Carole Aoki Studio

Technique

“I work with high-fired porcelain using a variation of a traditional Japanese technique named “nerikomi,” the mixing of colored clays into a patterned, uniform body. In my adaptation of traditional nerikomi, I layer two sheets of porcelain, a black sheet and a white sheet, cutting and assembling this combined sheet in opposing patterns. I then drape the patterned sheet over a mold to form a vessel. (These molds are of my own design and carved by hand.) The complex process — assembling the clay sheet, forming the sheet over the mold, slowly drying each piece, and cleaning each piece to expose the pattern, bisque firing and final glazing — takes several weeks to complete.

The black and white patterns on my cups, bowls, and plates are colored and layered separately within the clay. Before final firing I apply a clear glaze. The color emanates from within the body of the clay lending a depth and richness not achievable from applied colorants.