KQED Spark – Ron Nagle
Visit with the multi-talented Ron Nagle, first in his ceramic studio and then in a recording session. Original air date: March 2009.
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san francisco
Biordi’s Artisans: The Best in Italian Ceramics
This 2012 video documentary showcases the Italian artists who produce Biordi Majolica.
Biordi Art Imports, located in San Francisco, has been bringing the finest Italian ceramics to the United States since 1946. We were the first Majolica store and still are the leader in this field.
In this video we will take you on a journey throughout the most ancient and renown ceramic towns of Italy. From Caltagirone in Sicily to Faenza, through Deruta, Gubbio, Castelli, Rimini, Florence and Siena.
You will see true masters at work in their studios and you will appreciate the classic designs and intricate patterns from Deruta, together with the works from the other ceramic towns.
This video was produced with love and dedication over a period of six month time by the same people who work at Biordi. In this video we want to share our profound feelings of appreciation when visiting our Italian artists.
Please visit us at and, if you get a chance, visit us at 412 Columbus Ave. in San Francisco.
48 ep 48 COLLIDING WORLDS A Day inthe Life of John Toki 9 15 2013
PALM SPRINGS CA — September 12, 2013 – COLLIDING WORLDS, an ART DOCUMENTARY in a 30-minute format, brings A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JOHN TOKI — ARTIST-AUTHOR-EDUCATOR
John Toki was born in the San Francisco Bay Area to parents who endured the Internment Camps of World War II. His parents instilled in John a love for the rich Japanese tradition of ceramics. John took that to heart and embarked on a career in clay.
For over 35 years John Toki has worked in clay for over 35 years. He is an respected and award winning artist; a lecturer and professor; an inventor of kilns and other innovations in the ceramics field; co-author of several notable books on ceramic sculpture; the president and owner of Leslie Ceramic Supply Company in Berkeley, which his parents founded fifty years ago; and he a mentor and role model to many within and outside the ceramic sphere.
Toki speaks about the satisfaction of working with clay: "It can be used for large-scale works, as well as more intimate pieces, with equal success. You can apply color by painting, glazing or mixing it into the clay. It's a quiet activity that you can manipulate with only your hands, you don't need tools really. You can use it for representational works, as well as abstraction. And I really like the physical presence of clay."
While John is no strange to scale, it is his large-scale sculptures in clay and porcelain that show most clearly his artistic and technical skills. Sculpture reaching dazzling heights remain a timeless tribute to John's muses: nature (mountains, water, snow, sky) The pieces often hint to archaeological elements but are clearly contemporary in have a their technical complexity and resulting visual appeal.
John Toki continues to dazzle and amaze all who see his work. A living treasure, John's work has been shown in the US, the Netherlands and Japan. He has completed public commissions and installations in Richmond, Berkeley, Sacramento, San Francisco, Oakland, and Cincinnati.