This delicately made bowl is a fine example of Hiro Urakami’s later work with porcelain glazed in soft colours. He threw the bowl with a high foot and slight taper starting at the shoulder. He squared the rim with four “corners” which adds not only visual interest, but also areas for the celadon to break, as well as perhaps spots from which to sip tea. The show “Written in Clay: from the John David Lawrence Collection” at the Vancouver Art Gallery features a stack of Urakami porcelain bowls in a variety of delicate glazes.

Hiro Urakami was born in Japan and studied painting at the Osaka School of Art, but, after a visit to Vancouver in the late 1960’s, he returned to Canada in 1967 as an immigrant. He went on to study ceramics at the Vancouver School of Art, graduating in 1971 to become a professional potter. Urakami potted in the Vancouver area through to the 1990’s, producing pots inspired by many types of Japanese wares.  

Urakami was an especially active member of the Vancouver ceramics community. He was the president of the Potters Guild of BC and taught ceramics at a few colleges in Vancouver. However, it was as the owner of the House of Ceramics in the 1970’s that Urakami perhaps made his greatest contribution to ceramics on the west coast. He held bi-weekly shows exhibiting and selling works by artists including John Reeve, Wayne Ngan, Glenn Lewis, Mick Henry, and Ian Steele.