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Mizuyo Yamashita
In this series, Mizuyo explores harmony and subtle contrast within texture, colour, and shape. Drawing inspiration from Giorgio Morandi’s quiet yet profound still lifes, The artist focuses on the delicate interplay between each element, aiming to highlight the understated beauty of these simple forms. The influence of Morandi’s colour palette and subtle shifts in tone and shape is evident in Mizuyo's approach, particularly in her use of glazes and surface treatments. In some pieces, she combines two types of glazes within a single form, creating delicate transitions between them.
Mizuyo hopes the contrasting textures and colours in her work will encourage viewers to appreciate both the tactile and visual qualities of each piece. By emphasising surface nuances and form, she seeks to evoke a sense of calm and introspection, inviting a moment of pause and reflection on the intimate relationships between objects. Through this series, Mizuyo aims to convey the quiet power of simplicity, where the contrast of form and colour reveals a deeper harmony that might otherwise go unnoticed in the everyday.
These pieces are all thrown and fired at stoneware temperature. Some clay bodies are a mix of stoneware clay and terracotta, some are coloured using stain colours, and thrown marks (rokurome) are intentionally left to create a soft, subtle impression. Some pieces undergo additional treatments such as crackle glaze stained with shiro urushi, some thrown shapes are altered and carved, some are faceted.
Mizuyo has incorporated urushi, specifically shiro urushi, to
highlight the crackle on one piece in this group. Urushi is the material
the artist uses for kintsugi, and while staining crackle is typically
avoided in kintsugi practice, she wanted to embrace it as a way of
creating another surface—similar to how potters often use Indian ink in
crackle glaze. Shiro urushi is initially beige when applied and darkens
over time, this piece will develop a rich patina as it ages.