I say go for one from our tea artisan forum. They are each works of art, special because you can interact with that artist and returnable if your dissatisfied. I adore each one I have from Zygote and Cory Lum with one from Bill Perrine on the way. I think it is important to support artists over companies and corporations! Art, not mass production is important. These are things that you can pass on to loved ones with a lovely story about how you got it and spoke to the creator.
Jul 17th, '09, 18:59
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I think I'm liking the idea of buying one from one of our resident tea artisans. I've looked a few artists, and I love what they have to offer (I love the stuff from shyrabbit); however, something isn't clicking though. Do these tea artisans have stuff they're not posting on etsy, and if that's the case can I PM them with what I'm looking for?
Secondly, have any of you ever gotten something custom-made? I don't want to be the jerk who stifles the artist's creativity, but I just have some things I would want, like general dimensions and maybe glaze color.
Secondly, have any of you ever gotten something custom-made? I don't want to be the jerk who stifles the artist's creativity, but I just have some things I would want, like general dimensions and maybe glaze color.
Have you thought of taking a pottery class and making your own? My girlfriend and I did that a couple Valentine's Days ago, and I really treasure the tea cups we made together. Since we were totally new at pottery, "happy accidents" and wabi-sabi nature was completely unavoidable! 
Most people have to study for years just to make as many imperfections as we did!
Most people have to study for years just to make as many imperfections as we did!
Jul 18th, '09, 13:10
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Would love to see a picture of that tea cup
You took a class to make a tea bowl? I am intrigued. Did you hand build your tea cups?tingjunkie wrote:Have you thought of taking a pottery class and making your own? My girlfriend and I did that a couple Valentine's Days ago, and I really treasure the tea cups we made together. Since we were totally new at pottery, "happy accidents" and wabi-sabi nature was completely unavoidable!
Well, as a Valentine's day present, I brought my girl to a one day pottery class up in Portland, Maine. The class wasn't specifically for making tea ware or anything, but that's what we decided to do. We actually didn't make any chawan, but we made about 7-8 yunomi. We threw the clay on a wheel- intentionally trying not to make them come out smooth, but instead having a lot of "character." That worked out perfectly, since we probably couldn't have made them come out smooth if we wanted to anyway! Once we took them off the wheel, we carved out the feet, and did some hand warping/molding. I'm not quite sure the teacher understood our wabi style!
Unfortunately, the studio forgot to fire the pieces right away, and we had to go back to NYC before we could glaze them. This conversation has motivated me to find an open studio here in the city so we can finally get them glazed and start using them!
Unfortunately, the studio forgot to fire the pieces right away, and we had to go back to NYC before we could glaze them. This conversation has motivated me to find an open studio here in the city so we can finally get them glazed and start using them!
Jul 18th, '09, 17:10
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tingjunkie wrote:Well, as a Valentine's day present, I brought my girl to a one day pottery class up in Portland, Maine. . . Once we took them off the wheel, we carved out the feet, and did some hand warping/molding. I'm not quite sure the teacher understood our wabi style!
hee! hee! I am starting to get a grip on the term "wabi" and having taught many beginner wheel throwing classes I can imagine.
Jul 18th, '09, 19:11
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I don't want to target anyone with this, but "wabi" in art, pottery, etc, is much more about differences and "imperfections" that show up in things made by hand by artists and craftsmen/women, than it is about the things that show up because someone has not yet learned the art well enough to produce the object without things which obviously should be corrected by the teacher.
I've seen this term used in this way (as in imperfections created by beginners,) many times, and it kind of bugs me, because that is really not the spirit of the word or the philosophy.
A wabi piece should still display harmony, simplicity and balance. It becomes very simple to try and pass off inexperience or "mistakes" as "wabi." But it is not an excuse or substitute for things that are sloppy, "mistakes," or lack of knowledge, ability or training.
Wabi is not limited to objects either. One's way of life can be said to be wabi, if it is in balance, harmony, simplicity and peace. The day to day variations and imperfections impart a wabi quality, especially if life is lived with tranquility and flexibility.
This is not to say that we cannot love pieces made as a beginner, and embrace their imperfections. My father keeps a construction paper covered tin on his dresser that I made for him 34 years ago. It is not wabi, it was made by a child. He loves it in all it's imperfection, but the love for the object does not automatically imbue the piece with wabi. The love and care he has taken for it, and the way it has aged with that love and care, might arguably be referred to as "sabi," however.
In true western fashion, it seems we have adopted this term in our ignorance, and in so doing, have lost the meaning and value of wabi. I believe one could study for many years on just this one concept, and still have much to learn.
I've seen this term used in this way (as in imperfections created by beginners,) many times, and it kind of bugs me, because that is really not the spirit of the word or the philosophy.
A wabi piece should still display harmony, simplicity and balance. It becomes very simple to try and pass off inexperience or "mistakes" as "wabi." But it is not an excuse or substitute for things that are sloppy, "mistakes," or lack of knowledge, ability or training.
Wabi is not limited to objects either. One's way of life can be said to be wabi, if it is in balance, harmony, simplicity and peace. The day to day variations and imperfections impart a wabi quality, especially if life is lived with tranquility and flexibility.
This is not to say that we cannot love pieces made as a beginner, and embrace their imperfections. My father keeps a construction paper covered tin on his dresser that I made for him 34 years ago. It is not wabi, it was made by a child. He loves it in all it's imperfection, but the love for the object does not automatically imbue the piece with wabi. The love and care he has taken for it, and the way it has aged with that love and care, might arguably be referred to as "sabi," however.
In true western fashion, it seems we have adopted this term in our ignorance, and in so doing, have lost the meaning and value of wabi. I believe one could study for many years on just this one concept, and still have much to learn.
Jul 18th, '09, 19:17
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On one hand you are perfectly right Geekgirl, on the other hand, speeches like the one you just made take all the fun out of art.
The more we try to academically define what wabi IS, the more dead it becomes. It's kind of like religion in that way- when some "authorities" try to come along and control abstract ideas and beliefs, as if they are the ones who have cornered the market on understanding, the true spirit and liveliness recoils in boredom and horror. You are more than welcome to stick to your definition of wabi for your own personal use, but I got my own that I'm working with. If my definition "bugs" you, you can always take your case to the wabi police... oh wait, no you can't... there are no wabi police.
I hope this rebuttal did not come off as offensive, but it was my goal to avoid getting caught up in an overly academic discussion. For me art is subjective, and the terms and words we use to talk about it are completely made up anyway. Why sweat it? Just my two cents.
The more we try to academically define what wabi IS, the more dead it becomes. It's kind of like religion in that way- when some "authorities" try to come along and control abstract ideas and beliefs, as if they are the ones who have cornered the market on understanding, the true spirit and liveliness recoils in boredom and horror. You are more than welcome to stick to your definition of wabi for your own personal use, but I got my own that I'm working with. If my definition "bugs" you, you can always take your case to the wabi police... oh wait, no you can't... there are no wabi police.
I hope this rebuttal did not come off as offensive, but it was my goal to avoid getting caught up in an overly academic discussion. For me art is subjective, and the terms and words we use to talk about it are completely made up anyway. Why sweat it? Just my two cents.
Jul 18th, '09, 22:13
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I'm not offended, even though you clearly meant your "rebuttal" as a personal attack.
Obviously there are no "wabi" police, just as anyone who took Home Ec in the 7th grade is free to call themselves "Master Chef" because they learned how to turn an oven on, and when they put two cups of sugar in their pancake batter they are also free to call it "Creative Cuisine."
It does not make it so.
You would not be offended if someone told you that growing your own tea plant, then roasting the leaves in a frying pan on your stove would not necessarily make your tea "oolong" would you? Well, maybe you would. And that's okay too. Still doesn't make it so.
As long as you had fun doing it, and produced something you liked, wouldn't THAT be what mattered? Rather than an excessive attachment to the idea that you had masterfully created a "wabi" piece of art?
On a related note, one of the important qualities of wabi is humility. So the beginning student declaring that he has created "wabi" is pretty much the antithesis of the concept.
Obviously there are no "wabi" police, just as anyone who took Home Ec in the 7th grade is free to call themselves "Master Chef" because they learned how to turn an oven on, and when they put two cups of sugar in their pancake batter they are also free to call it "Creative Cuisine."
It does not make it so.
You would not be offended if someone told you that growing your own tea plant, then roasting the leaves in a frying pan on your stove would not necessarily make your tea "oolong" would you? Well, maybe you would. And that's okay too. Still doesn't make it so.
As long as you had fun doing it, and produced something you liked, wouldn't THAT be what mattered? Rather than an excessive attachment to the idea that you had masterfully created a "wabi" piece of art?
On a related note, one of the important qualities of wabi is humility. So the beginning student declaring that he has created "wabi" is pretty much the antithesis of the concept.
Geek, you seem to think that the ability to make a wabi piece of art is something akin to being able to perform zen archery or create a five star meal. As always, you are welcome to your opinion, but I have to disagree. There may be zen masters, and master chefs who feel they have the right to be authorities on whether someone makes a good shot, or a good meal. Even though the term "master" lends more credibility to their opinion in certain areas, in the end, their opinions are still subjective. However, there are no wabi masters that I have ever heard about.
If I look at a piece of "art" which was created by a blind autistic toddler, and I see wabi there, why does that bother you? There is a very good reason why no real zen "master" would ever in a million years try to define zen. Simply because it is outside the realm of words and academics, and any effort to define it is entirely pointless. Is wabi so different?
The famed Tao philosopher Chaung Tzu was once believed to remark to one of his students that Tao is to be found in all it's completeness in a piece of dung. If something as great as Tao can be found in a turd, then why can't something as abstract as wabi be found in a crappy tea cup made by my beginner hands? And more importantly, why should anyone care if it's there or not?
As far as my claim to have created something full of wabi, if you look back at my original posts, it should be pretty obvious that my referance to wabi was tongue-in-cheek.
If I look at a piece of "art" which was created by a blind autistic toddler, and I see wabi there, why does that bother you? There is a very good reason why no real zen "master" would ever in a million years try to define zen. Simply because it is outside the realm of words and academics, and any effort to define it is entirely pointless. Is wabi so different?
The famed Tao philosopher Chaung Tzu was once believed to remark to one of his students that Tao is to be found in all it's completeness in a piece of dung. If something as great as Tao can be found in a turd, then why can't something as abstract as wabi be found in a crappy tea cup made by my beginner hands? And more importantly, why should anyone care if it's there or not?
As far as my claim to have created something full of wabi, if you look back at my original posts, it should be pretty obvious that my referance to wabi was tongue-in-cheek.
Jul 18th, '09, 22:50
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You can call anything you want, "wabi," but this quote by you shows you completely misunderstand the concept, no matter how tongue-in-cheek the last sentence was.Since we were totally new at pottery, "happy accidents" and wabi-sabi nature was completely unavoidable! Most people have to study for years just to make as many imperfections as we did!
This too.you seem to think that the ability to make a wabi piece of art...
I am not saying that works by beginning students lack value. I'm just pointing out that mistakes are just part of the learning process and are indeed "mistakes." And putting dent in the side of a cup is not "wabi," it's just a dent, as well as a good try. As such, these pieces are still useful, fun, hard work, personal and a host of other beneficial things.
I certainly did not say that your yunomi were not fun or a great thing to do. I'm quite surprised that it "takes all the fun out of" it, due to my comments about some of the philosophy behind the concept of "wabi." Perhaps you have an excessive attachment to it? Is your fun really tied up in creating "wabi sabi?" Is it going to hurt your feelings when I point out that "sabi" is something that happens with time and care? That you can't pull a yunomi out of the kiln and immediately declare it "sabi?"
Meh. No worries. Westerners misappropriate concepts all the time. One more won't make much of a difference, I suppose.
Jul 18th, '09, 23:58
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Well there you go. Thanks for handing me the debate. It's soooo obvious that gingerbread cookies have WAY more wabi than jelly donuts. I win. Now let's argue about who's avatar pic has more "flibber-flabber."GeekgirlUnveiled wrote:Hey, MINE looks like a jelly donut, so don't you be insulting it with your dern "cookie" talk, ya'hear?TomVerlain wrote: Either that, or it is hip to have a tea cup that looks like some sort of deformed gingerbread cookie.