I was interested, but also a bit skeptical when I saw “Zen drawing – a new way to become an artist”, written by the Dutch Michelle Dujardin (Rockpoint publishers, 2014), in a bookstore in Den Bosch (Netherlands). We were in this city during an inspirational museum trip a couple of weeks ago (food for another blog). My interest was bigger than my skepticism so I bought the book immediately.

Back in our hotel I was pleasantly surprised; It’s a good read. The book has valuable insights into the creative process,  which are not only applicable to realistic drawing or painting practices. The technique described is not new, even for ceramics.

Zen ceramics; designing and making of ceramics with “body intelligence” is described by the American auteur/potter Kenneth R. Beittel in “Zen and the Art of Pottery” (Publisher Weatherhill, 1989). He emphasizes that ceramics should be designed from the mind and then carried out with the body (yourself or someone else). According to Beittel, (hand thrown) ceramics must be designed and implemented with “unity of being”.

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