flowercraft

Welcome to My Studio of Crafts

During the time I lived in Boston, it was very easy to get glaze of various pretty colors which are not easily obtainable in Japan.
It made me feel like making something colorful with clay and glaze and I enjoyed it.
When I returned to Tokyo, I brought some color glaze from Boston to my studio, and I have been making small floral bouquets,
baskets, hats, and others until today. They give me a lot of pleasure although it takes a lot of time.

Floral Baskets

Flowers in vases

Hangings

These hats are all wall-hangings. Diameter of each is around 3 inches. I do not use any tools to make these tiny flowers.
They are made by my two fingers of a thumb and a forefinger.

Other Ornaments

The Process of the Firing

I would like to show you the process of the firing at the following.

	There are the flowers of dried clay in the kiln before the first firing. At first, I make flowers using moist clay and dry them completely which takes about for two to three days. After that, I put them into the kiln and do the first firing up to 1500F.
	Flowers are glazed after the first firing. They are waiting for the second firing.
	These flowers are the result of the ｓecond firing of the above flowers. The highest temperature of the second firing is around 2100F. Long after six hours firing and almost same hours cooling down of kiln, finally pretty colored flowers appear.