Tri TRAN

Born: 1953 in Dalat, Vietnam
Died: 2024
Medium: wood-fired ceramics

Tri Tran lived in the US since the early 1970s. He retired from a finance company executive with an education in Finance, he surprised many with a new endeavor – unorthodox ceramic work. Actually, those who knew him saw a natural transition. Over the years Tri has done wood sculpting, furniture making, lighting and landscape designs. His new passion for wood-fired ceramics was not such a surprise.

These ceramics show a fusion of Asian aesthetics with Western influence. Tri’s imagery is modernistic, minimalist, organic, and executed in wide variations of shape, line and color. He successfully blends ambiguous imagery with functional purpose. His ultra long wall vases and water gardens express both sculptural form and functionality. Several trips to Japan gave him a greater appreciation and love for ceramics, especially tea ware. Thus, he devoted significant energy toward this ever-elusive form.

The ceramics of Tri Tran were mostly fired in an anagama kiln, an ancient Japanese single chamber tunnel-shaped sloping kiln. A fire of wood is laid just inside the door of the kiln and pots are arranged all the way back to the flue. Swirling wood ash is deposited on the pots to create the glaze. The rich colors and dynamic textures come from the combination of wood ash, different clays, stone compositions, and the 7 to 10 days of firing at temperatures which reach 2300 degrees. This firing process yields unconventional, earthy and very individualistic pieces.

The scope of Tri Tran’s work continued to evolve and expand into many exciting forms and designs.

Exhibitions:
Quicksilver Mine Company, Forestville, CA
Pixar Studio, Emeryville, CA
Fairfield Center for Creative Arts, Fairfield, CA
Davis, CA
Gualala, CA
San Francisco, CA
Solano Community College, Fairfield, CA
The Ren Brown Collection, Bodega Bay, CA