Chawan Prima: Ubud Forest
Chawan Prima: Ubud Forest
About
Kurinuki stoneware. Woodfired at GAYA Ceramic Art Center, Bali, February 2026.
A chawan is a tea bowl — one of the oldest ceramic forms in Japanese culture, traditionally used for preparing and drinking matcha. Works beautifully for matcha, but there are no rules. Use it for anything.
8 × 10 cm · Holds 415 ml (~14 oz)
The Making
Kurinuki is a carving technique: you start with a solid block of clay and cut the form away from within, shaping a vessel by removal rather than rotation. Almost all of my work is wheel-thrown. These are rare exceptions, made during the Bali workshop under the guidance of John Dix, a ceramicist based in Japan who is known for this technique.
The flame marks on this one are unrepeatable. The name carries the same meaning as the brand: the moment just before.
The Firing
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Made during a two-week wood firing workshop at GAYA Ceramic Art Center in Ubud, Bali, led by ceramicist John Dix — known for his Kurinuki carving technique and for teaching a looser, more instinctive approach to the wheel. The firing was led by master ceramicist Hillary Kane.
The kiln was fed wood continuously for approximately 50 hours, reaching 1280°C. Fuel: coffee tree wood. Loading method: Kibuta — firewood packed tightly into the firebox to restrict oxygen, pushing volatile flames and fly-ash through the chamber. This creates the flashed color and natural ash surface you see on the piece. No glaze was applied. Everything you see is ash, clay body, and clay slip.
The team worked in shifts around the clock. I did two six-hour shifts — one overnight, one at the closing stage when the temperature was already near its peak.
The firing ended with reduction cooling: oxygen was deliberately restricted as the kiln cooled, stealing oxygen molecules from the clay and surface. This produces the deep color shifts and the faint metallic quality. This was one of the last firings in this kiln — GAYA is relocating.