Description
I made Sakura on the potter’s wheel from stoneware clay, pushing the form to perhaps its limit and also drawing it close at the neck. Carved foot lifts it off the surface.
But what I love about Sakura (cherry blossom) is that I broke from the dazzling blues I’ve been exploring lately and followed my intuition in a softer, more neutral palette, find my way to a quiet, peaceful combination of earthy glazes. After some contemplation, I chose satin black for the bottom and on the neck and rim. When tipped upside down, the glaze will bleed, but I did this in a controlled manner so it would be very simple. Then I thought the red iron oxide, rubbed into the ceramic, would be a more narrow band. Last, a cream rust glaze that I make went over the top. Again, it ran in one place into the band of iron oxide and I thought, ‘yes’, some asymmetry. It was finished, or so I thought. But I felt the urge to trail the satin black over the cream surface. And a touch of the poetic, and daubed just a few “blossoms”…and thus the name translated into Japanese. Because for me the overall aesthetic has a kind of Japanese feel to it.
The risk paid off and the result is dare I say haunting. Use this pot for reflection, as decoration, or as a vase for a simple spray of lavender berry or columbine.
Makes a stunning wedding gift, anniversary gift, housewarming gift.
9″ High x 8” diameter. Light weight and balanced.
See also Boot Leg Vase
