Wood Fired Swirled and Dented Bud Vase with Emily Purple
Wood Fired Swirled and Dented Bud Vase with Emily Purple
This is a bright and bold little wood fired bud vase. It has a nice narrow neck to hold just a few flower buds. The purple glaze applied to the interior, lip and neck contrasts beautifully with the rich browns and bright white of the clay and slip, which really gives this little pot a bold look. It has a fun and dynamic shape, not too dainty - perfect for an end table or desk.
This vase was thrown using Laguna Rods Bod clay, which fires (in reduction) to a rich brown. It stands 5 3/4" tall, measures 2 1/2" across lip, and it's about 4" wide at the widest part of the shoulder.
I made this vase on my potters wheel, and painted a coat of white slip (watery clay) around the outside of the pot up to the shoulder. Then I drew a jagged brush through the wet slip as it was spinning on the wheel to create the texture. I took one more pass over the belly with the rounded end of a rubber rib to make the swirl mark around the foot and belly of the pot. Finally, once the neck was collared in and the piece was fully formed, I added a dent to the shoulder of the pot along with a few small dots of slip, to create a point of interest on the piece where the glaze and shape and wood ash could interact.
The interior, and outer top portion of the of the pot was glazed with Emily Purple. This glaze works beautifully in the wood kiln. The wood ash adds some extra vibrancy to the purple, and leaves behind some subtle golden flecks in a few spots.
***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 bare clay and glazed surfaces. As the wood burns and the flames dance, each pot undergoes a transformation, emerging with unique colors and textures. The process infuses every piece with both the warmth of the fire and the community effort involved in firing the piece. ***
