It’s always inspiring for me as an artist to install an established artist’s work, especially when they are as kind and warm as the ceramic artist Toshiko Takaezu. I had the opportunity to work with her several years ago and installed a show of hers at the Hunterdon Museum of Art. There was something very memorable about seeing her walk among her large closed form vessels.

As thanks for my help, she invited me back to her studio in Quakertown, NJ for lunch. After lunch, she brought an arrangement of ceramic bowls to the table and asked me to take one. The bowl I chose, shown in the picture, sits in the studio. It functions both as a receptacle and as an item of great inspiration. And now that Toshiko has passed, it will remind me of an amazing woman who lived a fulfilling life as a very important artist.