Takaezu began working towards the closed form in the 1950s, experimenting with enclosing the interior volume of her vessels and leaving a small opening that allowed for gas to escape during firing. The act of closure rendered the vessels functionless, suggesting that they now inhabited the realm of sculpture. She continued to produce these forms well into the 1990s and 2000s, eventually at monumental scale. Her closed forms, which were masterfully thrown on the wheel, range from as small as 4 inches and to larger forms nearing 68 inches high.

Takaezu’s format allowed her to explore a wide range of surface effects: layering, veiling, and expressionist gestures in her application of glazes. She added glaze onto the clay with a brush while also occasionally, in a controlled manner, dipping and pouring glaze to create dynamic surfaces. Her palette often references colors seen in nature – particularly from her native Hawaii – like ochre, black, white, brown, soft grays and varying shades of blue.

Takaezu’s aesthetic approach was influenced by Abstract Expressionism and the traditions of East Asia, including ink painting and the Japanese tea ceremony. "Untitled", created at Takaezu’s artist studio in Quakertown, New Jersey, is 25 inches high and demonstrates her interest in ink painting as gestural applications of dark brown glaze applied with a brush envelop the surface of the vessel. Here, subtle washes and speckles of earth-toned ochre and brown glaze permeate the sculpture.