Teardrop-shaped bottle vase with blue hare's fur glaze c. 2003

Miyamura Hideaki made this teardrop-shaped bottle vase without a date using a blue hare's fur glaze. The process of ceramics, so much like painting really, starts with such humble beginnings: earth, water, fire. I think about Hideaki coaxing this vase into being, and it makes me wonder, was it a struggle? Did the glaze cooperate, or was it a battle of wills between artist and medium? The 'hare's fur' effect is so subtle, like delicate brushstrokes, almost like a watercolor painting. See how the blue shifts and shimmers, pooling at the base into deeper shades? That’s the magic of the glaze. It reminds me of the way painters play with layering and texture. The vase transforms from a simple vessel into a dynamic work of art; Hideaki is in conversation with the long history of ceramics, pushing the boundaries of what clay can do. We are left with a quiet moment of contemplation that reminds us of the beauty that can emerge when chance meets intention.