Bowl with abstract design

Kitamura Junko's approach to ceramic inlay is so radically different from traditional inlaid wares that they defy traditional categorization. Rather, a more likely source for her inspiration is the textile and lacquer designs she saw growing up in Kyoto, long a center for craft production in Japan. After shaping her vessels on the potters' wheel, she coats them with dark gray or black slip. When the clay is leather hard, she carves small divots in the surface using a homemade bamboo tool. After a bisque firing, she coats the vessel with white slip. When dry, she scrapes away the excess slip before firing the piece a final time. Her imaginative designs and laborious technique have garnered Kitamura considerable praise and admiration.