Design Inspirations: Otagaki Rengetsu
One of my female heroes, not just in the world of pottery but as a life role model. The stories of her read like a Japanese folk tale, full of hardship and lessons to be learned. To me her bold abstract art reflects her courageous and free spirit. In the Edo period many women artists were successful in areas such as poetry and painting but their works often followed the rules set by male predecessors. Going against the norm, Rengetsu created her own style in pottery and became famous for it. Born an illegitimate child of a Geisha and a Samourai, Rengetsu was given to the Otagaki family to be brought up in the buddhist temple Choin’in in Kyoto. She...