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T H E T R A D I T I O N A L D I S P L A Y
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S E C O N D P L A C E
R E D R O C K
C R A B Traditional Unglazed MARY J. LAI
SANSOKUU ARTS Oregon, USA 2025 2 x 6.25 x 1.25 inches Stoneware Clay, Wood Ash Hand Carved out of Solid Clay Block Fired to Cone 10 (2340ºF) My main inspiration for this pot is work by the famous Japanese potter, Bigei. In addition to traditional pot shapes, he makes many pots in unconventional forms like fishnets. Many of his pots are adorned with crabs and other creatures.
The Tokoname potters famously use clays that are out of reach for American potters, simply because of the unavailability of materials, though very close substitutions are possible. Bigei's work and that of famous Yixing tea potters use a very low but vitrified clay body, which after covering in slip/engobe and burnished, become butter smooth. Since the clay I used was the complete opposite (very craggy and textured, fired into the oblivion known as Cone 10 aka over 2340ºF), instead of fighting it and trying to force it to be what it never could be, I decided to embrace the coarse texture and give the crab a rustic wood-fired look." - Mary J. Lai |
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A B O U T M A R Y J . L A I
"After decades of traditional schooling, work and freelance in two-dimensional art, I found myself very burnt out. While I was in the grad program in Animation at UCLA I re-discovered the joy of working in clay. It was in clay that I learned to let go of darlings and to always move onto the next thing, because the kiln gods don't care how much time you spent on something only for it to blow up or turn out awful in the final firing. It was in clay that all the internal critics that haunted me over the years were finally quiet. It was in clay that I found joy in creating not for others, but for myself again. Clay is the most humbling medium to me; it can be functional, it can be high art. It can be both, as it is in the bonsai world. This cascade pot is my play on the most traditional porcelain works, with my North American flare in subject matter. All of the creatures and flora depicted are native (and non-native) to Oregon. While some see whimsy, I see unfolding drama." - Mary
Mary J. Lai is a Taiwanese American who spent much of her life in California before settling down in Oregon. She has a certification in science illustration in addition to a BA in Art & MFA in Animation, and an extracurricular education in ceramic art and sculpture during her undergraduate studies at UCSC, and graduate work at UCLA. Thereafter she continued her clay studies, including volunteering with studio operations, at local community colleges in West Los Angeles with exceptional ceramic departments. Her current work in sometsuke (blue pigment aka gosu painting) explores the fine balance between striking simplicity and detailed nuance. She loves birds, folklore, & fauna and flora of all types (especially crabs and goldfish). In addition to caring for their 5 and 2 year old, she manages the logistics and backend of Tokutake Bonsai & Sansokuu Arts, amongst other clay endeavors in the home pottery studio she shares with her spouse, Nao. Follow Mary J. Lai on these platforms: Instagram: www.instagram.com/sansokuuarts/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/sansokuuarts Website: www.sansokuuarts.com Linktree: linktr.ee/Sansokuu |
T H A N K Y O U T O O U R S P O N S O R S
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D I S C O V E R P O T T E R S I S P R O U D T O S P O N S O R T H E 2 0 2 5 N O R T H A M E R I C A N B O N S A I P O T T E R Y C O M P E T I T I O N
