“Humility does not mean you think less of yourself. It means you think of yourself less,” K Blanchard.

Wabi sabi and ceramics

The ceramic tea bowls used during Japanese tea ceremonies were made by hand and embody the unpretentious beauty, purity, dignity and humility of wabi sabi.

They were painted with monochrome, matte black or red glazes instead of the bright, three colour glazed-wear that was popular at the time.

The bowls were low temperature fired and then pulled red hot from the kiln as soon as the glaze started to melt. Rapid cooling in the open air caused the glaze to fracture leaving an imperfect, natural, crackled effect known as raku.

Bernard Leach (1887-1979), one of the great figures of 20th century art describes his first encounter with raku in his famous work 'A Potter's Book'.

Truly inspirational, 'A Potter's Book' is remarkable in its scope and content, and describes Bernard Leach's aesthetic values and ceramic techniques.

Bernard Leach played a pioneering role in creating an identity for artist potters in Britain and around the world and his work has had a profound influence on the lives of today's studio potters.