Recent Work by David Kuraoka
September 27, 2002 - February 4, 2003

David Kuraoka has long been involved in the process of pit firing, his favorite ceramic technique because of the rich, soft colors that result from the firing. Kuraokaâs experience has taught him how to set up the pit to get certain kinds of effects, but one of the fascinating aspects of the process for him is its serendipity, the unexpected "gifts of the fire" that mark his simple, organic forms with smoky earth tones that evoke the colors of Hawaiiâs landscape.

Kuraoka begins by throwing a rounded vessel, subtly altering it by pressing and shaping. He then turns the form upside down and works freehand to create a new top or cap on which the clay is built up and expressively manipulated. The caps of the completed vessels undulate and swirl, resembling the volcanic topography of Hawaiiâs islands. Before the pieces are fired Kuraoka burnishes them ö rubbing the surfaces with a stone ö to create a beautiful sheen that enhances the colors and catches the light. In the firing, Kuraoka places sawdust, rock salt, and copper carbonate on the floor of the pit to get the distinctive reds, browns and blacks in his firings, loads the pieces and then fills the pit with split logs.

Kuraokaâs bronzes are cast from the clay forms by the lost-wax process and then given patinas using heat and chemicals. The colors Kuraoka achieves in his bronzes are also earth-toned, but darker and more translucent, with light passing through the patinas and reflecting off the metal beneath. Another format in which Kuraoka likes to work is the flat tile, which he often groups together in grids to make wall pieces with vivid and bold abstract designs. Handmade slabs fired flat in the kiln, Kuraokaâs tiles are marked with beautiful flowing patterns of blue, green, black and orange where the fire marked the surfaces unpredictably in the heat of firing.

The exhibition also includes examples of Kuraokaâs exquisite globular vessels glazed in glossy celadon. Unlike his other works, which strongly reference landscape, these forms draw from the classical tradition of Asian ceramics. Their cool, blue-green colors, smooth and even over the simply thrown vessels, create serene and elegant works that are reminiscent of Hawaiiâs waters.

David Kuraoka was born in Lihue, KauaÎi in 1946 and is currently a professor of art at San Francisco State University. He received his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in art from San Jose State University. Kuraoka has worked in clay for over 30 years and has exhibited extensively in California and elsewhere on the mainland and in HawaiÎi, maintaining studios both in San Francisco and on KauaÎi. This exhibition presents a range of his recent work in pitfired clay, glazed porcelain and patinated bronze.