Looking back over 2018 I realise that it has been a year of milestones in my pottery path. Where my work is concerned I have spent many years in the mind set of ‘maybe one day’ – trying to protect myself against disappointment I suppose. It is ingrained in my psyche. For a few…
Visiting Kanzaki Shiho (1942-2018)
I had the priviledge to visit Kanzaki Shiho at his studio last November. Hearing that he passed away I want to share this. I visited Shigaraki for a day, 4 years ago and left dissatisfied – a wander around the cultural park with not a lot happening, and a sprawling, seemingly empty town. It was…
Mashiko, 12&13 Nov. part 1
We arrived in the early afternoon after a 3 hour 3 train journey from Tokyo. You know you’ve arrived in Mashiko by the presence of an enormous pot standing at the station. Took a taxi to the hotel to drop off the luggage, then into town to be deposited at the feet of a giant…
From Cumbria to Japan
In May 2013 we fired the anagama at Higham Hall for the last time. During the less stressful of those long and eventful 60 hours we joked about having to go to Japan instead of doing our autumn firing. As the hours passed and we faced a firing which wouldn’t go above 1000 on the…