I use many different kinds of materials to make sculptures. Right now, I spend most of my time working with wood. I work alone on a daily basis, but when I'm working on a large scale, I sometimes work with a team.

I'm not an expert in ceramics, you know.

The reason for this is no one has ever taught me how to make pottery and I have been doing it by trail and error on my own. It's been about 30 years since I started making pottery.

I was inspired by the beauty of the natural world, including plants. The beauty of the exposure to the elements and the cracks caused by drying. 

In Japan, there are two words the express traditional beauty. "Wabi" and "sabi". Things in this world rust, stain, and chip with age. This is generally regarded as deterioration but on the contrary, the diverse and unique beauty of these changes is called rust. "Wabi", on the other hand, is a term for a positive mind that accepts and enjoys rust and dirt. 

I hope to find in finding the beauty in drying leaves and wilting petals, just as I enjoy the beauty of growth.

I'm so grateful to you and your customers to finding and sharing the deep taste of the beautiful cracks and stains in my planters.

-TOSHIHIKO YOSHIMOTO

Photography: David Potter