MAKOTO KOMATSU

http://www.makoto-komatsu.com/index.html

Makoto Komatsu is a Japanese designer. I was attracted to his work because manipulates different mediums to achieve similar results. Being able to experiment with the different mediums to find the different results based on the nature of the material.

I also found his Kuu series to be intriguing, the porcelain defies the solid property that is normally associated with ceramics.

Jun Kaneko Ceramics

Jun Kaneko, brought up in Japan, moved to the US and has revolutionized the boundaries of ceramic building. Some of his most popular pieces are giant clay heads and dangos. The Japanese definition of dango is a "rounded form." According to Ceramics Today, some of his pieces weigh as much as 1,000lbs and generally take about 4 months of drying and a 35-day firing process. Also, after the process, 2 or 3 out of 10 pieces usually survive. Kaneko's ceramic pieces portray a simple, yet overwhelming presence with his use of shapes and glazes. As described by Peter Voulkos, Kaneko's professor at UC Berkley, “Kaneko’s ceramic works are an amazing synthesis of painting and sculpture. His works are enigmatic and elusive, simultaneously restrained and powerful, Eastern and Western, static and alive, intellectual and playful, technical and innovative”

ole jenson - norman copenhagen teapot

http://www.olejensendesign.com/

I really liked a lot of this guy's designs, but i learned about him while looking at teapots, so I'll mostly refer to it. What is interesting to me is that he said it was based on an old mesopotamian teapot, even though most people would call it "modern" looking. I believe that the ability to take old Ideas and put them in a new form language is a huge part of what we are doing in architecture and design. Also, most of his designs are very naked, attempting to create elegance and beauty out of function and simplicity, which interests me more than almost anything else in design.

Eva Zeisel on the playful search for beauty | Video on TED.com

Eva Zeisel on the playful search for beauty | Video on TED.com

Concrete Humidifier

This is a nice piece I ran across designed by Sang Jang Lee. All of his work is intriguing but I thought the humidifier pertained to the blog the most and was the nicest. In particular how the material was, in a way, a determinant of what the object he made was.

Sang Jang Lee's website

Tile Inspiration & Fun

I've added the link to the tile section of the Ann Sacks website. There are a lot of really beautiful tiles on this page. I would also encourage you to navigate around the site and check out some of the other products.

http://www.annsacks.com/onlinecatalog/collection.jsp?cat=268004&coll=268204

Also, check out this link. The sculptures are not necessarily ceramic based but they are absolutely fantastic.

http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/11/mind-blowing-hyperrealistic-sculptures/

Residential Craft Schools

There are many great opportunities to study art and design. I encourage students to investigate workshops at residential craft schools. I have provided some links to schools I have been too and that offer scholarships for financial aid. Often these workshops are one or two weeks long. All of these schools offer classes in a variety of media, not just ceramics. I will try to put the new catalogs in the glaze studio, but all the information you need is online. The scholarship deadlines are often in February and March, so go ahead and check out what is available.

Penland School of Crafts

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts

John C. Campbell Folk School

Haystack Mountain School of Crafts