Robert Fornell Ceramics

[lucienkoonce]

hi robert...i have been looking through your website...your sculptural objects are extremely nice. i am particularly drawn to the objects/wares that have a black body. is this from oxides wedged/mixed into your claybody? btw, do you know my former grad. teacher from u of ia, chuck hindes? he now lives somewhere out in washington. ~lucien

[bonjiri]

robert

what u up to ?

u firing ?

cheers man ! please post !

looking forward to seeing what u're up to !

[Robert Fornell]

Thank you Lucien and Cory.

Lucien I met Chuck a number of years ago, but since he moved to Whidbey Island (about an hour north of Seattle) I haven't seen him..... Evidently he's doing a workshop in January at a studio I teach at so I'm sure I'll see him then. Message for him?

Cory, I fired my 10 chawan test kiln yesterday which was supposed to be 8 hours...... ended up 17 with lights out being 2:15 AM. Todays another day and another way however.

Off to load it up again.

Below is something from it made for friend/studio helper/sake brewer Tim.

Cheers,
R

[bonjiri]

Thank you Lucien and Cory.

Lucien I met Chuck a number of years ago, but since he moved to Whidbey Island (about an hour north of Seattle) I haven't seen him..... Evidently he's doing a workshop in January at a studio I teach at so I'm sure I'll see him then. Message for him?

Cory, I fired my 10 chawan test kiln yesterday which was supposed to be 8 hours...... ended up 17 with lights out being 2:15 AM. Todays another day and another way however.

Off to load it up again.

Below is something from it made for friend/studio helper/sake brewer Tim.

wow. 17 hours . can't wait to see more pieces. nice gui !
u up for a gunomi trade ? love to sip nihonshu from your work !

aloha
c

Cheers,
R

[Genko]

Hi Rob:

It's Genko from Urasenke in Seattle. I have been enjoying the various chadogu I've gotten from you over the years. Will you be having a studio show anytime in the near future?

[Robert Fornell]

Hi Rob:

It's Genko from Urasenke in Seattle. I have been enjoying the various chadogu I've gotten from you over the years. Will you be having a studio show anytime in the near future?

Hi Genko,

So happy to hear from you..... I hope all is well with you and yours!

Due to our downsizing, I won't be doing my usual winter studio sale this year however I do show work to people by appointment and I'd love to see you again. Kindly contact me via rob@robertfornellceramicarts.com
if you would and we can catch up a bit.

I look forward to seeing you again Genko.

Best wishes,
Rob

[lucienkoonce]

hi rob...please say "hello" to chuck for me when you see him. i have his phone numbers he recently sent, so i will be calling him in the near future to discuss an anagama design. thanks for posting your images...i like seeing your work. ~lucien

[Robert Fornell]

Bow...... WOW!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091116/pl ... yasiaobama

While living in Japan, as well as my studio work, I did part time contract consulting to execs from companies such as Bridgestone, Toshiba, Idemitsu Petroleum and Kawasaki Heavy Industries regarding 異文化 (ibunka), cross cultural awareness/conflict resolution. A topic which still fascinates me today......

Obama gets it.

Cheers,
R

[Intuit]

Obama's Japan advisors called it correctly - this is a 'respect building' tour of Asia. The conservative Japanese Diet members want the US out of the Okinawa military base. The US wants to relocate nearby because it needs to monitor China and N Korea naval activity effectively. If you want to make brownie points and offer a conciliatory gesture to help stalled talks, this is how you do it.

[Robert Fornell]

If you want to make brownie points and offer a conciliatory gesture to help stalled talks, this is how you do it.

True Intuit.

I'm a little more comfortable thinking about it as if you want to try to make a connection with someone on a more personal level which shows a degree of cultural sensitivity (absent for the past 8 years) which may enhance the possibility of a deeper, long term relationship, this is how you do it. On another level Americans are increasingly estranged from what used to be known and practiced as manners, something which doesn't go over well in Japan.

Traditionally, the ultimate penalty in Japanese society was
村八分 "murahachibu"、or banishment from the village, thus severing all your relationships.

Japan, if nothing else, is a nation of relationships which find structure in communication via gesture (non verbal) as well as keigo (verbal).


"Why, in the West, is politeness regarded with suspicion? Why does courtesy pass for a distance (if not an evasion, in fact) or a hypocrisy? Why is an "informal" relationship (as we so greedily say) more desireable than a coded one?"

......from French writer, lexicologist, philosopher Roland Barthes excellent treatise on Japan, Empire of Signs.

Best,
R

[Intuit]

This is beyond the demonstration of social manners. The situation is fraught with complications and potential for a major rift between Japan and the US, at a time when it needs all the friends it can muster to resolve pressing global issues. Background reading is essential.

Council on Foreign Relations, Nov 12, 2009 article on the changing face of US-Japan relations, "Reshaping an Asian Partnership", Sheila A. Smith.
http://www.cfr.org/publication/20734/re ... rship.html

Maybe it is time to rethink our strategy in 'providing the defense of Japan', per Obamas comments:
http://www.cfr.org/publication/20756/re ... 72%2Fjapan

The airbase issue: the new location is environmentally protected/sensitive.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futenma

[Robert Fornell]

This is beyond the demonstration of social manners.

My point exactly.

My quote

Japan, if nothing else, is a nation of relationships which find structure in communication via gesture (non verbal)........

If Americans cannot understand a variety of communication styles/differences from our own, the possibilty of a "relationship" dimishes. While something as small as a bow to us is simply "social manners" to the Japanese it is different as no two execs would start any sort of meaningful relationship with out a non-verbal "I'm please to meet you" bow, followed by a verbal "hajimemashite" literally (the relationship has begun) and the exchange of business cards to ascertain where they rank in their respective companies and to each other which then dictates the level of language (keigo) to be used when speaking. This is just basic business in Japan 101 and given the context as well as what's at stake as you pointed out, Obama nailed it.

Intuit, while you posted a number of worthwhile links regarding the take on the relationship from our eyes, one of the best reads on Japan today is found here...... close to the top of "must read" concerning Japan witten by Minoru Morita.

http://www.amazon.com/Curing-Japans-Ame ... 199&sr=8-1

Morita lays it all out concerning the US bases, the Joint Forces security agreement, as well as how Japan is following the US in hollowing out the middle class.

Thanks for the discussion!
R

[Intuit]

If you are patient and curious, fascinating reading is at hand, at Morita think tank (mentioned in the Amazon book writeup) website. http://www.pluto.dti.ne.jp/~mor97512/ Use Google Translate, and read a few of Morita's latest scathing commentaries on the present administration's incompetence and possible corruption, the nation's economic woes and failing civil infrastructure.

Smells familiar.

[Robert Fornell]

Winter's here and with that comes hatsugama, koicha, and winter chawan done in understated, wabi filled blacks.

This one with it's sheets of silver floating across a rich, deep, limitless black reminds me of our weather here of late..... lots of dramatic rain in the deep of night.

kuro 1bb.jpg (22.65 KiB) Viewed 1018 times

This particular piece will soon be made available to subscribers in the Kisetsu/Seasonal Chawan program. For anyone interested, kindly e-mail or PM for details.

Thank you for your time.

Best wishes,
R

[Seeker]

Beautiful RC, as always!

all the best to you and yours!