Toshiko Takaezu
American, born Japan, 1922 - 2011Garden Piece, n.d.
On view
Stoneware
Dimensions18 × 11 1/2 in. (45.7 × 29.2 cm)
Purchased as a gift in memory of Ray Phelps, FIA ceramics instructor, 1971.34
“One of the best things about clay is that I can be completely free and honest with it. And clay responds to me. The clay is alive and even when it is dry, it is still breathing! I can feel the response in my hands, and I don't have to force the clay. The whole process is an interplay between the clay and myself and often the clay has much to say.”
- Toshiko Takaezu, 1973
Toshiko Takaezu, raised in Hawaii of Japanese descent, has been working with clay for over four decades, and her work reflects the combined traditions of Eastern and Western technique and aesthetic. Following her studies at Cranbrook in the 1950s, she has regularly exhibited her ceramic pieces while steadily evolving her forms from utilitarian vessels to more minimal sculptural works. Her work ranges from breathtaking understatement to expressive excitement while remaining fundamentally consistent in its Zen-like simplicity.
