A journey in clay
My name is Remy Omar Hiramoto, and I’ve been a potter, on and off in between engineering and parenting and paints, for nearly 40 years. Having said that, you would think I would be better at it, but I can only attack this craft when I have the time away from real life. At the very least, I put a little bit of myself is in each and every piece that I craft…and I hope that makes it as special to you as it is to me.
I was introduced to the ceramic arts in earnest by Mr. David Roberts at Iolani School in Honolulu where I grew up. I was twelve. Every chance I got, I would sneak into the ceramics lab and, amidst the claymixer, pugmill, kilns, wheels, sinks, worktables, glaze buckets, Folger’s coffee cans filled with tools, I was in heaven. Nearly 40 years later, I’m still at it, still sneaking away.
My work today is high fire ceramics, and I generally use stoneware and porcelain. I try to do everything in the ceramic process myself, and while I do purchase my clay, I recycle all my scraps and use that clay again. I use a mix of commercial glazes, and I also mix my own glazes. All of my work is bisqued and glaze fired by me at my home studio in Mar Vista, Los Angeles. I often try to incorporate found objects, particularly driftwood from Hawaii, sticks I find in the neighborhood or old metal fittings like keyholes and knobs, into my pieces. I often take a design lead from nature and form my work around the found object(s). I hope you enjoy my work and take something home.
Ceramics by Remy Hiramoto