Dietrich Employs Kurinuki in New Ikebana Vases

John Dietrich – resident and master potter of Ellison Bay Pottery, 12156 Garrett Bay Road in Ellison Bay – has been having new, exciting pottery adventures with kurinuki while creating a series of ikebana flower vases.

Kurinuki is a traditional Japanese form of handbuilding. It means “carving out,” and it involves shaping a solid block of clay, then carving out the interior space to create a vessel. The idea is that it should be spontaneous and “alive,” should show the marks of the maker and that these deliberate marks have value in their own right.

Ikebana means “living flowers.” The Japanese art of flower arranging has been described as more subtle and sensitive than the flower-arranging methods often used in other cultures.