Mishima pottery comes from the Japanese Island of Mishima, but it was originally transported from Korea around the 16th century. This surface design technique is a way of drawing lines incised in leather-hard clay then overlaying a slip of contrasting color and carefully scraping the slip away to leave the color only in the lines.

This method gives Dennis a chance to draw on his pots with a sensitivity very different from brush work. Brushes are quick and loose. Mishima is a draftsman’s labor of love.