Shino

January 27, 2026 by Jay

With its pink-white palette of skin, snow and spring blossoms, Shino glaze has long captured the public imagination in Japan – never more so than in its 20th century revival at the hands of two distinctly different potters… Ken Matsuzaki, Rectangular Vase, Yohen Shino and natural ash glaze, 2025 Thousand Cranes Kikuji Mitani, the protagonist … Read more

Lisa Hammond: Urban Potter

January 9, 2023January 6, 2022 by Lisa Hammond

Each Lisa Hammond pot has a life of its own, its own sense of renewal. They all offer their own pleasures, an intimacy that adds another dimension to the way we eat and drink, to the ceremonies of the everyday, to the space we occupy. In short, to the way we live our lives. Lisa … Read more

Critic’s Choice | Nic Collins | Large Bottles

June 15, 2024April 30, 2021 by Jay

Goldmark Gallery’s Max Waterhouse takes a look at a selection of Nic Collins’ magnificent large bottles. Every bottle tell the story of its precarious journey from from the wheel to surviving the intense anagama firing.

Bending the Rules of Tradition

January 27, 2021 by Jay

At the very end of the main street in Mashiko there is a three-way junction. To the right is the road to Kasama, a neighbouring town also known for its pottery; to the left, the Town Hall and the bus stop for the (very early) bus to Tokyo. Straight ahead is a quiet country lane … Read more

Critics Choice | Ken Matsuzaki

June 15, 2024June 17, 2020 by Jay

Potter, writer and academic Sebastian Blackie takes a look at Ken Matsuzaki’s 2011 exhibition at Goldmark Gallery. It was extraordinary that the exhibition took place at all. Ken’s hometown of Mashiko had been devastated by a huge earthquake in March that year; fortunately these pots had been dispatched for the UK just before it had struck.

Talking Pots | Svend Bayer | Large Jar

June 15, 2024July 5, 2018 by Jay

Holding one of his trademark large jars Svend Bayer briefly describes how he constructs this form. He goes on to explore the surface of the pot revealing how he achieves the dramatic glaze effects in his wood fired kiln.

Talking Pots | Svend Bayer | Jar

June 15, 2024July 5, 2018 by Jay

Svend Bayer explores the glazed surface of one of his signature jars. He explains how the placement of the pot in the kiln and movement of the flame has led to the extraordinarily dramatic glaze decoration.

Talking Pots | Svend Bayer | Teabowl

June 15, 2024July 5, 2018 by Jay

In this short film Svend Bayer shows us one of his tea bowls and describes how he achieves the surface decoration. He discusses the difficulties that Western potters have interpreting the making of an iconic Oriental form.

Featured Ceramics | Tall Wood-Fired Bottles by Nic Collins

June 10, 2021April 21, 2017 by Abu Morshed Julash

The more one looks at Collins’ bottles, from blistering patches of scarlet to glistening shino glazes, the more of their story they share.

Making | Glazing Pots in the Studio with Phil Rogers

December 31, 2020April 5, 2016 by Abu Morshed Julash

Here we take a look at Phil Rogers working with glazes in his studio. We see Phil applying Nuka, Shino and Tenmoku glazes to bisque-fired chawans, yunomis and bottles and experimenting with new glaze recipes and the peculiar behaviours and qualities of each glaze.

Making | Nic Collins and the ‘Hard-Won Art’: Opening the Wood Firing Kiln

December 31, 2020March 29, 2016 by Abu Morshed Julash

Nic Collins Wood Firing Kiln featured image

In this article we read about the huge risks and rewards involved in wood-firing from the point of view of Devon based potter Nic Collins.

We Love Clay Guide | Buying Pots: A Brief Glossary of Glazes

October 15, 2020March 17, 2016 by Abu Morshed Julash

When you first start collecting pots, keeping track of the many different glazes on different pots can be more than a little tricky.