The Poetry of Clay: The Art of Toshiko Takaezu

Toshiko Takaezu , an acknowledged doyenne of American ceramic artists, has been a 'poet in clay' for over half a century. Some of her pieces fit into the palm of the hand, others are larger than the artist herself. Whatever their size, Takaezu's works have presence, profundity, and serenity. The tonalities of the lush glazes, applied with painterly lines and composition, play off the austere forms: a sphere, a column, a domed cylinder. The resulting interplay of form and color is wondrous and uniquely Takaezu's. Born in Hawaii in 1922, Takaezu studied at the University of Hawaii and then, bringing a supply of Hawaii's black volcanic sand to use in her work, enrolled at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan, where she studied ceramics with Maija Grotell, sculpture with William McVey, and weaving with Marianne Strengell.Darrel Sewell is the author of 'The Poetry of Clay: The Art of Toshiko Takaezu', published 2006 under ISBN 9780876331859 and ISBN 0876331851.