mastering so i may begin again
Nicholas Toyne
Opening: December 10 5:30 pm
Viewing: December 9 until December 20
mastering so i may begin again is a series which showcases my five year journey in ceramic form. The title reflects my experience of learning to master two vessel forms – the teabowl and the albarello.
I began to make teabowls as a response to studying mortality. The ritual of drinking tea became a meditative and reciprocal experience – one where I could simultaneously hold and be held. The practice of making the vessels themselves began to echo what first drew me to tea; a relationship of presence with the material in hand.
The ritual of drinking tea, and the ritual of handcrafting the thing that holds it.
It feels as though it has taken me this long to understand the form enough to begin again. Within my practice, this has looked like a constant evolution of speeding up, and slowing back down. The wide variation of a beginner, the narrowing refinement as I learn to master the teabowl form, and now a rewidening as I apply what I have learnt with a freedom and expertise that can be felt when you hold one of my vessels in your hand. This is also heavily evidenced in my albarelli series; an apothecary and alchemical vessel created for healing.
This series marks that turning point; the forms feel new, more organic, grounded, and alive. I began making these as a way to call myself into presence, and I hope you find something which does the same for you.
{ Gallery 2 }
*A note from the maker: All of these vessels are handcrafted: pinched or coiled. They also hold 24 karat gold, which requires special care. Handwash only with a non-abrasive material, and do not microwave. All teaware is foodsafe, fired in oxidation to cone 5.
