Touching Stone Gallery

2005 Exhibitions (Click on images to see the shows)

March 4 - April 6, 2005

Touching Stone - a Journey of the Mind

 Tim Wong, Akiko Hirano

An imaginary journey in the mind of a Japanese calligrapher who, while grinding ink on an inkstone, travels from a Japanese Zen temple to an ancient land of the Anasazi.  The story unfolds in a series of black-and-white photographs accompanied by calligraphy pieces based on Japanese and Chinese poems as well as original prose.

Evolving Traditions: Contemporary wood-fired Japanese ceramic

Tadashi Nishihata, Kiyoharu Ichino, George Yamashita, Reiko Kakiuchi-Cohen, Betsy Williams

Five contemporary artists showcase their works based on wood-fired pottery traditions of Tanba, Bizen, Echizen, and Karatsu in Japan.  This collection offers a unique perspective on the influence of traditional Japanese wood-fired pottery on contemporary ceramic artists.                  

A Grain of Sand - through the Eyes of Two Contemporary Sumi-e Artists

 Hiroki Murata, Susan Christie

Christie and Murata follow their successful joint-workshop in 2004 with another two-person show to further explore the evocative power of sumi-e. Using very different styles, these artists focus on details of grander scenes. In Murata's paintings, a night sky is seen as specks of illumination, a desert becomes shifting shadows.  Christie's waterscapes become dancing shimmering streaks of brilliance. Their works probe beyond the surfaces, pushing the boundaries of the medium.

Space in Between - 2005 Contemporary Japanese Ceramic Masterworks Series I

Hiromi Okumura

This show is  the America debut of Japanese ceramic artist Hiromi Okumura.  Okumura gained world-wide recognition with his work in a traveling exhibition entitled "Japanese Pottery: The Rising Generation from Traditional Japanese Kilns". The current show features twenty pieces of his new work which appear at first glance as amorphous folded shapes. Yet hidden among the myriad folds and wrinkles are functional vessels, vases, or incense burners. It is hard to decide where the wrinkles end and the vases and vessels begin, as the inner surfaces of the vessels and vases morph seamlessly like an Escher's puzzle into outer surfaces.

Enku - 2005 Contemporary Japanese Ceramic Masterworks Series II 

Mori Tadashi

Unlike many other Japanese ceramists, Mori Tadashi never repeats a form. Every show is a surprise. Following his spectacular 2004 America debut at Touching Stone Gallery, Mori launches another tour de force project Enku, named after a 17th-century monk who created 120,000 wood-carvings of the Buddha all over Japan.

Witness in Time - 2005 Contemporary Japanese Ceramic Masterworks Series III

Hiroyuki Wakimoto 

Another master of contemporary Japanese ceramics, Hiroyuki Wakimoto creates extraordinary forms inspired by ancient Chinese and Japanese pottery.  In 2004, Wakimoto visited New Mexico as an invited artist for the International Folk Art Market.  In September, 2005, Wakimoto returns for the 4th consecutive year to Touching Stone Gallery to introduce his new body of work inspired by ancient ruins both in Japan and the Southwest.

Elusive Beauty II - Contemporary Kyoto Ceramics

 Yoko Terai