Wheel Thrown Pottery Bottle/Bud Vase with Local Clay Slip
I've always had a deep love for nature, and after discovering clay it was almost inevitable I would bring the two together. Luckily for me in the Midwest there is an endless amount of clay just beneath the soil, and I soon discovered that every dig, even if they're only yards apart, has a unique clay. Because they are not "pure" but secondary clays, they have many "impurities" that result in a low melting temperature and a wide range of absolutely gorgeous results. I sieve out the rocks, but add nothing but what nature provided. For this piece, I created slip, or very watered down clay. I threw the bottle on the pottery wheel with a commercial high fire clay, and applied a layer of this local slip with a paint brush. The inside was glazed with a traditional shino glaze but I left the outside bare to show off this beautiful clay. Later, the bottle was fired for 18+ hours to over 2000 degrees in a wood firing kiln. At that temperature the ash from the burning wood melts and produces beautiful effects. The bit of yellow "lichen" is a spot where this pot received a lot of ash. It would look lovely with one or two stems, or with a cork. It measures a little over 6" tall I will happily combine shipping. If you prefer not to receive a refund through paypal, please contact me before you purchase Please ask me about wholesale! Facebook.com/Smokesoakedpottery