Makai Wood and Clay
Wood and Clay Art by Jacob Jackson.
Clay
Over the last twenty or so years I've done a lot of experimenting with shapes and glazes, but what I always come back to are simple flowing forms with glazes that draw inspiration from those places where water and land meet. I break the work that doesn't make the cut. If I get excited about something when I take it out of the kiln, then I know it's worth sharing with you.
There is a lot of crossover between my clay and wood work. The colors and textures that I love in wood often carry over into my pottery.
Forms also cross pollinate between the two mediums.
Even though you can see common design themes some qualities are unique to each medium.
The speckles on this piece are small crystals that grew during the firing. Crystals are unique to ceramics.
Wood
The trees that grow around where I live here in Hawaii have some of the most beautiful and unique grain patterns in the world. When I'm working with wood I like to make forms that are asymmetrical and move with the wood grain. I try to make forms that accentuate the grain patterns as I hand carve my bowls. Most of the wood that I use comes from tree trimmers. I don't like cutting down trees.
It’s very rewarding to see the beauty of the wood grain come through as you finish sanding a piece.
The outside of this mug wasn't glazed. The surface was produced during the firing with salt vapors and wood ash.
