“Peach and chestnut trees bear fruit in three years, persimmon trees in eight. Skill comes in a decade, and art in a lifetime. Pottery takes a lifetime and a half. I need half of my lifetime in my next existence.”
These
beautiful lines were written by the Japanese potter Wakao Toshisada. If one
considers that Wakao's pottery lineage goes back more than 700 years, it is not
surprising that he thinks of pottery as larger than life. I read this quote in
Ceramics Monthly Magazine* back in 2001 and I pondered it over and over again
ever since. His statement seems to be both humble and arrogant at the same
time.
In
general, there is a disagreement on whether pottery is craft or art. Potters
who produce hundreds of identical functional tableware in a row are often considered
craftsmen. At the same time, these pots can be ornamented and painted by the
same potter who gives his vessels a creative and arty touch. Are we talking
about arts or crafts here? Maybe both?
On the
other hand, there are potters who create unique pieces and limited pottery
lines. Is it correct to label those potters artists just because they don’t do
mass production? And after all, who has the right to judge a potter as an
artist or a craftsman?
Well, one
thing is sure, to do some decent pottery one needs to master certain skills.
Also, it takes time and endurance to achieve those skills. There is another
aspect that should be mentioned as well: It is that hard-to-describe force that
provides the potter with imagination, creativity and inspiration. It is that
little bit extra that gives a cup that has been made in the same shape for
thousands of years that genuine personal imprint.
 |
| Bowl, wheel-thrown stoneware, 10 cm in height, 20 cm in diameter. |
So, don’t let yourself get pegged down with any kind of label. Instead let your inner art flow through your hands and just create. You may need a year or two, a decade or two or even a lifetime or two to get yourself where you want to be. I think it is not about when. It is about how and if.
*Richard Busch: Visiting four Japanese Potters. In
Ceramics Monthly, November 2001, S. 74-77.
