View Larger Image “Bull Back Riding Tiger,” 4 in. (10 cm) in height, thrown and handbuilt terra cotta, glazed with calligraphy brushes, fired to Cones 03 and 05, 2004.

September 10, 2007

A Look West from Japan

by Mariko Swisher | Read Comments (1)

In today’s edition of Ceramic Arts Daily we profile an artist who combines cultural influences from the East and West in form, content and surface.

A Look West From Japan
by Mariko Swisher

I am a native of a small fishing village near Sendai, Japan. In my family, the traditional arts of tea ceremony, kimono dressing and calligraphy were taught and revered. This was not extraordinary, as Japanese children being raised in their own culture are often encouraged to pursue the arts. I remember initially complaining at having to attend calligraphy classes with and at the insistence of my parents.

Although I had collected pottery in Japan, I became intrigued with the medium after meeting artist friends of my husband, painter Charles Swisher. I then spent three years learning throwing and glazing techniques at Greenwich House Pottery in New York City.

My ceramics study began with an initial interest in using Japanese–inspired earthy glazes such as Shino, temmoku and oribe on high-fire stoneware [for definitions of these and other terms, see the glossary]. In time, however, it was drawing, brushwork, design and the decorative process that became my consuming interest. To gain greater variety, control of color consistency and linear clarity, I switched to low-fire terra cotta and white earthenware. I began making majolica glazes for earthenware but eventually cast this time-consuming practice aside to focus on the decorative work using purchased glazes.

The idea of nature and insects as subject matter caught hold in part as a nostalgic yearning for my childhood experiences growing up in the lowlands near the coast. My sense of separation from those impressions when I moved to Tokyo was heightened by my move to New York City.

Living in the city but looking back in appreciation of nature prompted a playful interest in other insects like dragonflies, grasshoppers and stag-horn beetles. While incorporating these new creature designs on my work, an affinity grew for the patterns, symmetry, movement and the calligraphic rhythms so vivid in these insects. Over time this interest in drawing the character of insects inspired my depiction of animal forms as the primary figurative element.

Moving recently back to rural Chester County, Pennsylvania, my interest in the animal and insect world was reaffirmed. I work in a small Amish–built shed throwing, trimming, handbuilding and sometimes sketching. Two Brent wheels keep the white earthenware and terra cotta separate. Research, design and glazework is done in my loft on a broad, low Japanese–style table that my father-in-law made for me.

To see more of Mariko's work, visit www.marikoswisher.com.

On Wednesday…Read about Mariko’s technical process for surface decoration with underglazing that is done using the same fine Japanese brushes she uses for calligraphy.