Harvey Young, a ceramic artist for over 40 years who has spent nearly three decades in Mashiko, Tochigi Prefecture, knows a thing or two about shaping beauty out of chaos — and about the sudden misfires life can bring. Even his early love for pottery warped and melded with other interests until it finally shaped into his vocation.
"I have had my hands in clay for almost my entire life," says Young, who was introduced to pottery through a childhood visit to a workshop in the mountains behind Los Angeles, where he grew up. "When I was in first grade, my teacher, after our academic studies like spelling or math, would bring out these little balls of clay wrapped in oil cloths to give our brains a rest. It was instant gratification; I loved the smell, and I had this ball I could stick my finger in and instantly see the hole."
Young soon discovered a plastic mold maker's workshop in his neighborhood, and he would ride his bicycle there often to "hang out and learn."