A smiling woman sits indoors with a gray pitbull-type dog on a couch, wearing a green, red, and blue plaid shirt and matching pants. The photo is framed in a circular border with an orange background and the text 'FOR VISITS' in yellow at the top left.

Fort Visits

In this edition of Fort Visits, we sit down with ceramic artist Shino Takeda, to talk about her journey with clay and the art of wood-firing. From her first soup bowl to an upcoming dinner set, discover the process and passion behind Takeda’s painterly, functional ceramics.

QWhen did you start working with clay? What was the first thing you made?

AI started in the Summer of 2010. I took a trial pottery class at NY Togei Kyoshitsu, Japanese ceramic studio in midtown, and made a soup bowl and a cake plate. I fell in love with ceramic that day!

QYou’ve done a lot of wood-firing ceramics, especially tea bowls. Can you tell us about the process?

AMost of my wood-firing is done in upstate New York, though my first memorable experience was in Japan with a master of tea bowls. The process requires patience and hard physical work, but the most important part is that you don’t know the result until you open the kiln. It’s a mix of intention and trusting the ‘god of the kiln,’ as we say.

QYour ceramics are functional, but they’re also very painterly. Do you paint on other mediums like canvas or paper?

AI’ve never really worked in two dimensions, but I’ve recently started working on paper and canvas as it provides a new layer of inspiration for my ceramics.

QWhat are you working on now?

AI’m working on a dinner set and preparing for my annual pop-up in Japan.

QWhat do you love most about living in New York City?

AI think it's the cultural mix. There are so many different races and cultures here, and that diversity makes New York unique. There's less of a 'normal' or 'typical' mindset because we all come from different backgrounds. People live their own lives here; we mind our own business, which is very different from where I grew up.

QWhat is your most memorable experience seeing art, and do you have a favorite museum, gallery, or sculpture park?

AMusic and dance usually touch me more deeply, and I often cry when I experience then. But I'd never felt that way about painting until once at the Met, I saw a Pierre Bonnard exhibit without knowing much about him. As I moved from one painting to the next, I reached one piece, and suddently, tears started falling. I didn't know why, but it felt warm and also sad. Later, I learned it was painted around the time his wife passed away.

QCan you tell us about our studio mate and muse, Hippo? And is it true you started drawing him?

AYes, let's talk about Hippo! His real name is Tofu, and he's my emotional support and ideal studio buddy. He's so sweet and sleeps all day, though sometimes he'll run around and bark, which means I have to discipline him. I started a flower CSA this spring, and initially, I planned to draw flowers once a week. But I realized I love Tofu even more than flowers, so I started drawing him instead. I love how his personality shines through in the drawings– sometimes he even looks like a little human.

QYoushared a playlist you listen to while glazing. Does music influence your work in a tangible way, or is it more about setting the mood?

AAbsolutely, it influences me! I love old-school hip-hop when I glaze. The layers of color I use come from the same idea as sampling in hip-hop– high notes ad bass, all those different layers.

  • A smiling woman sits indoors with a gray pitbull-type dog on a couch, wearing a green, red, and blue plaid shirt and matching pants. The photo is framed in a circular border with an orange background and the text 'FOR VISITS' in yellow at the top left.
  • A handmade mosaic tile wall featuring a patchwork of colorful square tiles, with stacks of unfinished light wood blocks and square tiles displayed on round pedestals in front, set against a plain white wall.
  • A group of handmade terracotta ceramic mugs and cups arranged on a wooden table in a pottery studio setting, with some pieces resting on a brown paper sheet against a light-colored wall.
  • A collage showing handmade ceramic pottery on wooden shelves, a small clay figure with a gold crown, and painted ceramic vessels with plants, all arranged on an orange background with a central blue oval reading 'FOR VISITS'.
  • A cluttered artist studio or craft workspace with terracotta clay blocks, paint cans, brushes, tools, tape, and framed artwork on a wall.
  • A collage-style interior scene with two inset photos showing handmade ceramic vessels and decor in a room. A brown oval badge at the top reads 'FOR VISITS'.
  • Two colorful ceramic plates of pasta salad on a rustic wooden table, surrounded by cutlery, a smartphone, and a small cup.
  • A collage of four photos with a central orange label reading 'FOR VISITS' on a light blue background. The left panel shows a woman standing in a kitchen.
  • A circular close-up of many small wooden spoon-like utensils with carved smiling faces, packed together on bubble wrap. The image has a light blue border and the text 'For ViSiTs' in orange at the bottom left.
  • A cozy, densely decorated living room corner with a blue sofa, pink rug, potted plants, framed wall art, a mirror, and a mannequin torso in the center.
  • A collection of handmade, rustic ceramic mugs and cups displayed on three wooden shelves against a dark wood paneled background.
  • A collection of hand-painted wooden blocks and strips with colorful geometric patterns, arranged on a rustic wooden workbench alongside pottery tools like wooden sculpting tools, a sponge, and a clay wheel.
  • A close-up of a wooden board or tile featuring multiple square ceramic swatches in various colors and textures, including blue, orange, white, green, yellow, and patterned designs.
  • A gray American pitbull-type dog sleeps comfortably on a dark gray and beige pet bed in a workshop or studio environment with a large metal tank and red vending machine in the background.
  • An open sketchbook with black ink drawings on cream paper, resting on a dark wooden surface against a light blue background. An oval orange logo at the top reads 'FOR VISITS'.
  • A vintage silver and gold Toshiba boombox radio sits on a wooden floor next to a dark wooden stand holding a turntable and cassette deck, with decorative ceramic planters on either side.
  • A collection of handmade ceramic pottery including vases, a bowl, and a square tile plaque, all decorated with colorful patchwork patterns in red, yellow, green, blue, and orange, displayed on a table against a gray wall.
  • A woman in a green, red, and black plaid blanket pajama set sits on a yellow couch in a home setting, petting a brown and white pitbull-type dog. The photo is framed with a thick yellow border and an orange sticker at the top that reads 'FOR I VISITS'.

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