Kimiyo Mishima

Kimiyo Mishima

Introduction

The artist mentioned above was born in 1932. She is of a Japanese origin and is well known for her exemplary artistic works which mainly involve the use of ceramics (Koplos, 38). She has created a lot of realistic versions of matter than can easily get broken from ceramics. They include boxes, newspapers and some comedy books made from clay. Having started her artistic career in the 1960s, she resorted into covering ceramics in her art in 1971. One of the techniques that she heavily used in printing newspapers and advertisement images on clay was the screen silk method. She is different from other artists like Andy Warhol because of her ability to incorporate clay in her work. Her current residence is in Osaka, Japan. Kimiyo has won various awards including the Mayor’s prize for the show of humour in her work in 2002. It is because of this uniqueness that I decided to settle on her for this subject. The primary objective is to find out more about her artwork and the use of ceramics from clay. This essay is going to highlight some of her responses to the questions asked, as well as my thoughts about her work.

The decision behind being an artist

This was the initial question which was so easy for her to answer. She said that he used to love drawing when she was still a kid. In her pictures, her parents and teachers would see something more unique to the extent of encouraging her to go on with the pieces of drawings. It is at this point that she learnt how to make small pieces of art even though they were not perfect by then. After her studies, Kimiyo realized that she wanted to pass around information to people without caring much what they had to say because art has no filters. She could only do this through artwork. Therefore, her choice of being an artist has solid roots from her childhood days and school days

The motivation for doing her work

The main point she talked off was the idea of awards. She has received various awards including the Yaizu Mayor’s prize, Grand Prix award, Rockefeller Fellowship award and Yamaguchi Prefectural prize, among others. These awards have been a source of motivation for her work. She also loves a clean and safe environment with little wastes. This is the reason why she decided to incorporate used newspapers and books in her work to minimize wastes. Another source of motivation is her family which has always stood by her and encouraged her in her work direction.

Effects of material choice

Kimiyo uses clay to the ninth degree. The properties of clay are excellent, and this makes the artist have an easy time, especially in the modelling phase. It is easy to model into the required shape to bring out the desired idea because of its osmotic and mineralogy properties (Dominijanni et al. 51). Therefore, clay brings in appositive effect in her work such that the features enable her to make whatever she wants. It is also easy to pigment clay.

Why Ceramics?

Ceramics are easy to decorate. According to archaeology, they have a view of artefacts. It is also easy to make for one person or a group of people to make the ceramics. It is because of these views about ceramics that Kimiyo Mishina decided to incorporate them in her work.

The kind of clay and firing processes used

The artist uses two types of clay soil in her work. The first type is stoneware. The other type is kaolin. At times, she uses a combination of the two in the same piece of art to bring out a different feel in the end product. After modelling, the product is burnt at high temperatures to strengthen its physical properties. The ceramics become robust and stronger than before (Baccour et al. 2816). Bisque and glaze firing are the two processes that she uses.

Work development over the years

The artist said that her work has been on an improvement trajectory since the start of her career. She has realized so much information which she has tried to incorporate in her work. With the development of technology, there is a need to bring out products that go along with technology. She has been able to incorporate all this, and it has helped in the upward trajectory of her career.

The process

After getting an idea, she comes up with a model. With the right type of clay, she adds water and moulds it into the desired shape. The product at this stage should meet her expectations. After this, there are two types of firing that the model undergoes. First, it undergoes bisque firing. The heating involves high temperatures, and they make it glass-like. The water in the clay turns to steam. At about 930 degrees Fahrenheit, the clay becomes dehydrated. After achievement of the high temperatures, the kiln turns off to allow slow cooling of the clay piece. There is then the application of a ceramic glaze. After the application, she returns the part into the kiln for the glaze firing. When the clay and glaze mature, the kiln turns off and the final product removed.

Any other sources of income

Apart from artwork, she is also involved in different businesses which help her to generate more revenue. Most of the money that she gets from her artwork gets used in making various investment.

References

Baccour, H., et al. “Influence of firing temperature on the ceramic properties of Triassic clays from Tunisia.” Journal of materials processing technology 209.6 (2009): 2812-2817.

Dominijanni, Andrea, and Mario Manassero. “Modelling the swelling and osmotic properties of clay soils. Part II: The physical approach.” International Journal of Engineering Science 51 (2012): 51-73.

Koplos, Janet. “Mishima Kimiyo at MEM and Art Factory Jonanjima, Tokyo.” Ceramics Art and Perception 108 (2018): 38.