| The Beauty of Wabi-Sabi |

Guest post by Lori Koop

My friend and colleague, Lori Koop, is a dedicated and gifted
ceramic artist with a deep vision for herself and others. Her work
and writing exemplifies this style we call wabi-sabi.

“If an object or expression can bring
about, within us, a sense of serene
melancholy and a spiritual longing, then
that object is said to be wabi-sabi.”
Wabi Sabi: The Japanese Art of Impermanence

When I began making ceramics three years ago, I knew exactly what I wanted to do… make ceramics that spoke. I needed to be authentic and real. Handmade imperfection, unglazed fired clay and irregular textured surfaces became the language.

Betty Bowl © 2010 Lori Koop

The Japanese term “wabi sabi” was used several times to describe the work. It describes both an aesthetic and a philosophy.

Wabi is rustic, simple and quiet. It refers to understated, subtle beauty. The quiet beauty that waits patiently to be discovered. It also refers to the natural quirks and irregularities that come from the process of construction, from being human.

Sabi is serenity that comes with age. The beauty of patina, visible wear and repairs. It is about the natural cycle of life – growth, decay and death. The cracks, the marks of time, weather and use.

Together, wabi sabi is about process, and it involves continuous change, evolution. Nothing is perfect, nothing is complete, and nothing lasts.

In it, we slow down. Live simply.
Fill with gratitude. Unclutter.

Lori offers an inspirational word each week in her “UPWord”. You can sign up here: www.moveUPWoRD.com

Hope Plaque © 2010 Lori Koop