Japanese patterns are at the centre of Tetsuo Kobayashi’s work. Seigaiha fans, Ichimatsu chequerboard, Asanoha hemp leaf, are all motifs that recur in the decorative arts in Japan, and Kobayashi recreates them in his ceramics with a sense of detail and flair.

A potter in Kasama since 1992, Kobayashi has spent roughly a decade each developing his series in patterns. One of these features an ash glaze that creates a moody greenish cloud over the Japanese motifs beneath. In this way Kobayashi makes work that seeks new expressions in the traditional, and that creates for a compelling canvas for food.