This is a vase which I made a while ago, but that I never got around to posting. I will do so now, as I am going to miss it: it is going to a new home.

It was quite intriguing to make: I threw a cylinder, then opened it out. I let it dry a bit, but to less than leather-hard. Centering it back on the wheel, I used my index finger to make the grooves/ridges. Then, standing and leaning over it, I used one hand on the inside only (I couldn’t touch the outside without damaging the surface) to force the clay out, and up, five times, each hand movement creating a  raised bump on the shoulder as it came to the finish.

After bisque firing, I glazed it. First, I poured an iron-rich tenmoku glaze into, and back out of the vase, leaving a good thickness extending over the rim. After having left it to dry, I poured  T14 (a Michael Bailey transparent base glaze) over the whole piece twice, giving the varying depths and movement of the glaze as it flowed over the ridged surface. The greeny-yellow tint comes from additions of nickel, titanium,and tin oxides.

It makes me think of a pond in springtime, sunshine over murky water, rimmed with mud.

Fired in oxidation, to 1260°C

Reverse: