A professional potter for 40 years and long term state juried member of the League of NH Craftsmen, my claywork has long been influenced by a commonality with Japanese aesthetic sensibility. A focus on the inherent qualities of ceramic materials, starkly contrasting textures, the use of subtle colors, a connection to nature, and the love of the serendipitous all pervade my pieces. My work is wood fired, a laborious and exacting endeavor utilizing a large multi-chamber Japanese-style hill-climbing kiln. Many of the pieces I create are intended for Japanese Tea Ceremony (Chanoyu) and Japanese Flower Arranging (Ikebana and Chabana). Unglazed surfaces are frequently coated with deposits of fused wood ash sifting onto the ware during the firing, forming a grey-green glaze. Sometimes subtle wood fired surfaces are contrasted with an accent of bright colored overglaze enamel. Currently adjunct professor of ceramics at the New Hampshire Institute of Art, I have also taught at Massachusetts College of Art and Boston University’s Program in Artisanry. I have presented at workshops of all types including venues like the Alabama Clay Conference and the conferences of the National Council for Education in the Ceramic Arts. I have twice been an invited guest lecturer at the Tokyo National University of Fine Art and Music. In 1996 I won the Judge’s Special Prize in the Mashiko, Japan Ceramics Competition, an exhibition attended by over 10,000 people including the Emperor of Japan. I have been invited to live and work in Japan on numerous occasions, representing the USA at international programs. My work has been acquired for public collections in Japan including the Mashiko Pottery Museum, the collection of the Tokyo National University of Fine Art and Music, the President’s collection at Hitachi Corporate Headquarters, the Aomori Art Museum, the Goshogawara Art Museum, the mayor's office of Goshogawara, and the Kanayama International Artist's Collection.
Email: JBaymore@compuserve.com
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John Baymore ジヨン ベモレー River Bend Pottery リバ ベンド ポタリ 22 Riverbend Way Wilton, NH 03086 USA (603) 654-2752 -studio
ceramics pottery woodfire potter ceramic