To begin, the first

This is my first post sharing pieces I own and love, so I'll start with these two pots by Yasushi Mizuno, the first ones I bought with the intention of starting a collection. I got them in December of 2016 at Sara Japanese Pottery, a New York City gallery specialized in Japanese ceramics, lacquerware, and glass.

I was drawn primarily to the motifs—dogs and tiny furniture? yes, please—the unevenness of the forms, and the humor. Art can always afford to take itself less seriously, and Yasushi Mizuno does that with elegance and skill. 

The dog head on the bud vase is the clear point of interest, but it's the uneven tab at the top that makes the piece. Then there's the finger mark on the glaze, and I'm a glaze-finger-mark enthusiast, so that, too, works for me. 

The katakuchi is my favorite of the two, though. The curve from the bowl to the spout flows beautifully, but there’s an awkwardness to the proportions that makes the piece even more likable. The texture of the slip on the outside is a dream.

Let’s talk about the chair. That little chair is an act of kindness from the artist. The pot was already perfect; he didn't have to give us anything else, but he did. He gave us a tiny chair. Ugh, I love it.

Looking at these awesome pots for the hundreth time, I don’t think I could have chosen a better place to start my collection. If these little guys don’t make your heart sing, your heart is dead.  

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Yasushi Mizuno (Kyoto, 1973)
Purchased at Sara Japanese Pottery, New York, December 2016