oni-glazed

In Japanese, the word "Oni" can be translated as "devil" or "demon", but it also gets used to describe something that is "rustic", "excessive", or "extreme".  

One can find examples of Japanese potters making "Oni Shino" or "Oni Hagi" work if you use a search engine.  

My first intimate introduction to "Oni" ware came through familiarity with the work of Tsukigata Nahiko, a Japanese potter specializing in Oni Shino works.  

My interest in the idea/characteristics of "Oni" falls on the heals of my increasingly complex Triple Glazing approaches.  I wondered how I might combine up to 10 or more glazes on a single piece, in a single firing.  I wanted to pursue an excessive, colorful, textural glaze surface that actually expresses a physicality on the pieces - altering the actual contour of the piece by virtue of its thick, viscous, fluid physicality.  It was a natural next-step from my interest in Triple Glazing.  No one will confuse my works with Tsukigata's....but I am indebted to his vision as I pursue my own.