[Ceramic artist: Yuka Ando, Part 1] Painting on a clay canvas
——Please tell us how you first encountered pottery.
It all started when I was working and happened to join a pottery class that I found on the side of the road.
I didn't have any particular desire to become involved in pottery; it was just a spontaneous idea.
I made a small mug by hand.
I still remember thinking, "Ceramics shrink, don't they?" (laughs)
-- Why did you want to continue making art after that?
After graduating from a university in the United States, I went on to work in accounting at a company there.
However, I didn't feel like the job suited me.
However, I had a work visa in the US, so I had no choice but to continue.
One day, when I returned to Japan for a short visit, I wanted some Japanese tableware, so I asked a friend for advice and bought a Tamba ware tea bowl.
Once I started using it on a daily basis, I realized the appeal of tableware.
There is a presence that only handmade items have that industrial products do not have.
As you continue to use it, it feels like it's gradually becoming your own.
I thought that was really great.
How did you decide to become a potter?
I was on a train heading to Santa Barbara.
As I mentioned earlier, it was a time when I was struggling.
To be honest, I was drinking wine so I was probably a little drunk (lol).
I suddenly decided to become a potter and quit my job the next day.
It was an episode that seemed to be decided on impulse, but it made a lot of sense to me.
Looking back, I think it was a choice that was meant to be made.
——Please tell us about your ideal vessel.
It's a vessel that people can feel attached to.
I once went to see an exhibition by the painter Kiyoshi Yamashita.
The items he wore during his wanderings are on display.
Among them was a teacup that I always carried with me.
I think that kind of vessel is really beautiful.
When I was in Denmark,
I saw an old man carefully using a mug that looked like it had been given as a prize.
That scene really stuck in my mind.
It can become something special for the person who uses it.
I would like to create such vessels.
——How would you describe your style in one word?
Simple form and delicate colors.
I like curves, and sometimes study shapes from Yayoi pottery and other things.
The shape feels like a canvas on which to apply color.
The form is based on the color.
I wasn't really aware of it, but as people around me started to tell me,
I began to realize that I was obsessed with color.
Sceneries I saw long ago and scenes in my memories,
I think that without realizing it, the colors are reflected in my work.
- How did living abroad affect your production?
I think the biggest thing is the sense of color.
The colors of buildings and industrial products are completely different from those in Japan, and the colors of the sky and sea, as well as the way light enters, are also different.
I think that these differences in environment gradually changed my sense of color.
*Test piece for glaze research
--How is ceramic art perceived overseas?
In other countries, the line between art and craft is very clear.
I've even been asked, "Which one is this piece from?"
The question itself was a bit surprising to me.
I had never thought about drawing such a line,
This seems to be an important factor for people from overseas.
The second part will be released tomorrow.