‘His courage and independence,’ his friend and mentor Isamu Noguchi said about Blunk, ‘is typically California, or at least Western with a continent between to be free from the categories that are called art.’ In the book, we learn that the two met in Japan, where Noguchi introduced him to potters of the Mingei Movement, where he had apprenticed in unglazed stoneware tradition, and where his vision and language were shaped. During his four years in Japan, Blunk developed a passion for the wabi-sabi approach to wood, and for the intimate relationship between man and nature.
In this beautiful volume, which examines the legacy of Blunk from various points of views – his connection to Japanese clay art, the long-lasting relationship with Gordon Onslow Ford, his choice of materials – we get a glimpse into the life and work of this extraordinary artist. He was living in a handmade house in Marin Country, which looks as it it came out of a fairy tale; this house became his lifetime statement. We learn about Blunk’s iconic ‘seating sculptures,’ each is different, each is a functional work of art, and about his extraordinary and authentic oeuvre. This book is mandatory edition to any art library.
Above: Untitled Stone 8 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches 21.59 x 21.59 cm Photo Daniel Dent ©JB Blunk Collection.
