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Tag: glass

Heart of Glass: The Transparent Passion of Glassmaker Ikushima Harumi

By:
Ai Kanazawa
November 19, 2013Glass Ikushima Harumi

Glasswork by Ikushima Harumi in our shop ->

The mark of a true glassmaker is being totally smitten by a red-hot glob of molten glass. This was the reaction of Japanese glassmaker Ikushima Harumi when she saw the gathered glass at the end of a blowpipe coming out of a furnace for the first time. “I thought it looked like a beautiful glowing stone. I was very excited”, she recalls of the moment when her love affair with glass began.

Footed murrine cups by Ikushima Harumi
Footed murrine cups by Ikushima Harumi

Harumi specializes in the elaborate Italian glass making technique known as murrine. The murrine process begins by creating a fused bundle of colored glass into a design and stretching it into a cane. The cane is cut crosswise to reveal the design and these pieces are called murrine. The murrine are then arranged into a mosaic, fused into a tile, and picked up with a molten glass collar and blown into a vessel.

Glassmaker Ikushima Harumi at her hot glass studio in Shizuoka Japan
Glassmaker Ikushima Harumi at her hot glass studio in Shizuoka, Japan

This blown murrine process that is used to create her footed cups is extremely complex because the murrine adds to the difficulty in creating a balanced and clean form. Uneven expansion of glass can also cause the pattern to warp. So how did Harumi master this composite process?

Harumi did not start out as a murrine glassmaker when she first entered the profession after graduating from Tama Art University almost 20 years ago. From the beginning, Harumi was curious to learn different techniques including lampworking, fusing, and casting that brought out different aspects of the beauty of glass.

Close-up of the murrine cup. Blowing murrine into balanced form is an extremely diffcult task.
Close-up of the murrine cup. Blowing murrine into a balanced form is an extremely diffcult task.

The equipment that was available to her also determined what methods she could use. When Harumi’s glassmaker husband Ikushima Ken worked for the American glassmaker Dan Dailey at his studio between 1997 and 1999 near Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Harumi bought a little kiln that was used on the kitchen counter to make kiln-formed glass.

After returning to Japan, the couple decided to build their own glass studio on the western coast of Izu peninsula in Shizuoka. Since their studio was built in 2001, Harumi has been blowing glass more frequently. The glassblowing process requires an assistant, and Ken and Harumi help each other. So being married to a glassmaker has also allowed her to continue glassblowing.

Hot glass tools at Ikushima Harumi’s studio
(Photo courtesy of Ikushima Harumi)

Harumi’s embrace of the murrine technique is likely the result of her experimentation with various methods of glassmaking throughout the years. “Among the many steps of creating blown murrine, I especially enjoy the quiet part of the process, like deciding the color and design of the cane, or making the canes, then cutting and arranging the little pieces” she explains. The all-involving murrine technique is perfect for this multi-skilled glassmaker.

A fused tile of murrine speak of the quiet moment when they are arranged together by Harumi (Photo courtesy of Ikushima Harumi)
A fused tile of murrine speaks of the quiet moment when they are arranged together by Harumi
(Photo courtesy of Ikushima Harumi)

The murrine process also offers a tantalizing insight into Harumi’s philosophy of glassmaking. “I want to make work that only I can create. But to me, what is distinctly mine is not defined by a new form or an interesting color of glass” she says. “As I make my work, I imagine the environment where my work is going to reside in, in the lives of other people who use it” she continues. “I want my work to be the vehicle to share the joyful feeling that I experience while making glass. The quiet, happy moment when I’m arranging the murrine on the kiln shelf.”

The stylish beauty that defines Harumi’s colorful work clearly captures her spirit and the serenity that comes from someone who is so at peace and in love with her craft.

A Lifetime’s Yearning: The Fine Blown Glasswork of Nitta Yoshiko

By:
Ai Kanazawa
October 8, 2013Glass Nitta Yoshiko

Glass by Nitta Yoshiko in our shop ->

There is no place to hide for an artist that works on handmade glass.  The delicateness and transparency of the medium means that a maker’s lack of expertise, eye for detail, or even passion and dedication, are very obvious.

A blown and etched glass carafe and cups by Japanese glassmaker Nitta Yoshiko
A blown and etched glass carafe and cups by Japanese glassmaker Nitta Yoshiko

Fortunately, Japanese glassmaker Nitta Yoshiko has these attributes in abundance. She is a master creator of mouth-blown glassware etched with delightful, intricate patterns. Her work possesses a unique contemporary flare that features a compelling contrast between its frosted and transparent elements. Yoshiko points out that “transparency is a special aspect of glass that other medium do not possess. So I want to create work that lets that characteristic shine”.

Cups by Nitta Yoshiko. The beautiful contrast of etched and clear elements emphasize the transparency of glass
Cups by Nitta Yoshiko. The beautiful contrast of etched and clear elements emphasize the transparency of glass

I met Yoshiko at a craft fair in Osaka in the autumn of 2012. She made such eye-catching work that I wanted to find out more about this unassuming but immensely talented artist, and bring her work to the attention of a larger audience in the U.S.

From a very early age, Yoshiko had yearned to make a living as a craftsman. She wanted to follow in the creative footsteps of her father, who was an umbrella maker in Osaka.

When Yoshiko was in high school, she visited a glass art show in Osaka and instantly fell in love with the glasswork of the internationally famous glass artist Iezumi Toshio. After discovering that Iezumi taught glass at Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts, she enrolled in the university to study under him and thus, he became her mentor. At the university, Yoshiko also had the opportunity to take classes with Kodani Shinzo, a well-known Mingei glassmaker from Kurashiki.

Nitta Yoshiko rolls a gather of glass on a marver in her Tokyo hot shop
Nitta Yoshiko rolls a gather of glass on a marver in her Tokyo hot shop

This intensive training profoundly shaped Yoshiko’s views about what she wanted to do and how she would go about doing it. “After four years of studying glass in university, I developed a strong desire to create utilitarian wares out of glass.” Yoshiko has been doing exactly that by making glass objects for everyday use since her graduation in 2000.

empontilling

“I want my work to be used daily, so I pay special attention to the thickness, weight, and size of my work”, Yoshiko explains. Her glass cups have thin rims that feel good on the mouth. They are also lightweight and the etching on the glasses allows for a solid grip that makes them very comfortable to hold. Yoshiko puts considerable thought into the design and engineering of her work, always striving to meet her exacting requirements.

The etching on the glass provides a solid grip that makes it very comfortable to use
The etching on the glass provides a solid grip that makes it very comfortable to use

Yoshiko creates her vessels through the ancient technique of free-blowing, a time-consuming process that adds to the charm of her work. Free-blowing does not use molds and so requires skill and experience to manipulate the shape of the glass using centrifugal force and gravity. The slightly distorted transparency of blown glass and its gentle waviness has an allure that can be found in an old farmhouse window or in quiet ocean ripples. The effect gives a warm appeal that cannot be replicated in mass-produced work.

The charm of a glass bottle made the old fashioned way is its gentle waviness and slightly distorted transparency
The charm of a glass bottle made the old fashioned way is its gentle waviness and slightly distorted transparency

A hallmark that denotes the high quality of Yoshiko’s work is the detailed etching of her glass. She achieves this by drawing fine patterns directly onto the glass surface with a special glue resist, which is then sandblasted. The patterns are time consuming to draw but the results are outstanding.

There is an often-heard argument that the nature of handmade craft requires sacrifices in engineering and usability. Yoshiko’s high-quality work and craftsmanship is an elegant counter-argument proving that this is simply not the case.

 

A Short History of Craft Shows in Japan and Their Surprising Origin

By:
Ai Kanazawa
November 20, 2012Travels

I was traveling in Japan over the past few weeks and one of my destinations was to visit an open-air craft show in Sakai, a suburb of Osaka, called Tomoshibito-no-tsudoi. This well-curated show, held in a quiet park, features 100 artists from all over Japan and takes place annually at the end of October.

Panoramic view of the Sakai craft show on a sunny Osaka day

The Sakai show attracted large crowds of people from the surrounding areas. The atmosphere was festive and family-friendly. Besides the many rows of artist booths, there were also plenty of delicious food stalls to feed the hungry masses.

Helped by the excellent weather (at least for the day I was there), the show was packed. Some artist booths had long lines of people waiting to get their hands on the creations of their favorite artists. It is hard to believe that this show was only in its fourth year.

A crowd waiting to meet their favorite artist

Craft shows are fun occasions for the artists too. These venues are opportunities for the artists to get out of their studio, meet their fans and the general public, other artists, and people like me who want to spread the word about them outside of Japan. Few if any of them are known or sell their wares outside of the country.

When I go to these shows and meet the artists, I always think about how tough an occupation it is to be an artist. They spend the vast majority of their working hours in solitude, and we have the privilege to enjoy the results of their hard endeavors.

A glass artist happily chats with some admirers

There are more than 300 craft shows held around Japan every year. To put this in perspective, imagine 300 of these shows taking place within the state of California, which is roughly the same size as Japan, in one year!

You might also be surprised to find out that these very popular shows only began in Japan in 1985 with Craft Fair Matsumoto. The artists who organized the Matsumoto show saw some outdoor craft shows in the U.S. and Britain and wanted to start something similar in Japan. So these shows have their origins from the West.

Before these shows became popular in Japan, artists were limited to showing their work at galleries and department stores. It appears that there has been a renaissance in the popularity of handmade craft and tradition in the last 5 years in Japan that has been helped by these shows that provide venue for artists, especially promising younger artists, an outlet to show their work.

A potter’s booth at the Sakai Craft Show

In the coming months, I will update information about Japanese craft shows on our “links” page that will be accessible from the navigation button at the bottom of our homepage. If you are visiting Japan, there is an excellent chance that one of these shows is taking place during your stay. If so, I highly recommend that you visit the show if you can.

Introducing Sasaki Shoko: Making Original and Elegant Kiln Formed Glass

By:
Ai Kanazawa
July 31, 2012Glass Sasaki Shoko

Sasaki Shoko is one of the exciting new talents in Japan’s glass making community. This young and energetic glass artist has a creative vision that is reflected brilliantly in the tasteful combination of shapes and colors that distinguish her kiln formed glass works.

Sasaki Shoko at her studio in Tokyo Japan (photo courtesy of Sasaki Shoko)

Studio KotoKoto came across Shoko’s work in a show at a prominent department store in Tokyo in October 2011.  The show featured handcrafted items for contemporary tea ceremonies and was organized by an artist collective called Enishi.

Kiln formed glass plate by Sasaki Shoko
Kiln formed glass plates by Sasaki Shoko

Shoko explains her approach: “I always try to bring out the best in the ability of glass to create interesting expressions by layering colors”. She strives to bring out the beautiful yet subtle Japanese colors such as gunjyo (ultramarine), sumire (violet), and kurenai (crimson) into her fused glass. Shoko’s exquisite works instantly attracted our eyes.

Glass artist Sasaki Shoko’s base drawing and design of her plates
(Photo courtesy of Sasaki Shoko)
Scoring glass with a glass cutter (photo courtesy of Sasaki Shoko)
A running plier is used for breaking the glass along the score line
(photo courtesy of Sasaki Shoko)

An interesting twist is that the colored glass that Shoko works with is produced in the U.S. by Bullseye Glass Co., which has been providing fusing compatibility tested glass to artists around the world since 1974. By layering, sandblasting, and firing and re-firing this glass to precise temperatures in the kiln, Shoko masterfully allows the glass to express the delicate and sometimes slightly muted colors that are uniquely Japanese.

Placing the glass on a slumping mold in the kiln
(Photo courtesy of Sasaki Shoko)

Shoko grew up in Niigata, a prefecture in the island of Honshu on the coast of the Sea of Japan. After moving to Tokyo to attend Musashino Art University, she was instinctively drawn to glass as a medium because of their transparent and colorful nature. During her formal training at the university for a Masters of Fine Arts, she was especially drawn to kiln-formed glass because it allowed her to accomplish numerous expressions by understanding and manipulating the kiln temperatures.

“My work may not be flamboyant, but I design them to have a distinct presence when people use them”, Shoko points out. The work she creates are stunning and elegant indeed!

A selection of kiln-formed glass plates made by Sasaki Shoko is available from our shop.

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