Sake Cup by Rakusai Fujiwara

When Estelle and I visited Imbe in 1978 we had a letter of introduction to this elderly potter. Neither he nor ourselves could speak each others language but we had a most wonderful afternoon with him. Pottery speaks a universal language. He showed us his kiln and many of his own pots. We were also shown some of his collection including a beautiful set of small enamelled dishes by Ogata Korin. Before we left he presented us with this boxed Sake cup which I still treasure.

Hellebore

These Hellebore, or Winter Roses, are flowering well at the moment. They do not last well when picked but they do look nice under the trees where they seem to grow best.

Sake Cup by Ryoji Matsumiya

This small wood fired sake cup I purchased in 2002 from Ryoji-san when I was at the Aomori Wood Fire Festival at Goshogawara. What fun that whole experience was - meeting other International potters and being so well looked after and entertained.

White Camellia

This lovely pure white camellia is one that does not drop its head suddenly but lasts for ages when picked. It is most useful for flower arrangements and is now flowering well in my Garden.

Two Small Square Vases

These two small vases have long since left my hands but they are very simple shapes that are wonderful when used either singularly or as a pair. I recently saw a very similar vase on a Japanese web site which reminded me of this photo of my pots.

Magazine Image

This, I think, is the third time any of my pots have been shown in an overseas magazine, the second in a foreign language one. This one is from "Case Da Abitare: Interiors, Design & Living" from Italy. It was sent to me by Katie Lockhart who did the arrangement and is the owner of this cut-sided mizusashi which she purchased from me last year. Another pot was been shown in a Spanish "Ceramica" magazine and others were shown in a "Ceramics Monthly" article in 1995.

Small Square Decorated Box

This small box is about 50 x 50mm. and was made when we were still doing glazed wares. Two glazes and wax resist and some iron brushwork were used - time consuming but lots of fun! My Sister-in-Law now has this box in her collection and I photographed it the last time I visited her.

Hot Air Balloon

Sometimes on a fine calm morning this balloon flies over my property. It is a lovely sight and the passengers always seem to be enjoying themselves.

Modern Tamba Sake Cup

This is a modern Tamba Sake cup from our 1978 visit to Japan. We were taken to Tachikui (the area of Tamba pottery) by Professor David Hale who was then teaching in Kyoto but, I understand, now lives in France. I have lost touch with him but would love to renew our friendship. He wrote several articles for Pottery Quarterly Magazine and a book on pottery in the Tohoku area of Japan. Through P.Q. we were able to make contact with him and his wife Anne when we were in Kyoto.

Japonica in Cube

This cube is my favourite flower container. The Japonica is quite a common orange coloured variety but if picked while still in the bud it opens up indoors to become this pale, apple blossom like, colour.

South Island Beech Forest

This image of some South Island Beech forest was taken from the roadside between Blenheim and St Arnauds. I love the openness of this type of forest and the way the branches and leaves layer outwards.

A Choko by one of Kawai's students.

This Choko is by one of Kanjiro's students and is very reminiscent of the Masters work. Unfortunately I did not record his name but we did enjoy seeing these students exhibition when we visited Matsui in 1978.

Choko by Takeichi Kawai

This small Sake cup was given to us by Takeichi Kawai when we met him in Japan in 1978. Takeichi is Kanjiro Kawai's nephew and trained with him. We met Takeichi in Matsui where he and several of his students were having an exhibition. He could speak good English and knew several New Zealand potters including Len Castle, Mirek Smisek and Peter Knuckey.

Black Fungi

This is the remains of a Magic Mushroom and maybe what the fairies use as a dinner plate. There are so many different types of fungi growing here but, unfortunately not many edible ones.

Magic Mushrooms

It's a long time since I believed in fairies but I'm sure that, if there were any about, they would enjoy these pretty houses.