TIME & LABOR

Quite often when I am making pots, I find myself when left on my own to make various forms a particular size, large teabowls, 14" v-bowls, 18" plates, all within a practiced and zone of familiarity and comfort. Now and again though I decide to make pieces that are more labor and time intensive for their size and this 9" vase was part of a group where size and time formed an inequity of sorts. This vase is comprised of four stoneware pieces, base, neck/mouth and two lugs though I could have made the body and neck as one I choose to lute the pieces together once the vase was firmly squared up. Thrown and altered, the base was made reasonably square and the corners nicely recessed from the base, the neck was attached on the wheel and then the pre-cut lugs were attached. Using thick white porcelain slip, the texture was added impasto style and then all I needed to do was wait on the vase to dry, bisque and glaze. 

As with quite a preponderance of my current work, I opted to glaze the piece Kuro-oribe style realizing the slipped and unslipped stoneware areas would be rather different in appearance as is plan to see. I like the dark, somber top contrasting against the light and animated base which though seemingly diametrically opposed in tone and texture work quite well together in my opinion. As a mentioned, though somewhat time and labor intensive, the outcome was close to how I invisioned the form be it 9" or 16" tall so I will agree to call this a maquette for a larger, future project.