Ms. Mikiko Kato's utensils will bring a smile to your face just by looking at them. She is a fresh ceramicist who just started his own business in Mizunami City, Gifu Prefecture. We talked about various things, including production.
I met Ms. Kato at the Shonan Chigasaki Craft Fair Ichinoichi held in Chigasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture. It was the first craft fair held in the spring of 2023, and over 100 wonderful makers gathered . 
We took a train from Kamakura to Chigasaki. It was held at Chigasaki Central Park, about a 5-minute walk from Chigasaki Station. 
The moment I saw her bears, I knew I wanted to handle them! I'm so excited to see the strangely realistic and blank expression on his face. 
``I like pottery shaped like or decorated with creatures from the ancient Orient or the Jomon period, with expressions that don't change what they're thinking, or things that look like funny things that weren't made on purpose. I feel drawn to it and I think it's influenced by them.I'd like to use various animals as motifs, but I like ``wooden carved bears'' so I actually went to Hokkaido and carved wooden bears and other animals. When I was observing the bears at the bear farm, I started to like them even more because I found it interesting that they moved like humans, perhaps because their bodies were soft. Currently, I only make bears,'' says Ms. Kato. 
Listen and say, ``I see! ''I fell to my knees. Wood carving bear! There is a mysterious loveliness that cannot be described. The appeal of her work is the sense of reality that comes from actually observing animals and directly translating what he feels into his pottery.
This expression grabs your heart. 
She originally loved drawing and used to paint in oil, but she also wanted to try three-dimensional sculpture, so she started pottery.
``At first, I thought it would be fun to make large objects or take a pottery class part-time, but I started making pottery right around the time of the coronavirus pandemic.I often think about how to spend my time at home. I started thinking that I wanted to make something that people could own and use every day, something that would make their time at home a little more fun and exciting.Currently, I mainly make vases, small ornaments, and vessels. 
There are many artists who have finally been able to start their events after their events were canceled due to the coronavirus, and I think She was one of them. I remember having a great time at the Shonan Chigasaki Ichinoichi event, where I felt like it was the first time in a while that the owner was able to participate without worrying. In addition, Mr. Kato will also be participating in the Yatsugatake Craft Market, which will be held this weekend (October 6th to 8th, 2023)! You can enjoy all day at the craft fair held in the beautiful nature of Yatsugatake. If you have a chance, please go!
``The interesting thing about pottery is that you don't know how it will turn out until it's fired, but there are times when things don't turn out the way you want them to, so we work through trial and error every day,'' he said, explaining the appeal of pottery.
A fun pottery with new discoveries that you will never get tired of no matter how many times you look at it. I look forward to seeing her future endeavors.
Click here for a list of Mikiko Kato's works. 
