I have a passion for creating 'functional art', particularly tea pots, vases , dishes and Japanese Tea Ceremony utensils.
Biography
- Born in Japan, Yumiko became a Canadian resident in 1971.
- Began wheel throwing pots in 1983 at Hill Potters Guild in Richmond Hill
- Member of the Toronto Potters from 2005 to 2015.
- Joined the Ottawa Guild of Potters in 2016 after her move to Ottawa.
Exhibitions:
- 1999 Solo Exhibition at the Japan Foundation, Toronto
- 2004 Solo Exhibition at the Burr House Craft Gallery, Richmond Hill
- 2006 Solo Exhibition at the Japan Foundation, Toronto
- 2010 The Toronto Potters Biennial Juried Exhibition at the Gardiner Museum
- 2012 Tokyo Ceramic Juried Exhibition, Tokyo, Japan
- 2012 Solo Exhibition at the Japan Foundation, Toronto
- 2012 The Toronto Potters Biennial Juried Exhibition at the Ontario Craft Council Gallery, Toronto
- 2014 The Toronto Potters Biennial Juried Exhibition at the Gardiner Museum
- 2014 All Japan Juried Ceramic Exhibition, Tokyo, Japan
- 2015 Bowl Show at the Gardiner Museum, Toronto
- 2016 Revitalization 2016 at the Gardiner Museum, Toronto
- 2017 Celebration 2017 at the Gardiner Museum, Toronto
- 2018 Year of Japan at the Gardiner Museum, Toronto
- 2019 Solo Exhibition at Dust Evans Gallery, Shenkman Art Centre, Orleans, Ontario
Awards:
- Juror’s Choice Awards at the Hill Potters Guild, 1988, 1994, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2005 where her work is displayed in their permanent collection
- 2011 People’s Choice Award at the Toronto Potters Show
- 2012 Honorary Advisor’s Award at the Tokyo Ceramic Juried Exhibition, Tokyo, Japan by Houseki Okuyama. He is recognized as an Important Intangible Cultural Properties, a Living National Treasure of Japan. Japan holds ceramic arts in high esteem, and this award has special significance.
- 2014 Karen Latorre Award at the Toronto Potters Biennial Juried Exhibition at the Gardiner Museum, Toronto
- 2017 Fusion Award for Best Design at the Annual Juried Exhibition of Ottawa Guild of Potters
Artists Statement
A beautiful crystalline-glazed vase captivated me while I was visiting Australia in 1999. That work of art sparked my dream to create my own mystical crystal beauty in porcelain.
My pottery career had started in 1983 when I joined Hill Potters Guild in Richmond Hill, Ontario. Through many advanced pottery workshops, I learned to throw functional ware such as teapots, vases and dishes. I also began to explore my technically challenging crystal glaze signature. These glazes are extremely fluid and tend to flow off the vessels during firing, so the pots are set on specially made pedestals to catch the liquid glaze. After cooling, the pots and the glaze-catchers must be separated with a blow-torch and the jagged glass bottoms ground smooth. Although a time consuming process, it reveals the magnificent crystal forms which delight me.
The colours I choose have a meditative quality connecting to elements within myself and to nature: the quiet intensity of a deep forest, the ethereal quality of a glacier’s blue-green or the serenity and mystery of the deep blue sea.
I seek to imbue my crystalline pieces with a peacefulness and grace, like snowflakes gently falling and I find them perfect companions in my Japanese tea ceremonies.