Studio Potter, New York

Biography

Ayumi writes about herself: “I grew up in a mill town in Maine where huge brick factories built along the river dominated the skyline. People were generally either French Canadian or Anglo, so it was a rare sight to see anybody half Japanese. This biracial and bicultural duality has continued to inform my identity and my work. I received my B.A. from Mount Holyoke College in 1991, my B.F.A. in ceramics from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 1996, and my M.F.A. in ceramics from the University of Washington in 2000. I am currently directing the clay program at the Women's Studio Workshop, teaching adjunct at SUNY New Paltz, and working as a studio potter in the Hudson Valley of New York, less than 2 hours north of New York City. I am on the board at the Archie Bray Foundation where I was a resident for two years between 1996 and 1998.”

Artist Statement

My work revolves around the idea of comfort, both physical and psychological. By using material generously and by having a sense of soft gravity in the walls of the pot, I hope to impart a feeling of quietness and contentment. Finger marks and dents are unconcealed and even celebrated, because what could be more comforting than the handmade? I want my pots to be poetic; the sag at the base of a pot may counterpoise a thin, articulated lip or glazed yellow sprinkles around a bird may suggest excitement. I love drawing animals and being engaged in their dramas.