I was blessed with parents who instilled in me a passion for adventure. They gave me a curiosity for experience, and allowed me the freedom and support to pursue it in whatever direction I chose.
I've been traveling my whole life. From when I was a kid, taking cross country family camping trips, wedged between my brothers in the back seat of my Dad's station wagon. In my teens my best friend and I first started on bicycles, then hitchhiked until we got drivers licenses. The best trips were, and still are the ones with out a set destination. Leaving it up to serendipity always resulted in good times, or at least good stories, that could never have been planned.
My work in clay is much like my travels; Both the making and firings are always an adventure. I have starting points without a clear finish line. I'll often begin down familiar paths; teapots, sake cups, whatever, but pretty quickly diverge in new directions. I try to give myself the freedom to stop anywhere along the way and give more time and attention to any part of the process. What I end up with is usually not what I conceived of when I started, but it is something more satisfying on a personal creative level.
It tends to take time and reflection to know whether the efforts were successful or not. over the years my forms have gotten simpler; less ornate, little conscious decoration on them. I try to avoid the ‘clever’ pot; ones that show off a technical prowess. They almost never stand the test of time. Almost any pot I have made that gave me that “Wow! I’m a genius” feeling, have, more often than not, made me cringe years later.
Firing is the wildest trip of all. I fire my work for up to a week in an anagama type wood kiln. It is a physically draining process which takes years of firing to wrest control of the process and truly understand what is happening in the kiln. The pots go in either unglazed or with a simple glaze that is receptive to the ash and flame. Over the course of the week's firing Ash is deposited on each piece giving them their unique character.
I have been very fortunate to work with potters in The States, Greece, Israel, and for the last 15 years, in Japan.
I am also blessed with a wonderful wife, Chika, and recently a son, Richie Gordon, who was born on September 16th, 2003.
Exhibitions
  • 1982 Graduation Exhibition, Albion College, Albion Michigan
  • 1983 4 Person show, Starr Commonwealth, Marshall, Michigan
  • 1985 "Best of Ceramics Award", Fremont Arts Festival, Fremont, Michigan
  • 1987-88 Michigan State Art Fairs Selected Exhibitor
  • 1990 Mont a Mare, Ashiya, Japan
  • 1991 Itami Craft Competition, Itamia Craft Museum, Osaka, Japan
  • 1992 "3 American Potters", Itami Craft Museum, Osaka, Japan
  • 1992 "International Teapots", Detroit Michigan, USA
  • 1993 One person show, Show Gallery, Kobe, Japan
  • 1994 One person show, Toraku Gallery, Kobe, Japan
  • 1997 One person show, Chisai me Gallery, Nishinomiya, Japan
  • 1998 Two person show, CHIC International Center, Kobe Japan
  • 1999 One person show, Hachigen Gallery, Kyoto Japan
  • 1999 Teapot Selected for International Wood Fire Exhibition. Iowa City Iowa
  • 1999 One person show Hankyu Department Store, Osaka
  • 2000 One person show Hankyu Department Store, Kobe
  • 2000 One person show Bihodo Galleries, Sapporo, Asahigawa
  • 2001 One Person show, Tosei Gallery, Nagaokakyo City
  • 2002 Hankyu Department Store. Umeda Osaka
  • 2002 Tobu Department Store Ikebukuro Tokyo
  • 2003 Hankyu Department Store. Kobe
  • 2003 Gallery Shun, Tokyo
  • 2003 Tosei Gallery, Nagaokakyo City
  • 2004 Gallery Shun, Tokyo
  • 2004 Gallery Shou, Osaka
  • 2004 Tobu Department Store Ikebukuro Tokyo
  • 2004 Tokyo American Club
  • 2005 Shinsaibashi Daimaru Department Store, Osaka
  • 2006 Kobe club, Kobe
  • 2006 Gallery Shun, Tokayo
  • 2006 Gallery Shou, Osaka
  • 2007 Shinsaibashi Daimaru Department Store, Osaka
  • 2007 International Invitational Exhibition of Contemporary Wood-fired Clay, Chemeketa Community College, Salem, OR

Experience

  • 1960 Born, Flint, Michigan, USA
  • 1982 BA Liberal Arts, Albion College, Albion Michigan.
  • 1982-83 Studied Ceramics at Northern Michigan University, Marquette, MI
  • 1983-85 Apprentice, Terrestrial Forming Pottery, Whitehall, MI
  • 1985 Worked for 6 months at pottery studio in Xania Crete Greece
  • 1985-86 Worked with Potters in Israel; Kibbutz in Jerusalem
  • 1987-89 Worked as Studio Manager at Terrestrial Forming
  • 1989 Came to Japan
  • 1989-91 Studied at Tekisui Pottery Studio, Ashiya
  • 1992-94 Worked with Bizen Potter Kanichi Mikami
  • 1994 Begin teaching at Unknown Pottery School in Nishinomiya
  • 1995 Built three chamber wood fire kiln in Sasayama
  • 1997 January, first firing of Ogami Kiln in Sasayama
  • 1999 Appointed Artist in Residence at ReRun Pottery Studio, Takarazuka, Japan
  • 2004 Workshop at Sacred Heart Tokyo
  • 2006 Workshop and Lecture, Flint Institute of Arts, Flint, MI
  • 2007 Workshop at Peter Callas's Studio, NJ
  • 2007 Workshop and firing Anagama kiln at Peters Valley Craft Center, NJ

Publications

  • 1998 Kansai Time Out - Cover page
  • 1999 Japan Times - feature article
  • 2000 Ceramics Art and Perception, Issue 39
  • 2001 Japan Times Feature Article
  • 2001 Featured on T.V. program ‘Neighborly’
  • 2003 Ceramics Monthly - June/July/August Issue

 


Copyright c 2001, John Dix. All rights reserved.