Natural Inspiration With Sculptress Hitomi Hosono Touching Memory In The Clay

Growing up with never-ending natural inspirations in her hometown in the Gifu Prefecture, surrounded by rice fields and green mountains, Hosono’s hands magically unleash the spirit within the porcelain, a ballet of texture and light. On the inspired use of Sprig Moulds to create pottery...

My technique was initially inspired by Wedgwood’s Jasperware, pioneered by Josiah Wedgwood over 200 years ago, in which thin ceramic reliefs or ‘sprigs’ are applied as surface decoration to a piece.

My earliest experience speaking to clay… It was probably when I was a student at the Tajimi Technical High School when I started to engage with clay more creatively. I learnt the importance of understanding the characteristics of clay to create new shapes and forms.

Spirituality influences my work... In touching porcelain clay, I find that my memories of particular aspects of nature become realised through my hands; what was abstract and uncertain in my mind becomes tangible through making –– Kneading, brushing, patting, I complete many processes until the final shape emerges from the porcelain clay, which embodies my tactile perception of nature.