shuji ikeda        

I have been potting for almost 30 years. I did not know if I would be able to make a living at it, and it has been quite an experience.

My work has changed from time to time, but I feel I have finally reached the point where I am free to put all the ready made concepts behind me and be an artist. I guess it just takes time to get there. Sometimes I wanted to give up being a potter because it is difficult to make a living, but I found that living is it. I don't have to make it.

I found my way of making pots.

I found my way of communicating beauty with clay. I no longer chase technical excellence in order to show off, because I found that craftsmanship is more of an internal affair.

I make things with my hands. They did not existed before, and would not come to this world with out me.

I am not putting stress on the fact that I am the one who is making them, but rather that a human is using his hands and associating his mind freely.

I have been searching for freedom.

In the process of creating I found that I was free from the beginning.

Tsuchi-kago--Woven Ceramic Flower Arranging  Baskets

Tsuchi-kago represents the culmination of my work as a ceramicist. I wanted to challenge the entirety of my knowledge and skill with clay.  I don't know where the idea of woven clay baskets came from, but over the years I felt something shimmering inside.  I believe it came from the inability to create the beautiful things which nature does so easily.

For example, a flower grows in every direction, adjusting to conditions of weather, soil, and water.   In time it blooms into beautiful shapes and colors, not to mention the complex structure into which it has evolved.  It does not have to strive to be beautiful.  For a long time I tried to copy such forms in clay.  As ridiculous as it sounds, I thought I should be capable of making something as beautiful as nature’s creations, then felt trapped and frustrated at not being able to accomplish what I wanted, and jealous of nature's capabilities.

My approach was entirely wrong.  I have since come to know clay and what it can do.  I learned that I have to present the beauty of clay as it is.  If I made something like a flower petal and then constructed it repeatedly, it might become something.  It might even bloom.

Weaving seemed to fit this pattern.  It was difficult at first, consuming a great deal of time, and I wasn't sure where it was leading, but it was exciting. Eventually, one basket satisfied my artistic sensibility.  It was very intricate, but at the same time it retained the earthy qualities of clay. 

The next step was to develop a glaze which complimented the qualities of the baskets.  I tested over a hundred different glazes, and finally chose to refine one of them.  I named it Sei Shya, which means “blue rust.”

These baskets are flower vases which compliment the beauty that nature produces.  Irises, mums, lilies, a branch with a few berries on it, everything looks wonderful in these baskets.  It is a pleasant moment for me when someone puts a pair of branches into a vase and finds a simple moment of soothing happiness.  It is a joy for me when someone can connect with nature using my baskets. 

Please contact me anytime! I look forward to hearing from you.

510 845-1634

shuji@shujiikeda.com