Traditional Kintsugi

The Traditional Japanese art of Kintsugi, which means ‘golden joinery’ or ‘to patch with gold’, is all about turning ugly breaks into beautiful fixes. Most repairs hide themselves – Kintsugi is a 15th-century technique of repairing broken porcelain, earthenware pottery and glass with resins and lacquers that come from trees. It dates from the 15th century. The Kintsugi artist carefully repairs the broken vessel with a sticky resin that hardens as it dries. The resin can then be sanded and buffed until the crack is almost imperceptible to the touch. After that, the artist takes a lacquer that has been combined with real gold and covers the crack. the goal is usually to make something as good as new. Kintsugi proposes that repair can make things better than new.

 
My re-built or restored pots are grounded and inspired by in the Japanese art of Kintsugi  where broken or cracked pots are repaired with resin mixed or dusted with gold.  Missing pieces are replaced with other sections of clay, glass or found objects "Yobitsugi Kintsugi" or  呼び継ぎ. The Japanese and others have come to cherish the imperfection of a broken pot fixed this way. It is seen as a creative addition and or re-birth to the pot’s life story. When creatively done, it contributes to the pots life and history, making it more beautiful and precious. The ideal of wabi sabi  fits well with this restoration and re-birth idea.   My techniques vary considerably from the traditional Kintsugi  process.                          Click here See one example my process. 

 

The essence of Kintsugi is the practice of focusing one’s intention on life’s hidden beauty and power. In the case of this ancient art form it’s about the power of transforming broken ceramic pottery into beautiful resurrected masterpieces.

Beholding the artistry of Kintsugi one can immediately see its transformative power. Shattered pieces of a pristine vase are artfully rejoined with my traditional and my own personal techniques including gold, copper and bronze-laced epoxy metals and foils along with found objects to create a stunning masterpiece; and evoking an intriguing question.  While the original form of the vase has forever been destroyed, through Kintsugi alchemy, the essence of its beauty not only survives, it thrives. Kintsugi, as the practice is known, gives new life to damaged or aging ceramic objects by celebrating their frailty and history.

One can also consider how we might live a Kintsugi life, or "rebirth" finding value in the cracks, missing pieces and chips – bringing to light the scars that have come from life experiences, finding new purpose through aging and loss, seeing the beauty of imperfection' and loving ourselves, family and friends despite flaws. see Wabi-sabi

 

  Some of the above was altered and paraphrased. Original verse By Val Jon Farris, and Lakeside Pottery Studio

home page · Artist Statement - Resume ·  Back to Sagger & Smoke  Back to Types of Work