User:Yakimonoclub2023/sandbox

Akira Satake (佐竹晃）is a Japanese musician and ceramic artist who currently lives and works in Asheville, North Carolina. He was born in Osaka, Japan in 1958 and, as an adolescent, fell in love with the music of American artists Flatt and Scruggs and Doc Watson. He taught himself the banjo and began playing in Japanese bluegrass clubs in the mid 70's.  After high school he trained as a professional photographer and worked in fashion photography for several years while still working as a banjo musician. In 1981 Satake moved to the United States, where he continued to work as a musician and photographer. He began composing music and recorded an album of original songs, "Cooler Heads Prevail," in the early 80's, featuring a roster of world musicians playing instruments including the ullian pipes, bazooki..... and himself on the banjo and koto, which won the German World Music award in 1997 in a tie with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, In the 90's he built a successful Manhattan-based music production company Damfini sproductions and then started a World Music record label ALULA records. Beginning in 2001, Satake developed an interest in ceramics, which soon led to him working and selling his pottery in the New York metropolitan area. He moved to Asheville, NC in 2003 where his unique style of ceramics earned him a rapidly growing following and led to exhibitions and workshops throughout the U.S. and soon internationally as well. He has taught ceramics in France, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Israel, Chile, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Bali, and Australia, and his work is collected throughout the world. Satake's ceramic style combines the influences of his cultural heritage with innovative techniques inspired by traditional Asian forms and styles as well as contemporary aesthetics. His works often feature simple, elegant forms with intricate surface patterns and textures. He is known for developing Satake style stretched Kohiki, Kurinuki (hollowing out sculptural ceramic forms) and Dobe (adding mortar on the surface of thrown pieces.)