Akiko

Shomura Swaren was born and raised in Japan and shows her art works both in Japan and the United States. Her art works are inspired by nature. They are generally abstract, so each person may see a different view in her ceramics. Some may see flowers in them. Others the ocean, snow, ice, dancing people, and so on. She enjoys hearing what people may see or feel.

Most of her glazes are original, created by her. Some of the materials are from her yard.

Akiko uses the ancient Korean gilding technique Kum – boo in many of her jewelry pieces. This technique fuses fine sheets of gold on to silver, creating beautiful decorative motifs. the term is derived from Kum, which means gold, and Boo which can be translated as added or applied. A 24-carat gold sheet is applied and fused on to the silver under the right temperature and pressure. Application temperature ranges from 500°F to 698°F. Once the proper temperature has been reached, a burnishing tool is used to rub the gold sheet on to the silver until molecules of the two metals fuse, producing a permanent bond between them.