Studio Pottery Bowl, Signed.

I saw this studio pottery bowl and really took a fancy to it.

I think the fact it is "wonky" is by intention of the potter, but I could be mistaken.

I think is it by a good potter, it has a very nice feel to it, again could be mistaken.

Does anyone have any idea of the maker or any info regarding it please?

I have a feeling it could be a Japanese potter?

Pictures to follow in a moment.

Thanks,

Potty.

The bowl is Japanese, as you suspected, and it would have been thrown and then squashed/slapped about to form that shape on purpose.

I don't know the potter's mark, but if I come across it I'll let you know. I say potter's mark but it could also be the mark of the kiln, which can almost be as important as the potter in some instances.

What I can say is that the bowl is from Bizen, which is one of Japan's six ancient kilns, where pottery has been produced for over 1000 years. The area in and around Bizen City where the pottery is made is situated in the Imbe area of Okayama Prefecture.

Traditionally, the pottery is almost always unglazed and the surface markings on your piece are ash from the wood that would be used in the firing. These kilns are usually massive long tunnel kilns on a slight slope, with wood (usuallly pine) added at the lower end. Firing can take up to 10 days but more usually 4 or 5 days, followed by a similar cooling down period. During firing, wood needs to be added around the clock and some people can make a living out of being a member of a firing gang as there are many kilns in the area.

Thank you very much for all of the info SP, I really appreciate the depth you have gone into, very interesting.

I have just been told by several family members (before reading you post) what a wally I was for buying it and that if that’s not by an amateur, they don't know what is

I really like it and I believe it's my first Japanese studio pot in my collection.

Regards,

Potty.

Bizen isn't to everyone's taste and it doesn't sell very well in the UK but I have grown to like it very much.

My family are not really into pots, but just know what they like or not, so I can see their point

Part of what I like is, that it seems to have been potted very well in order to look very simple/crude. Rather than just being a poorly potted item.

Out of interest SP what pots do you collect personally? (Assuming your also a collector that is)

Potty.

Firstly, my sister isn't a collector of pots but she does have a couple of pieces of Bizen on show, a few salt glazed items she uses and that's about it as far as studio pottery is concerned. So Bizen can appeal.

What I collect is more varied but a large percentage is wood fired work, so I do have Bizen and Shigaraki pots from Japan. At the moment my two favorite non-Japanese woodfirers are both women, Katerina Evangelidou, who is from Greece but trained in Farnham in the early 1970s and has remained here and Linda de Nil, who is from Belgium.

Had a look at the 2 potters, I like some of their work. I'd probably like it much better in person I think.

I'd like to be able to show off some of my items better, but always so pushed for room, that and I’m a hoarder to be honest

Thanks,

Potty.