Ruri
Born in Japan, living in USA almost 50 years, Ruri has been working with clay over 40 years, starting in New Haven, Conn., at the Creative Arts Workshops and Southern Conn. State University, then on to Mashiko as an apprentice under Tatsuzo Shimaoka (he became National Living Treasure later) in 1977. She also had very fortunate opportunities working with Takashi Nakazato in his studio at Anderson Ranch Art Center and also at Ryuta-gama, Karatsu, Japan, for over ten years before the pandemic started.
Established her studio in 1979 in Sheridan, Oregon with reduction gas kiln, then anagama in 2004. She fires her clay sculptures (coiled and handformed) in her gas reduction kiln and anagama, and in other artists’ atmospheric firings. Nature is the source of her inspiration and metaphor to express interconnectedness of all beings and her spirituality.
All her work is prayer for peace. She believes if your heart is in peace, that would reflect in your daily life with ripple effects expanding to family, friends, community, society, country and to the whole world. She hopes her works resonate with the viewers heart. Lots of her art work reflect that we are all here on this planet all interconnected, and sooner or later leaving here to become One with the Universe.
