One of the first artists to explore ceramic’s possibilities as an independent aesthetic medium, Toshiko Takaezu revolutionized the field with abstract shapes, painterly glazes, and lyrical installations. Inspired by ceramist Maija Grotell, her teacher at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, Takaezu absorbed a philosophy of irregularity and asymmetry and drew upon diverse artistic influences from Europe, Asia, and the natural world. Takaezu was also strongly influenced by the theories of Hong Kong–born potter Bernard Leach and the works of Hamada Shoji, which taught her the Zen approach of intuition and formal simplification that shaped the artist’s mature style. Through her mastery of ancient firing techniques, Takaezu created earthenware that reached sculptural heights, just as her exploration of surface decoration led her to use glaze with the same expressiveness as abstract painters. Takaezu’s ceramics lucidly articulate the cross-cultural influences of East and West, bridging her American, Hawaiian, and Japanese heritages while announcing her originality and independence. - The Art Institute of Chicago (T. Takaezu Ceramics March 22–June 8, 2008; Gallery 109)
"One of the best things about clay is that I can be completely free and honest with it. And clay responds to me. The clay is alive and even when it is dry, it is still breathing! I can feel the response in my hands, and I don't have to force the clay. The whole process is an interplay between the clay and myself and often the clay has much to say." - Quoted from The Penland School of Crafts Book of Pottery, New York: Bubbs-Merrill, 1973, p. 145.
HSFCA Annual Report 2002-2003 (No. 1 Capitol District Facade Cover)
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HSFCA Annual Report 2003 -2004 (Genoa Keawe Cover)
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HSFCA Annual Report 2004-2005 (James Kaʻupena Wong Cover)
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HSFCA Annual Report 2005-2006 (George Naʻope Cover)
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HSFCA Annual Report 2006-2007 (Eddie Kamae Cover)
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HSFCA Annual Report 2007-2008 (Ceramic Sculpture - Na Kama Ku I Ka Moku, artist Bob Flint Cover)
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HSFCA Annual Report 2008-2009 (Aquarius by Tadashi Sato. State Capitol Rotunda Cover)
