Ikeda Yuuko
Born: Osaka, 1973
Based: Osaka and Tokushima
Home studio

Self-taught Osaka born artist Ikeda Yuuko has gone from practising pottery as a hobby to having two studios - in her hometown Osaka as well as in Tokushima, creating many stunning pieces shown in galleries and specialist shops.

Motivation to pursue pottery:
After completing her studies in graphic design in San Diego, Ikeda san returned to Japan where she discovered that her father had just picked up pottery as a hobby. At that time, there was an old electric kiln and potter’s wheel in her family home, so she tagged along to make pottery for fun during her job hunting period. It grew into a more serious hobby of hers. Whilst working full-time for a design company, whenever she sought some form of relaxation she turned to the wheel. She continued to learn and progress, eventually quitting her job to focus solely on her pottery. A friend of Ikeda san who ran a cafe started using and selling her pieces. Despite the positive start, she explained to us that she lacked the confidence to take her work to sell at galleries. Instead, she built her atelier where she made pieces on the weekdays and sold them on the weekend. In Japan it is extremely rare for ceramic artists to sell their own work through their workspace as they are usually sold to galleries and specialist shops. Nevertheless her talents spoke for themselves as she was interviewed by media and later contacted by different galleries. That was the time she realised she had actually become a proper ceramic artist, and her confidence was finally able to grow.

Happiness and hardships of being a potter:
We were amazed by Ikeda san's creativity and the number of strikingly beautiful pieces made it hard to believe she was self taught. Her pieces are heavily influenced by experiences of nature, in particular the sea, beaches and shells. She expressed that sometimes when she looks at the ocean, she feels moved by how beautiful it is and that serves as sparks of inspiration she uses to capture her feelings and express them through her work. Her works generally reflect the colours and textures of natural objects; the free lines created by moving the hands as the heart desires, the scenery that resembles an abstract painting. In addition to being tools to be used with functionality, her work manages to evoke emotion from deep within. Her work can also sometimes follow a specific theme for a certain gallery - for instance, she recently created a series of work with an artsy twist. Some of her pieces include glazing mixed with silver or gold that age with time.

Things to challenge in the future:
In her private time, Ikeda san also attends tea ceremony lessons. She is amazed by the sophisticated way of matcha preparation in the tea room as well as how the host changes the ware to express seasonality to the guests. Through that, she learns more about different ware used inside the tea room, and she has the urge to make beautiful ware, sometimes in a more modern sense to be used in the tea room or for people who practise or enjoy tea. Recently she has been focusing on tenmoku and oribe, two classic ware styles used inside the tea room. As a self taught potter, she wants to further her knowledge of glaze to enable greater expression of her feelings.

Hobbies other than pottery:
In her spare time Ikeda san likes cooking. Whether it is for her family or guests visiting, she loves hosting. Her home is filled with beautiful ware that she has created over the years, and it is hard for us to take our eyes off her home collection. Our meeting with her was at her home/studio in a corner of old houses in Osaka. Upon entering the front door in a packed neighbourhood, we were welcomed into the ground floor - her studio space. She showed us to the first floor, which is her living room and kitchen space. We talked and laughed while drinking tea and sweets that she prepared for us. It almost felt like visiting an old friend, someone who is really stylish and has great taste in art. We are so grateful to have received a heart warming welcome, despite a few last-minute changes to our schedule, and it felt like a dream come true to have the honour of spending the afternoon with her.

Behind each ware is a story. Our role is to introduce these stories behind different artists of the ware we use to provide a unique tea experience to our guests.