B-Mix Wood Fired Swirl Vase with Iron Blue Glazed Interior
B-Mix Wood Fired Swirl Vase with Iron Blue Glazed Interior
This Wood Fired Vase is a lovely example of wood fired pottery. It's a nice medium size, large enough for a small bouquet. It's small enough to spruce up an office or book case, but large enough to make a centerpiece. The vase has a swirl shape, a narrowed neck and a flared rim; the colors and ash drips from the wood fire wrap around and highlight the dynamic shape of the piece.
This piece stands 7" tall, and it measures 3 1/4" across the lip. It's about 4 1/2" wide at the widest part of the shoulder. The interior and shoulder was glazed with an iron blue glaze, and the wood kiln really brought out the vibrance of the glaze. The outside of the pot was left bare, so the wood burning atmosphere could leave it's mark on the piece.
The vase was thrown on my pottery wheel using BMix clay. The swirl shape was added before the top of the form was complete. I create the shape by pressing into the side of the pot using the rounded end of a rubber rib, as my fingers pressed out from the interior of the pot, just above the rib. The rib and my interior hand moved up the pot as it spun, swiftly pressing in the swirl shape with a single pass. Then the neck was collared in, and the lip was flared and finished.
***Wood firing pottery is a traditional method where pottery is fired in a kiln fueled solely by wood, resulting in unique colors, textures, and patterns due to the interaction of flame and ash with the clay surfaces. The process infuses every piece with both the warmth of the fire and the community effort involved in firing the wood kiln.***
This piece was wood fired in January of 2024, at the Desert Dragon Pottery Studio in North Phoenix AZ.
