AAPI Heritage Month: 15 Questions for Satchiko
1. Can you introduce yourself and tell us a little about your creative practice? My name is Satchiko. I'm from Japan, and I've been in New York City for eighteen years. My hand-built ceramics are usually functional – vases, cups, and candle holders – and I build and fire them at BKLYN Clay.
2. What first drew you to this medium? Working with ceramics was the only time in elementary school when my teacher complimented me as an artist :)
3. What kinds of things inspire your work lately? Lately, I've been inspired by the more abstract designs of artists like Matisse and Chagall's sculpture. I've also always loved outsider artists.
4. What does your creative process usually look like? I often sketch shapes and patterns in colored pencil and watercolor before I start building. I also try to use keywords that resonate with me to inspire a piece.
5. Are there certain materials, colors, textures, or objects you’re consistently drawn to? I often use white clay, and my favorite colors for glazing are white, blue, and brown. Stripes and polka dots. I also include a lot of faces.
6. What’s something people might not realize about the work you make? I only started working seriously in my 40's. I didn't go to art school.
7. What role does community play in your creative life? I enjoy working with and meeting artists at BKLYN Clay.
8. Do you have any rituals, routines, or environments that help you create? I like to journal in the mornings and also start working in the morning while the studio is not crowded.
9. What’s been inspiring you outside of art recently? I read a lot of Japanese novels. I love Yuzuki Asako's Butter (books, music, food, places, conversations, etc.).
10. What do you hope people feel when they interact with your work? I hope people feel their lives are a little brighter when they see my work.
11. What’s something you’ve been thinking about creatively this year? I've been thinking about what it means to be a calm, centered artist, without greed or self-promotion.
12. What does being part of the AAPI creative community mean to you? Sometimes parts of Japanese culture come out in my work without me thinking about it. I want to value this experience when it happens.
13. Is there a piece or project that feels especially meaningful to you right now? My recent Tree of Life pieces are often about my family and other personal memories.
14. What’s bringing you joy lately? Going upstate with my family and enjoying some quiet time.
15. Where can people find your work / support you? My website (Satchiko.com) and at A.MANO Brooklyn in Brooklyn!