Yoko Komae

Yoko Komae lives and works in Isumi, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Yoko describes her work as 'clay works'. She uses a hand-building technique to create sculptures and vessels that embrace texture, imbalance and colours inspired by nature: whites, blacks, greens and browns. Strong, quiet and delicate, with patterns that echo nature too(birds, stones, fish and plants), her pieces recall ancient Japanese forms such as the tsubo. Japanese traditions, however, are not consciously in her mind as she works: she is simply using clay 'to create something', drawing inspiration from her own life experiences and values.