Guardian dogs on a roof tile. -
Olive. -
Demon babies with terra sig -
the East West demon -
A dressed Tanuki by the station.
