I have lived in Japan since 1996 and worked as a potter since 1999. In that time I have gone from making pots in my spare time to full time apprentice to establishing my own wood fired kiln and studio. Life in Japan poses its challenges, but for a potter it can also be tremendously rewarding.
The five years spent as an apprentice in Bizen have strongly influenced the way I think about pottery and the process of making it. In 2004 my wife and I moved to Tamba and I built a ten metre anagama which was successfully fired for the first time in 2006. Since then I have fired the kiln twice a year, each kiln holding 800 to a 1000 pots.
I work in a very direct way with the ‘stuff’ of pottery – I process my own clay and split my own wood. The nature of the clay, mostly from Bizen, is essential to the feel of my work. I use no glazes. All my pots are fired solely with wood for a week to ten days in the anagama. Choice of clay and positioning of the pots in the kiln is critical to success.
It is a long and demanding process requiring resourcefulness and flexibility, strength and sensitivity. The clay, the forms and the firing – from this deceptively simple process can emerge pots with a complex, subtle and long lasting beauty. For me it is an endlessly fascinating challenge.
Erasmus James
We have a a selection of works, but this piece is for reference only, and may be no longer available.
Description
Wood Fired Ceramics
I have lived in Japan since 1996 and worked as a potter since 1999. In that time I have gone from making pots in my spare time to full time apprentice to establishing my own wood fired kiln and studio. Life in Japan poses its challenges, but for a potter it can also be tremendously rewarding.
The five years spent as an apprentice in Bizen have strongly influenced the way I think about pottery and the process of making it. In 2004 my wife and I moved to Tamba and I built a ten metre anagama which was successfully fired for the first time in 2006. Since then I have fired the kiln twice a year, each kiln holding 800 to a 1000 pots.
I work in a very direct way with the ‘stuff’ of pottery –
It is a long and demanding process requiring resourcefulness and flexibility, strength and sensitivity. The clay, the forms and the firing – from this deceptively simple process can emerge pots with a complex, subtle and long lasting beauty. For me it is an endlessly fascinating challenge.