Photograph by Skye Dunlap

Cupertino resident Mahoko Dahte's roji wall sculptures are on exhibit at Iwasawa Oriental Arts in Los Gatos through November 20. This is Dahte's fourth year of roji sculpting.

Show features resident's sculptures

By Michelle Alaimo

Oftentimes, people come to America hoping to fulfill their dreams. Many never find what they are looking for, but that's not the case for Cupertino resident Mahoko Dahte.

Dahte, originally from Tokyo, dreamed of making her own ceramic art pieces, but never did she imagine that one day her dream not only would come true but that she would also have her first-ever art gallery showing.

"It's like a miracle for me," Dahte says.

The up-and-coming artist designs wall sculptures called roji, a visual interpretation of a Japanese garden walkway.

Ten of the former Japanese jewelry store manager's roji wall sculptures are now on display at Iwasawa Oriental Arts in Los Gatos. The exhibition, titled "Yo-no-bi, Form and Function, a California Collage," runs through Nov. 20 and features a total of five artists, three in ceramics and two in wood. Dahte says that part of the allure of roji is that "everyone is the same when walking through the garden." A Japanese garden symbolizes peace and tranquility, which Dahte says is her philosophy in life.

Dahte's unique style of using raku glazing in her roji sculptures has helped to bring a little authentic Japanese culture to the Bay Area. The tricky raku process, developed in 16th-century Japan, involves heating a metallic glaze up to 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit and then removing the piece from the kiln while it is still hot. Sometimes the piece is fired again with leaves, paper or other such materials, leaving a multicolored and pitted surface.

Dahte's mentor Linda Mau says the raku glazing technique is a difficult one to control, but comes easily to Dahte.

The result is brightly colored metallic pieces of art. Each roji is a slab of clay hand-cut by Dahte with a detailed image carved into it to make the design three-dimensional.

"When you see her work, you recognize it as hers," Mau says. She adds that Dahte has learned all of her skills within the last four years, and that it is rare for an artist to develop a personal style in such a short time. But Mau says she recognized early on that Dahte had natural artistic ability, but just needed help with technique.

Dahte says she is grateful for the easy access of the American education system and the affordability of community college classes. Dahte, her husband and son moved to Cupertino in 1989 when her husband's job brought them to California.

"In Japan, everyone learns the same way," Dahte says. "Here [in America], people can choose what they want to learn. The teachers are very open-minded."

Dahte enrolled in her first ceramics class at De Anza College in 1995. Under the direction of her teachers--and now close friends--Mau and Bill Geisinger, Dahte quickly learned the basics of ceramics and went on to design her own roji sculptures.

Mau and Geisinger encouraged Dahte to place her roji sculptures in art shows and competitions. Under their direction, Dahte entered one of her pieces into the 1997 De Anza College student show. From that point on, Dahte became deeply involved in the art of ceramics and began making pieces at school and home to sell and display.

Since then Dahte has won many awards, including several first places at the Santa Clara County Fair and the Bill Brown Memorial Ceramic Award. Her work was also recently on display in the 13th Annual South Bay Artists 1999 Open Studios.

But Dahte makes more than roji sculptures. While working as a Japanese tea ceremony host in San Francisco during the early 1990s, Dahte discovered that authentic Japanese tea ceremony utensils are hard to find, so she decided to learn how to make her own. Now Japanese from all over seek out Dahte's Anagama kiln-fired utensils. The time-consuming, wood-firing method leaves a distinct finish on the utensils.

The former flower-arranging teacher hopes to use money earned at art shows to open her own studio. In the meantime she is just having fun and is grateful for her new life in America.

"I've found my way," Dahte says. "Everyone has a dream and mine has come true."

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Mahoko Dahte's art can be viewed online at http://www.acga.net/mahoko or at Iwasawa Oriental Arts at 75 University Ave., Los Gatos. The exhibition is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday until Nov. 20.

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