庄司健

Ken Shoji庄司健

1977- 

"Bringing colors to everyday life."

I use the "iroe" (multicolored overglaze) technique, a style of painting that uses colors to express the rich, deep tones and textures like impressionist paintings. This was cultivated during my five-year apprenticeship, when I came into contact with and learned the nunome (cloth pattern) technique from my master, who emphasized the importance of texture. In order to enhance this technique, I am also studying how to express texture by experimenting with color combinations and variations in shading. It is a labor-intensive and time-consuming process that requires a lot of patience, but I am polishing my skills by researching my own unique "iroe", to express more elegance and dignity. I hope that you will enjoy the "color" expressed through ceramics in your daily life.

All of the iroe pottery pieces are first prepared with a base of white slip for applying color after molding. This is one of the most important processes, because the coloring and texture of the piece changes depending on the amount of white slip applied. After that, three colors are layered to express gradation. For overglaze painting, the process of applying black overglaze pigment is repeated, adding layers of color and firing according to the firing conditions at that time.

Profile

PROFILE

1977Born in Miyagi Prefecture
2000Graduated from Tohoku University of Art & Design
2002Studied under Mr. Motohiko Ito
2007Built a kiln in Kasama City