D. Michael Coffee (shyrabbit) Ceramics in Pagosa Springs, CO

[Intuit]

Speaking of patina, I was finally able to retrieve my two ShyRabbit chawan today. They came wrapped in first in tissue, then bubble-wrap bound with cardboard inserts sandwiched between them, as they faced on another. This pack was nestled in a large cardboard box packed with recyclable peanuts.

The dramatic black tissue was a nice touch. I was gifted with a small drinking vessel. It may have been intended for tea, but it looks to be about perfect for sipping finely-crafted, aged Scots or Irish whiskey.

I can recommend Bushmills Black Bush, a blend of single malts matured in Spanish Oloroso sherry-seasoned oak casks.

The chawan are a tad darker in hand than as pictured, but that was expected due to high lumen lighting needed for properly photographing artwork. They are also larger than I had imagined - two handed drinking vessels for sure.

The active tenmoku and nuka glaze chawan: The black base layer is Tenmoku, a dark glaze comprised of feldspar, limestone, and iron oxide. The rate of cooling determines the formation of crystals that refract light, so that faster, controlled cooling yields the black background glaze in this particular example.

Nuka is a subtype of ash glaze, typically rice hull ash that ranges in whiteness from white to light blue. Nuka sage results from the addition of about 5 percent copper (oxidized copper is a distinctive green), whereas the glaze is copper-red under reductive firing. Nuka has feldspar added; silica is a physical (but not chemical) component, present in rice hull ash. Colors arise from mineral micro-contaminants in the feldspar and rice hulls. So there is complex layered glazing going on here, providing a quite tactile surface from the active glaze migration.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenmoku

The other chawan also has the tenmoku underglaze with teadust added - so that the base color varies according to exposure of overglaze layers. Traditionally a white glaze, modern shino can exhibit fire color from added iron-rich clay, color crawling and black carbon trapping within the glaze layer.

This item apparently has all of the variants going on...again, deceiving simple, but quite complex in construction.

Interestingly, this shino piece has a very subtle, delicate coppery opalescent luster, most easily seen to the eye (but lost to camera) at the rim. On the inner surface, this spidery copper highlight outlines the dark irregular tenmoku glaze, but you can only observe this effect in indirect lighting. Nice description of shino:

http://www.sodaglaze.com/shino.html

Very pleased with this purchase. I'll be breaking in the

[Chip]

Intuit, yes, Matcha is enjoyed in a Chawan with 2 hands, one under and one on the side, as this vendor shows. http://www.zencha.net/products.php

If the Summer bowls are too large, please PM me, I would gladly take them off your hands as I love both. The 6" advertised size would be fine.

Received 2 bowls and a gift cup, perhaps a Guinomi, here as well from Michael. Thank you kindly, Michael!
The Chawan-s are gorgeous and even more beautiful in hand. The color has such depth to it, stunning ...


This is lovely with greens dominating. The "imperfection" is very endearing ... this is a smaller Chawan, but big in style points!

[Robert Fornell]

Thanks for another good post Intuit.

The defining attribute of hagiwara is the clay composition and how it's prepared, affording it's unique absorptive qualities that result in malleable/changeable character with extended use. It's appearance is dynamic, changing over time.

http://www.kougei.or.jp/english/crafts/0428/f0428.html

The other big difference is the kiln type used. Wood-fired Anagama style kilns and it's variants are are notoriously difficult to work with because of heat anisotropy and long-duration firing.

While the clays used for Hagi ware, Daido a light burning more refractory kaolin type of clay which is from the Seto Naikai side of Yamaguchi Ken, Mitake, a buff stoneware and Mishima which is the courser red burning lower temp clay hailing from Mishima Island off the coast on the Japan Sea side have much to do with the look, feel, texture of Hagi ware, firing is also paramount. As I saw at my friend Yamato Yoshimasa-sans workshop in Yamaguchi, it is the relatively low stoneware temp, cone 8 or so, as well as the speed, a 5 chambered noborigama fired off in 24-36 hours,oil first followed by wood, which the work is fired at which gives it it's softness, and porosity which lends surface change.

Cheers,
R

[Chip]

In a word, Hagi "Rox!"

It is not til held, watched as it is first like a new born ... slowly maturing, that one can really appreciate the beauty of Hagi, words cannot express.

Hands, mind, soul of the creator combine with clay/sand, glaze, fire ... in the hands of a master creates a cup, a bowl that will gracefully age as the owner. It is almost like a relationship is developed. You can see an owner's lifetime in a well matured piece.

[Intuit]

"it is the relatively low stoneware temp, cone 8 or so, as well as the speed, a 5 chambered noborigama fired off in 24-36 hours,oil first followed by wood, which the work is fired at which gives it it's softness, and porosity which lends surface change."

Interesting and clarifying post, Ronin. From what I've read, hagiwara purportedly is high-fired, but that runs contrary to the softness, a low-fire characteristic with low shrinkage and considerable wall porosity. I figured at least some of it was low-fast fired.

Would be very cool to see these kilns in action.

[Intuit]

Chip. Tell us what your chawan remind you of when you look at them. I've already waxed poetic about the second one. I could about the first as well - you tell us.

[shyrabbit]

I thought I would post images of some unique, interesting and one of a kind glaze effects from years gone by, just for fun or to stimulate conversation.

Shino over a Satin Black Glazed Chawan

[bonjiri]

I thought I would post images of some unique, interesting and one of a kind glaze effects from years gone by, just for fun or to stimulate conversation.

Shino over a Satin Black Glazed Chawan

michael

beautiful

have u worked w/ saggars in cone 10 ?

cheers

love the above chawan

aloha from tokyo
c

[Chip]

... we need to rename TeawareArtisans to "ConeHeads!!!!!"

Anyway, dude, go back in time and do this again. Really awsome effect and piece.

[Intuit]

Side note on Cory's obscure reference to a saggar.

"Saggar" is a term used for any structure which encloses a pot during firing: it could refer to a large lidded pot which encloses a smaller pot. Even an enclosure of stacked bricks (edit: enclosure built within a large kiln) with a kiln-shelf "lid" would qualify as a "saggar".

In earlier times when kilns were fired with "dirty-burning" wood or coal, saggars were used to protect pots from undesirable residue of the combustion process. With the advent of cleaner-burning fuels, the necessity for saggars diminished.

More recently potters have again begun to use saggars - but in a way exactly opposite their original intent: instead of using saggars to protect pots from an outside atmosphere, potters now utilize saggars to encapsulate pots within a very specialized atmosphere.

and Dick opines on using cones outside of the saggar to estimate internal temperature:

"I use guide cones placed atop the saggar for firing. While the temperature inside the saggar is always lower than the guide cone, routine use of cones outside the saggar leads to relative consistency inside the saggar from firing to firing. I have always had pleasing results and repeatable leaf imaging at a wide firing range — from cone 08 to cone 10 — although I prefer the lower end of this range. "

- source: http://www.dicklehman.com/

About Pyrometric Cones: http://www.frogpondpottery.com/pottalk/cone.htm
Why firing to cone 10 yields better results (stronger, chip resistant pottery)
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Pottery-2316/cone-10.htm

As Dick Lehmen points out on his website, saggar firing can be quite tricky, with a high failure rate because there is a lot of serendipity involved in the movement of hot gases within the saggar enclosure.

Thus, Michael's understatement per the uniqueness of sagger fired pieces at cone 10. Takes guts to do it right, but you usually pay a (high) price for it.

Crackle pattern/carbon trapping with controlled (well, sorta) cooling. Example of a really neat shino with crackled surface:
http://yareah.com/marksmalley/?tag=saggar

[Robert Fornell]

I thought I would post images of some unique, interesting and one of a kind glaze effects from years gone by, just for fun or to stimulate conversation.

Shino over a Satin Black Glazed Chawan

That's a beautiful effect Michael. Have you tried to or can you repeat it?

Due to some Shino formulations with high clay content, it is notoriously difficult when applied as a second coat as when the glaze below begins to sinter and out gas the Shino tends to trap the gas, leaving a bubbled surface.

Kudos to you.

Cheers,
R

[shyrabbit]

I've got lots to say about this subject Robert...Yes I've been able to reproduce this effect. The old saying for potters goes..."shino first or suffer the curse". Often this is true and going against the grain is not advised, but if you persist and experiment you will be rewarded.

Shino is a highly viscous and stable glaze, low in fluxing materials. Generally, if shino is applied over a more viscous glaze the "'off gassing" will create "volcanic like cones," this effect results in sharp burst bubbles of glaze. Often extended "soaking" of the kiln at high temperatures will "heal" the glaze "flaw" resulting in unique finishes. I will post other images, soon of this 'against the gain" glazing approach.

Michael

[Robert Fornell]

I've got lots to say about this subject Robert...Yes I've been able to reproduce this effect. The old saying for potters goes..."shino first or suffer the curse". Often this is true and going against the grain is not advised, but if you persist and experiment you will be rewarded.

Shino is a highly viscous and stable glaze, low in fluxing materials. Generally, if shino is applied over a more viscous glaze the "'off gassing" will create "volcanic like cones," this effect results in sharp burst bubbles of glaze. Often extended "soaking" of the kiln at high temperatures will "heal" the glaze "flaw" resulting in unique finishes. I will post other images, soon of this 'against the gain" glazing approach.

Michael

Thanks for your response Michael.... Outside of Japan, there is a world of what in the west we call "Shino" and depending on the composition they can fire out quite differently. Domestic Shino in Japan tends to be slightly different as it is a fairly "simple" glaze which typically runs 90% soda spar such as Kameido Choseki with the remaining 10% being ball clay ie. Gairomenendo to provide "stickyness". Feldspar composition, milling size, and firing cycles all combine to provide color and textural variation.

Kindly permit me to share an image or two on Ronin's thread of a mizusashi from a few years back which is somewhat similar with your wonderful chawan here.

BTW..... a couple of awesome looking kilns there. I especially like the little one.

Best wishes,
R

[Intuit]

See how smooth that surface is, with subtle horizontal crazing coloration? There's more interesting chemistry here than meets the eye.

Robert posted some gorgeous photos on his thread for comparison, this morning.

See: Wiki page on Shino (history and technique variation)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shino_%28glaze%29

Shino is a broadly applied term, with important differences in historical and regional (recipe, technique) context.

To get an idea of just how much variation is possible with various clay types, under- and top-glaze interaction with firing chemistry, read this:
http://www.australianceramics.com/DEC03/tech_shino.html

Once you begin to appreciate the exceptional difficulty in controlling the techniques, you also begin to comprehend the failure rate* that comes with creativity in fine pottery crafting.

* Not unlike working in a research lab, where outcome failure maybe as high as 90% as you zigzag through testing variables controlling outcome states within complex processes.

From Lee Love's pottery blog/ About the best pots:

"They are not necessarily amenable to intellectual analysis, and, in fact, that analysis can destroy a person's real appreciation and understanding of a piece." -- Warren MacKenzie

[Robert Fornell]

Once you begin to appreciate the exceptional difficulty in controlling the techniques, you also begin to comprehend the failure rate* that comes with creativity in fine pottery crafting.

Intuit you're beautiful!

Like a Japanese potter friend who specializes in Shino wife says,

志野やてる人はバッカです。

"People who do Shino are fools".

I will routinely throw away half a kiln load of work and a chawan destined for NY or Japan probably only comes around every 100 bowls or so......

Cheers,
R