Pat Oyama

Interested in art since childhood, Oyama said she was drawn to pottery because “it is so basic. I’m intimidated by the brush and flat (canvas), but when I have clay in my hands, it guides me”.

She first dabbled in clay in a relocation center in Heart Mt, Wyoming, at the age of 3, having been relocated after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Her formal art training comes from the International Christian University of Tokyo where she experienced a total immersion in Japanese art, history and language.

Oyama’s love of nature is very apparent in her work, she credits walks through Kyoto hills, and New York with fostering her urge to pick up any leaf or bit of wood that might look interesting imprinted on clay.

“What I learned from my apprenticeship in Japan, I learned by osmosis. The Mingei influence is definitely there. My pots are to be lived with, used, viewed, handled. Smooth temmoku and celadon are kind to the lips, inviting to the touch, soothing to the eye. Matt glazes are reminiscent of the stone from whence they came. Thin porcelain lets light through and exudes it. Forms grow naturally. I watch. I catch the moment."