Yuko Ikeda　池田優子

Along with other traditional houses, Yuko's house/atelier is located in the corner of an old town in Osaka. Opening the garage door, you can see her art-pieces lined up neatly as if it were an art gallery. Catching the outside light , the potteries that looked dark become bluish, and the dishes that are white become gradational pink and beige showing different aspects. The cobalt blue potteries reflect the light and slightly yet beautifully shimmer. In Yuko's atelier, her drawings, old tools, dried flowers, and handmade iron store fixtures all harmonize and create an exquisite atmosphere.

Yuko's career is very unique. Although she studied graphic design at Platt College in San Diego, after returning to Japan, she came across pottery which enchanted her and decided to pursue pottery making. It was a career changing from two dimensions to three dimensions, from digital to analog. Without going to a technical school or studying at a studio, she learned the techniques on her own by watching videos and sometimes participating in a seminar. Create what can be used in everyday life, her principle of creation has never changed and never will. A dish itself holds a presence, yet it brings out the best of any cuisine and complements another. That is also because she values "daily life" in the basis of her creation. However, the style of her artwork has been gradually changing as her life stage changed. After raising her child, now she wants to provide products that are not only useful but special and at the same time offer once in a lifetime opportunities. Raised in an environment surrounded by art, she wants to make artworks that just sit right beside your everyday life, she says.

The beauty of her products is the coexistence of Japanese figurative beauty that is soft and delicate and her usage of colors that is rich in nuance. The presence of open feeling created with earth colors in a fine balance conjure the views of the West Coast where she spent some time. The Californian "Do what you want" style can be seen in her way of living. You can almost see herself in her products that perfectly go with the words "a comfortable breeze." She says that the customers using her products have become more "free" compared to the earlier days. With free interpretations and free ideas, these tableware wish to be enjoyed.