Visiting artists in Japan - volume 2: Tamotsu Suzuki

beautiful vessel made by Tamotsu Suzuki

Back in UK, slowly recovering from a jet lag as I write this blog post. Time does go so quickly when you are having a good time, indeed. I always feel that the holiday can become extra special when you meet “people”on the land, rather than just sightseeing or laying on a beach, as it can enrich your experience and create memory. It has certainly did for us and visiting a family of Tamotsu Suzuki was one of such lovely memories.

I have been admiring his work for nearly two years ever since I have started Instagram. His expression of clay work and the details of nature around him on his Instagram feed must have been aspired so many viewers, not to mention myself of course, and I have been wishing to visit his studio one day. That day, did come true fairly quickly in a best possible way. 

Instagram community in UK (or all English speaking basis, should I say) has been somewhat life changing experience. Connection you can make with like-minded people is not just comforting but encouraging in a real life. 

Luckily the same has happened to me by using my native Japanese language and the result was quite significant. When I asked about visiting his studio in Kobuchizawa in the middle of beautiful mountain side, he kindly offered us to stay over night with them.

To be honest, we hesitated at first. We felt it would be too much, especially with a little one too, thought we would be too imposing. Plus, he is an experienced potter, unlike myself. Wouldn’t it be rude in Japan? After all, we are strangers other than our occasional comments on Instagram.

Then again, I also felt that it would be a great opportunity to get to know each other better, see their life and culture, which would also benefit to my daughter and husband. After some discussion with my husband, we have decided to trust our gut feeling and my instinct about him from our conversation. 

It’s funny when you worry something like this, often the others feel the same. Tamotsu later said the same. But we quickly felt it was the right decision and found our comfort in his family home.

Tamotsu in his own studio

In fact, our daughter Sabrina has instantly made a bond with his daughter, who’s a little older than her. Quietly but comfortably played together, to the point that she did not even want to come to visit his studio with us as she wanted to carry on playing with her, which was very unusual to her! Actually it was so sweet to see these two girls in their own world, and with that bonus, we have managed to explore Tamotsu’s studio and get his insight for some time without any distraction! Ha!

He hand builds each piece and finishes with slip in Japanese “kohiki” style, which mostly leaves matt surface texture. Every details are taken cared of, such as rims, which I particularly adore. Glaze colours he uses are often mono tone and they give somehow rustic yet modern style on your table.

He also makes sculptural pieces inspired by plants. I could spot them here and there in his house and studio, totally naturally, as if they are gently breathing and inhabiting. 

The view from his studio was magnificent. Clean air, sound of spring water. Everything was meant to be there to inspire you and balance your life. 

a stunning view from his studio even on a cloudy day

Hospitality from his family was genuine and at the same time so natural. We had a short trip to a local onsen (public bath with a hot spring), made gyoza (Japanese dumplings) as a part of the lovely dinner that night and played hanabi (fire work - one of ‘must do’ during summer in Japan) in the evening. Many of these were first experience for Sabrina and she absolutely loved every minute of it. Tamotsu’s down-to-earth, honest and open character made us feel at ease. There were laughters and smiles. Conversation lasted till late evening.

his guest room welcoming us with calmness

his daughter’s ‘teeny’ origami creations! 

Thank you so much for having us Tamotsu and his family. It was wonderful to have spent time together. We shall definitely treasure our memory as much as his pottery we happily brought home with us. 

Tamotsu’s webiste, click here

Tamotsu’s instagram, click here

Visiting artist in Japan - volume 1: chokkin kirie YUYA

delightfully beautiful work by YUYA

Hello everyone. 

Currently on family holiday in Japan and it’s already into the second week. We have been spending a lovely time with family and friends, which were much longed for. Our daughter Sabrina is in a great shape, having so much laughters and smiles, as well as suddenly expanding her Japanese conversations, which is a bonus. 

During our stay, we have planned to visit several artists in Japan, who I admire and longed to visit for some times. I would like to share the story on my blog in the coming weeks.

Today I would like to share our first visit to YUYA, a paper cut artist and product designer / illustrator and his wife Keiko, as known as Sparrow Kei on her instagram, who runs bakery classes at their home studio, Atetlier FOLK in Tokyo. 

It’s going back nearly a decade that I first saw his work via his blog. There were no instagram in those days, but I certainly got hooked onto his design, which is somewhat modern and friendly folk that really eases your eyes and makes you smile. I also love the fact that he uses a pair of scissors to cut paper, which I think leaves more personality and handmade touch.

Both YUYA and Keiko have always been friendly and open to the conversation over blog and instagram today, that I felt like it was not the first time to actually meet, very relaxing. Well, except having five year old daughter around, which is not always easy to visit someone new, but they wholeheartedly welcomed us. We enjoyed homemade cake by Keiko with all the detailed touch on how she served us, which are just so lovely. 

Their home is filled with much loved collection of treasure from pottery and folk art, to books and music, and has been featured in many magazines and TV program. They kept saying and rather warningly, it’s a very small space, but I could not hide my excitement to see their house. And I have to say there were no warning needed. It totally blown my expectation. I LOVED it. You cannot stop smiling each step, each corner of their home. YUYA kindly allowed me to share some images here, so hope you enjoy them too. 

We have chosen one of his paper cut arts to bring back to our home. (as you can see on the top) We shall certainly treasure it and remember such a lovely time we spent together. Thank you so much YUYA san and Keiko san. 

You can view more of Aterlier FOLK, here.

POTFEST in the Pens

Hi everyone. 

We have just arrived in the middle of summer heat in Japan and I am already super excited for coming weeks to catch up with my family, friends and visit a few artist who I longed to meet. I am sure I will be writing about our travel later on, but for now here is a brief catch up from the show last weekend at POTFEST in the Pens. 

Firstly, thank you so so much for those who visited the show, popped by my stand to say hi and purchased my work. I have received so many positive feedback and many of my work have found new homes. Your support make it possible for me to do what I love doing and for that I am truly thankful.

POTFEST was 25th anniversary this year, after all the wonderful history of this show run by Geoff and Chris Cox. My late mentor David’s favourite show it was (you can see the post here) and I have visited for many many years. 

This was my second time to attend this show as an exhibitor and my last one was before Sabrina was born, so it was a big come back after some years! (You can view it here)

It was great to be back at the show and see some familiar faces. 

We were camping with my family and also visited to see our friends in Kendal one night, which was such a treat, too. (This beautiful image is when we were coming down to the valley to Kendal) 

Just to note that a white tarpaulin behind my stand is provided by Pens, which could not be taken down. However, I had a lovely spot beaming natural light, so overall it was a lucky space to display my work. 

Hope you enjoyed some images here from my stand. Thank you for visiting my blog as always. 

maki xx

Earth and Fire

Long time no blog (again!) 

It’s been super busy over here and continue to be. But before moving on to the next show prep, I would like to share some images from Earth and Fire, an international ceramic fair held at the Harley Gallery, Welbeck, last weekend. 

Original Earth and Fire used to be held at Rufford for many years, to which I always enjoyed visiting. This was their second year to be held at this new venue and this time I was at the other side of the show, an exhibitor! 

Having been a big fan of this show, you can imagine how delighted I was when I was selected among over 100 established potters in UK and beyond.

Thank you so much for those who popped by my stand and purchased work. Your support means the world to me and helps me do what I love, so really appreciate. I had a lovely couple who have purchased a whole dinner set! I was totally blown away! 

flowers from my garden and some foraged in the field

popular 'rakugaki' mugs flown to many happy homes

it was a scorcher! 

As always, I have learnt a lot by observing other’s stand and listening to their experience and advice. Always learning something, from display idea and setting price to variation of work and wrapping mechanism. Even camping tips! Event like this is a great opportunity to speak to fellow potters for that reasons. But most of all, meeting them and talking endlessly about life is the best bit of the show. Potter’s community is such a wonderful thing. I am so happy that I am now part of it.  

m x 

ONE YEAR

Should I do it or not?

I asked this question to myself so many times over the past years. And I am sure many of you might have come across a situation like this from time to time. 

Stepping outside of your comfort zone. 

Leaping into the unknown. 

Some people might find it exciting but most of us would feel it difficult to do, I guess. I was the same. I was scared.

I worked for social care industry for 17 years, specialising with working for people with leaning difficulty and autism. I enjoyed my role, however, working within organisation, there were times when my stress level was so high, when raised issue's been ignored, feeling going nowhere and made me think of leaving the job. Yet, regular income was a comfort and security in my head. I’ve never experienced being self employed, so considering leaving a day job for it was a totally unknown path and a simply challenge to me. Even though I dreamed my pottery business THIS MUCH. I doubted my skills. I doubted my confidence. I could list so many things to stop me. Because it was easier than believing in myself.

But, I did it. My heart said it’s time, do it now or never. I truly think this was the final push. Listen to your heart. Don’t start calculate the future. Because until you take that action, you can’t really start that future. Only took me 18 years since I first touched clay. But, better than never!

May 30th 2017, I started my new studio routine as a full time potter. (Ok, saying that I work within my girl’s school hours now, and some nights and weekend of course.) Being my own boss is brilliant. That kind of stress I mentioned has gone and I noticed that I became much happier. Of course, there are lots of hard work being self employed and have ups and downs. I still have different type of stress but that can be adjusted and dealt with in my own way. Sometimes positive stress is good and drives you forward.  

My first year of full time pottery business has been so far so good. I have achieved some goals, built my website and online shop, met new like minded people and returned to trade show recently, which went brilliant. I am currently working really hard to catch up with orders and forthcoming shows. I am rather overwhelmed with the amount of tasks that I am doing right now to be honest, but must not grumble to be able to do what I love. I am lucky to be in this position. 

Those who read this blog post, come and comment in my social network, turn up my shows and purchase my work, thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. Without you, my business would not happen. I am truly grateful with your support in so many ways. I will continue to share my journey and hope you can enjoy it too.

If you ever question yourself in the similar situation, have a listen to your heart not your head. It may help you make that big leap and believe in yourself, much quicker than I took! 

British Craft Trade Fair

So long no blog! I’ve been meaning to write at least one post a month then March just went! April is already half way through, which means my first event of this year, British Craft Trade Fair (BCTF) has been and gone. Today I’d like to share a little about the show, especially since this was a trade show and wasn’t open to the general public.

If you have been reading my blog for a long time, you might remember that I attended this show in 2013 with a huge bump, expecting my daughter Sabrina. I was in a new comer stand and very nervous. (You can see more in this post)

But I must tell you, this time was worse. I was more nervous than the last time. Probably because I knew how tense this show can be, but more so because this was my first trade show for many years as I had a studio break in between, and also I am now full time self employed. I have not worked with galleries for years and worried how my new tableware would be perceived today.

PREPARATION

The major part of preparation is the stand display. Unlike other ceramic events, we are not there to sell individual items to the general public, but to present your sample work to professional buyers. Your work needs to be shown in the best possible way to stand out among more than 500 exhibitors.

Display is not my forte. I always admire other people’s stands for their professionalism and uniqueness. Still, you can learn and experience over time. So I have written some tips that I have learnt and hopefully you might find them useful, especially if you are a new maker.

MY 5 TIPS FOR PREPARATION

1. collect ideas

2. think about materials that flows with your work

3. think about wall space

4. think how you transport and store them after the show

5. plan time scale

COLLECT IDEAS

Display plan doesn’t come just over night, so you will need to develop over time. To help your ideas grow to exactly how you want, it is useful to collect ideas and visual examples. I did this using Pinterest and Instagram. Not necessarily from show display, but images of someone’s kitchen shelve, shop display and wall decoration can also be useful. The more you collect, you can narrow down your own idea. 

MATERIALS

For the main display materials, you may consider using your own furniture or buy a new product or even make your own plinths etc. Whatever you use, think about the materials that flow with your own work. They can be wood, glass, metals and steels… almost anything, but make sure the materials are harmonise with your work. 

In my case, I used wood. Tableware is based at home environment and I wanted to make it ‘warm’ ‘home-like’ setting, so I used an old table that I already have and built wooden shelves to go above it. 

WALL SPACE

Last time, I didn’t use the wall space effectively, so I have decided to provide panels myself this time. Panels are hung with metal brackets, which is much securer than using S hook. BCTF actually offers panels and shelves if you would like to pay, but this would be one off, so if you would like to keep your display kits for future, make your own.

handmade panels that used for a corner of my stand

TRANSPORT & STORAGE

Unless you have a big car and house with plenty of space, you will need to consider how you transport your display kits and where/how to store them after the show. Ideally you can utilise the display materials for another shows so double the usage, but this can need a little planning as each show has different stand size and scheme.

The table I used was actually the same one I used in 2013. It is my usual photo shooting table and my wrapping station. Already exists mean that there is a space for it. (I must admit that I was lucky to live close to the venue so that we did not need a long journey with the table on the car roof!)

The wooden shelves are made to be dismantled so can be transported flat. Also they can be adapted to other ceramic events I will be attending in the future. So no waste.

After all, I must say a huge thank you to my dear husband who always listens to my design ideas and implements it with his DIY skills. (and coping with my nagging!)

PLAN TIME SCALE

Whether you need building and painting your display materials, make sure you put that time into a work schedule to avoid last minute chaos. As makers, you may stretch time to make maximum stock as close as possible to the show, but preparation of display itself can also take time. I have set at least a week worth of time slot dedicated to this. 

If you have children at home, you will need to put that into the consideration too. You know what’s going to be like with running around child next to your precious materials!

SHOW DISPLAY

My apology for rather poor quality of photography, as I struggled with those artificial lightings. Nevertheless, I hope you can get an idea.

MY 5 TIPS FOR DISPLAY

1. think about theme and style of your work
2. think how your work want to be seen / plan for eye levels & other eye views
3. think about effective background
4. props or no props?
5. use advice if available

THEME & STYLE

Like I mentioned earlier, I wanted my display to look like someone’s home. Be it dining cabinet, table setting or wall decorations, that you can enjoy looking at. This idea applies in every part of my display, otherwise it won’t harmonise each other.

EYE LEVEL & OTHER EYE VIEWS

This is about deciding how your work wants to be seen.

Eye level is the first thing you have to consider in order to draw the viewer’s attention without them walking pass. In my case, the top and second shelves of my dining cabinet is the eye level point, and there I have displayed my ‘rakugaki’ series. Unique and individual blue and white decorations are good to catch viewer’s eyes but also makes you feel at ease with symmetry display, rather than tiring with over-loaded display.

Once you draw your visitors into your stand space, you can create another view point and close up. Like tabletop display, which is a bird eye view as they look down and physically handle your work. I displayed my ‘mazekoze’ series as if I was styling the table for friends gathering to create inviting feel. 

Wall space can create maximum impact if you use it well. I used two panels in the corner to display two series of work, with carefully chosen items that explains each character. 

‘mazekoze’ series is aimed for everyday use to mix up colours. So I scattered plates randomly on the surface and added a little shelf to display my new cups to maximise the use of colour palette.

‘rakugaki’ series is about spontaneous doodling. Here I have selected oval platter that shows large surface decoration and spoons for irregular shapes, which I hoped to be eye catching.

I must admit, the most exciting part was to display the paintings by Debbie Georgie. Debbie is one of my most admiring painters today. She paints flowers and ceramics in such a beautiful and somehow nostalgic manner. Prior to this show, I asked her commission for painting with my pottery. Aren’t they just wonderful? Thank you so so much Debbie. 

BACKGROUND

In the past, I used to settle with all white display. Although nothing wrong with all white, I went for bold colour to make my work to stand out. But be careful with the choice of colour, because you don’t want it to crash with your work or overtake the impact. My choice was dark grey, which is bolder than white but still understated colour and works with almost any colour. I had some beautiful paint left (called ’downpipe’ from Farrow & Ball) from our recent living room renewal. (See this post.) This was used on the background of shelves as well as two wall panels.

PROPS OR NO PROPS?

Using small props can be effective for your display as they can provide mood or seasonal touch. However, if you over do it or use wrong materials and/or theme, it can ruin the whole picture. 

I used natural linens, green herbs, wooden spoons and pears (yes pears!) for the table styling, carefully selected to match the theme. Hope you like the look.

For a little space left on the side, I used our bedside drawers. Stand doesn’t have storage space and you are not allowed to leave any storage boxes there, but you will need some space to store paper works, stocks and so on. So having drawers is very useful without looking cluttered. On the top of them, I displayed some bud vases and cherry blossom from our garden to give a sense of spring.

USE ADVICE

One of the great things about BCTF is that you can get advice from the organiser, be it display or price setting. I found it very useful, otherwise you may stuck with your unsolved problem. If you have advice available, of course do use it!

REFLECTION

Over all, it was a good show despite my nervousness.

I had so many positive feedback about both my work and my display. I took a small notebook to record visitor’s information and it came back almost full. Many of co-exhibitors came and left me positive comments too, which is really encouraging and supportive.

Except, I had one lady stopped by and left me a negative comment. “Your work is too simple, too domestic.” to my face then she walked off! I was stunned and did not what to say, so I just said “sorry”.

I ranted a little bit over Instagram post but after reading some comments, I had a second thought. Maybe I should take this as a compliment. Because I know that pottery is never simple. It takes practice, skills, knowledge and effort. It also takes time to get “simple” right. You can easily overdo things in pottery, almost to “hide” the lack of skills or weakness. So if my work appears to be “simple and domestic”, it means that my aim of everyday tableware has been achieved. Maybe this lady actually helped me refocus what I am aiming for! 

Anyway, I must say I am very happy with the show result, as I have received Christmas exhibitions offers and a good numbers of orders from galleries that keeps me busy for the rest of year. Some galleries that had my work back in 2013 have come back and ordered many, which is truly grateful knowing that they are happy to have my work again.

Hope you enjoyed behind the scene of BCTF and some photos. Thank you for reading. m x