“You only regret those pieces you didn’t buy, not those you did”. Wise words from a ceramic collector based in Oxford that I met at the Crafts Council’s Collect fair a few years ago. We were talking about those missed opportunities when we let particular pieces slip through ours hands, due to funding particularly. Although not really being able to afford something at the time is of course pretty central, he is absolutely right about the regrets in retrospect (that classic heart and head thing you might say).
A while later I interviewed Michael for a collaborative exhibition I curated between the National Design and Craft Gallery in Ireland and Ruthin Craft Centre called Lasting Impressions - looking at the ideas around why particular pieces speak out to individuals through their use of materials, design and craftsmanship and why some people become collectors.
I’m happy to say that the piece in this week’s post didn’t slip through my fingers. This was back in 2014 and I was visiting the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair in Manchester. The event, organised and run by Ann-Marie Franey & Angela Mann, has become a staple in the annual round of crafts events in the UK and every year it has a Graduate Showcase focusing on emerging makers. A wonderful opportunity for those selected to have a free space to bring their work to a wider public where they can get valuable feedback and make some all important sales.
Mizuki Takahashi had recently graduated from Hereford College of Arts and her work was fresh and exciting. The clever combination of oxidised silver and porcelain ceramic really caught my eye - two specialisms brought together into the one piece. She was also a delight to talk to; enthusiastic and professional and this is really important as it’s so enlightening when you have the opportunity to discuss somebody’s work with them in person.
So the deal was done and Mizuki sent the piece to me soon after the fair. Another acquisition in the slowly building little collection, as is now apparent.
Mizuki has subsequently set up as a designer-maker and is producing amazing work, concentrating now on enamelling as the decorative element to her pieces. She will feature in a new exhibition (currently on hold due to Covid-19) that I am curating for Ruthin Craft Centre, called Monochrome: Shades of Black & White.
Links
www.greatnorthernevents.co.uk
www.mizukitakahashi.co.uk
Mizuki Takahashi, oxidised silver, porcelain, 2014