Thebuddhabuilder

February 7, 2010

Hailing from Issaquah Mountain, which is east of Seattle, ” thebuddhabuilder ” ( Anita Feng ) is a unique potter, who primarily focuses on building objects around a Buddah theme. She works intuitively as reflected in the statement,  ” if  I can move my ideas out of the way and just allow my hands to lead, how much more integrated and alive the work becomes !”  She claims “My raku Buddhas offer a synthesis of east and west — the ancient inheritance of Zen meets modern American creativity. They also represent an exploration of the question, what does Buddha look like?

After all, the word “buddha” means “to wake up” or “the awakened one”. So what does openness of mind look like? Clay is a perfect medium to explore that question, as it is so open a material to work with. It can be pulled, thrown, molded, rolled–anything! And it is composed of all the elements of life — earth, air, fire, water, metal. Incorporating thirty years of Zen training, plus over thirty years work as a professional potter, along with my life-time involvement in poetry and music, I work the clay into a joyful, sincere and dance-like marriage between east and west.”

I find her Kwan Yin creations true to the female Boddhisattva and her creativity seems boundless. She successfully combines traditional Raku with contemporary techniques, while integrating her Zen influences intrinsically into her art. Observing her pottery is a meditation in itself.  Her actual  Buddah pieces exude an exquisite subtly and the results are refreshing and brimming with pure spontaneity.

Buddah statue in blue, red copper, silver wonder.  18″ high, 9″ wide

Cloud Computing Kwan Yin Goddess Angel

Buddah Garden Art

Clouds and Crackle Mooon Raku Wall Hanging

11″ wide 8″ high

Raku Serving Dish

In Anita’s words :

A gorgeous, softly glowing shallow serving dish or bowl!  Thrown on the wheel with embellished “handles” on the side. Decorated using the technique known as “naked raku”, which means that there is no glaze on the piece at all. The raw surface was burnished carefully before firing the first time. Then a thick slip was applied before the second raku firing. Afterwards, the slip flakes off and, voila, a lovely crackle pattern is revealed.

Laughing Buddah Pond

Wall Art Buddha Head

Raku Tea Bowl

Kwan Yin Goddess Statue in the Clouds

Kwan Yin Emerging From the Golden Stream

Ceramics and Pottery Arts and Resources