hitomi hosono intricately crafts botanical influenced ceramics

a large feather leaves bowl, 2013
porcelain
46 x 48.5cm
hitomi hosono intricately crafts botanical influenced ceramics
all images courtesy of hitomo hosono

the work of hitomi hosono uses beauty found in the natural world to create porcelain objects that combine dramatic silhouettes, movement, and sensitively refined details. the japanese ceramic artist’s subject and theme and influenced by various botanicals — blooming foliage, leaves and flowers studied in the garden, as well as collected memories of nature from her own childhood in japan, where her family runs a small rice farm. ‘I find myself drawn to the intricacy of plants, examining the veins of a leaf, how its edges are shaped, the layering of a flower’s petals. I look, I touch, I draw.’ the artist’s technique draws initial reference from the 18th century potter josiah wedgwood, who used thin ceramic reliefs or ‘sprigs’ applied as surface decoration to a piece. through extensive experimentation with different methods and clay bodies, two new sculptural ways to use approach emerged: one is to cover the entire surface of a shape with sprigs while the other is to construct the art object solely out of many layers of the relief, carving each with modified dental tools to add incredibly fine details.

a large feather leaves bowl, 2013
porcelain
46 x 48.5cm

a large feather leaves bowl, 2013
porcelain
46 x 48.5cm

black wisteria box, 2012
porcelain, black stain, red gold leaf
18.5 x 14 x 12.7cm

black wisteria tower, 2012
material: porcelain, black stain
43.2 x 19cm
 

cherry blossom, 2013
porcelain, gold leaf
13 x 12.5 x 12.5cm

shirakawa bowl, 2013
porcelain, white gold leaf
approx. 19.5 x 21.5cm diameter