Koie Ryoji Week: 44
Last Friday I visited Koie Ryoji(b.1938) at his mountain studio in Gifu(an eight hour round-trip drive done in one day, whew) and selected 44 works for a 'Koie Week' exhibition starting today. We'll be offering the works each day in form themes starting from the largest today--tsubo-jars-vases--and finishing on Friday with guinomi. If you're not sure who Koie is--and his great importance in the Japanese ceramic art world--then please visit e-yakimono.net or do a web search. Our last Koie exhibition in May, 2006 mainly featured Tokoname anagama fired works and here we'll be featuring more glazed works, particularly Oribe mixed with iron glazing and brush markings. Here are the two largest Oribe tsubo-jars that are pure Koie in form, glazing-design and power. The gradations in Oribe green are a delight and the iron creates soft to very intense 'landscapes' over the two pieces. The first is 33.7cm.tall and is on reserve. The second is 25.5cm.tall; both include signed boxes. Additional photos and previews of any works shown in the group photos gladly sent upon request. Please note that our Fujioka ends on May 25th and will be offline after that.
ADDITIONAL PHOTOS
