Come and Get It

Maoli Pottery Village

Yesterday I traveled down the Taiwan highways with some pottery friends to collect.  Meeting Mr. Chen at 8 in the in the morning, coffee in hand, we made our way to the middle of Taiwan to a place called San Yi.  San Yi is most famous for its wood carving.  Shop after shop lined the streets with wooden tables, statues of Chinese warriors, gods, and dragons.  However, there is a growing number of ceramic stores where both ceramic and wood are combing.  I saw some beautiful pots with wooden lids which made sense to me.  The potters and wood carvers are working together to create some very original pieces.  

We continued through the main streets and out the back roads to a wood fired kiln where some of my pots were waiting for me.  As soon as we arrived the unloading began.  There is always a buzz of excitement with everyone waiting in anticipation.  Will the wood ash touch my pot is a way that looks beautiful?  Will the heat lick my pot and create a color that no one would ever dream of designing themselves?  I am sure these questions were being asked silently by more than just myself.  

Below are some of the better pots that came out.

I have to start with my favorite.  A lidded jar.  Tea is so popular in Taiwan and many people love keeping their tea in a nice pot where they can spoon out tea leaves and enjoy a good gossip. 12 cm in height.  

The other side.  I used a shino glaze on this pot.  The glaze is the purple color you see on the side.  The rest is just natural wood ash!  I got lucky with this one.

Another shot of the shino glaze.  I was hoping for more of an orange effect but I'm still happy with the result.  

A close up of the lid and speckles of wood ash.  The locals call this 'golden flowers'.

A tea cup, again with a touch of shino glaze.  I believe a shino glaze is a glaze that originated from Japan.  7.5 cm in height and 9 cm wide.

180 degress around we find a different coloring.

The inside of the cup.  Getting ready to drink.  Apparently water tastes sweeter when drinking from a wood fired cup.  I hear there is some reason for this but I am yet to learn if it is true.  Maybe an allinonebonsai reader could supply the answer?

A small bonsai pot.  I was told that these guys were not getting enough heat in the kiln hence the white areas.  4.5 cm in height and 9 cm in width.

I carved out little legs and a drainage hole.

Another, more steeper pot.  5.5 cm in height and 8.5 cm in width.

A tea bowl.  I used a brown clay for this guy.  I tried to use a shino glaze for this cup but for reasons I don't know, it had no effect at all!  

A look in the inside.  7.5 cm high and 9.5 wide.

The next two are also tea bowls.  I used a clay that had a lot of sand in it.  As I was throwing with this clay it was grating in my hands!  I like the look of this clay but it can be a touch painful using it.  Or maybe I am getting a little soft!  I probably should cease moisturizing so much.  What can I say...I'm a modern man.  6 cm in height and 10.5 in width.

A mark on the bottom.

The second one.  This time he was built slightly wider.  6.5 cm high and 12.5 wide.  

A vasey piece.  A small one but an interesting splatter of ash at the top.  9 cm in height.


A more western style tea cup.  8.5 cm in height.  Holds 225 ml of liquid and weight 190 grams.

 The other side.  I was really happy with all parts of this cup.

The ceramic association of Taiwan offered us a huge lunch of Taiwanese food.  Wild pig, chicken (with head still atttached) fish, sweet potato leaves, soup, and tea.  After a full belly I went wondering around the general area.  I found a few old shimpo wheels that were rusted out.  I thought they would make a good photo.

A cool store that sold the very best wood fired pieces.  

A closer view.  I was not allowed to take any photos inside the shop.

Here is one from the outside looking in.  

The other thing I loved about this place was that it was also a school for young mud throwers.  This is their classroom.

Wooden benches where young Taiwanese kids come and made things out of clay.

Sorry I didn't take any pictures of the kiln but there were just too many people and I couldn't get a good shot.  I hope you enjoyed some of these pictures.  Best of luck out there.