Black Mountain Object / Vase Sculpture

Born in Tokyo with stops in Singapore, and Los Angeles, I moved to NYC in 1994 and returned to California in 2018. “My process of creating ceramic work is in some ways similar to that of creating architecture or designing products, except that I allow my pieces to have their own will. I let them be. The result is work that will remind you of something you’re familiar with, at the same time it proposes something new. My work is focused yet organic, robust yet sensitive, and as humans, it is at once simple and complex. For example, I like to leave clay raw after firing, adding glazes only when needed. As in painting, I experiment with mixing glazes for unexpected textures and colors. Scratches, imprints, cuts, rips, drips, and brush strokes are intentionally present in my work. Much like in the improvisational music of Cecil Taylor where control and non-control, addition and reduction, are essential in bringing something closer to life.” “It starts with impressions I receive from things in the world. Things like the vast space in the sky, the shadows that cast upon brightly painted walls, or the stream of rainwater sliding. I hear faint ripple-like music that may turn into a loud, hollow dropping noise while a piercing cry of a crow or the soothing whistle of a mockingbird could mix into an echo from above. Other times, I flip through the pages of vintage art books or find a particular scene from a movie, and there, suddenly, I discover intriguing colors and shapes that spark inspiration. I let these impressions sink in and they wander through my mind and naturally, ideas start forming. I take my pencil and draw quick sketches in my sketchbook and things take their course.”