On February the 10th, I attended a workshop from Yo Thom at the Sacred Heart International School in Tokyo.

Yo Thom is born in Tokyo and went to Britain after she got her degree in English. She started at the Kent Institute of Art and Design. In the meantime she assisted Lisa Hammond, a well-known British studio potter, and became a full-time apprentice after getting her MA degree in ceramics.
She lives in London, has her studio there and produces hand thrown functional stoneware. Yo exhibits her work in the UK as well as in Japan.

Here she shows us how to throw a teardrop form, which she uses for her functional ware.
She pulls up the clay.








She talks about a "kote" tool. This one is a specific one : a "egote" tool and used for shaping from the inside tall or narrow-necked forms. This tool was carved for her by Ken Matzusake.













Closing of the tear drop.
















Checking the curve.
















The last touch is making some dimpels, a mark she uses for almost all her pots.


In the afternoon, we went to Tokyo Dome where she participated in the Tableware Festival 2007.