Toshiko Takaezu: Heaven and Earth

Toshiko Takaezu: Heaven and Earth was published in celebration of a substantial gift to the Racine Art Museum from American artist Toshiko Takaezu (1922–2011): the 14 closed-vessel forms from her most expansive grouping of work, the Star Series. These large-scale pieces—each named after celestial bodies—were the focal point of Takaezu's Heaven and Earth exhibition. The artist used a variety of glazing techniques, combining bold brush strokes with rich colors and delicate textures. Each stoneware form was shaped by hand and necessitated a combination of coil and wheel techniques—often requiring the use of a scaffolding as the pieces got taller. These colossal works ultimately took the artist 15 years to create. Toshiko Takaezu was born in Pepeekeo, Hawaii. One of eleven children, she was raised in a traditional Japanese household whose values, as well as the surrounding Hawaiian landscape, strongly underscore her artistic practice. During her five-decade-long career, the artist worked i