Featured Ceramic by Keiichi Shimizu 清水圭一

Keiichi Shimizu (b.1962) from the historic pottery center of Tanba has been pushing boundaries of traditions and created a new genre of contemporary Tanba pottery. Traditionally, most Tanba potters base their works on wheel-thrown vases; Shimizu prefers to build original forms from slabs. His clay body is a special blend using clay he harvests from the mountains mixed with clay prepared by the Tanba Guild. A white clay indigenous to Tanba is used as a decorative slip, using both a gas kiln and a traditional wood-fire kiln for different effects. Sleek, minimalist forms are a distinctive hallmark of Shimizu’s work. The lines are clean and graceful, the surfaces taut and uncluttered. Colors are kept soft and muted, to complement rather than compete with the beautiful shapes. The overall results are noble, elegant forms that belie great conceptual sophistication and meticulous attention to details, a refreshingly modern interpretation of the quiet aesthetic in old Tanba tradition. In a career spanning almost three decades, Shimizu has won many awards, including the Grand Prize of Hyogo Prefecture Art & Crafts Show, Modern Craft Award in Japan Modern Art & Crafts Show, and the Excellence Award in Tanabe Museum Cha-no-yu Show.

Click on images to view selected pieces

Inquiry/order: director@touchingstone.com, see Inquiry/Order