When ceramist Toshiko Takaezu (1922–2011) was asked if she considered herself an artist, she responded that being an artist goes beyond the question of painting or making pots. “An artist is a poet in his or her own medium,” she answered. “And when an artist produces a good piece, that work has an unsaid quality; it contains a spirit and is alive. There’s a nebulous feeling in the piece that cannot be pinpointed in words.”
photo: bruce behnke 2024