Isle of Skye
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…
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…
Bizen ware was not high on my list of priorities when we were deciding our itinerary. What came to mind was naked beige clay body with random lines of shiny red/orange scorch marks reminisent of sunburn on a pale Scottish body. However JG was very keen having become excited about the work of Isezaki Jun.…
I was full of good intentions to resurrect this blog on the return visit to Japan. The blogging didn’t happen but the Japan trip did, in November for 3 fabulous weeks with two potter friends who were also with me the first time. Non Potting Partner declined to come with us, a wise decision on…
I don’t like music in the workshop, I prefer silence. Music manipulates my mood too much, interfering with the process of making. If the job in hand is tedious or repetitive I have BBC radio 4 playing, but over the course of a day the constant replay of news is depressing so I like to…
We fell out of the gallery Toko with our purchases, like drunkards looking for the another bar, which happened to be on the other side of the road in the form of Moegi, another gallery. A modern building on three floors with a central atrium surrounding a maple tree, just beginning to turn in colour.…
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…
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…
© Copyright 2014 Patricia Shone Ceramics · Isle of Skye · Website by West Coast Media
With thanks to Shannon Tofts for gallery photography.