Woodfired Dogwood Vase ***Rob's Pick of the Kiln

From Rob: There are so many things I love about this vase. The exterior profile has such nice lines with just enough tension in the spring of the curves. The playful handles accentuate the gentle swoop of the neckline, their recurved bottom attachments adding a little sass like hands on hips. The dip of white slip on stoneware clay created some nice bold fingerprints around the bottom of the vase, a nice visual cue to the handmade process. The firing on this piece got me so excited when we unloaded the kiln. One of the features of wood-firing is constant cycling from reduction to oxidation with each stoke. Sometimes magic occurs when those cycles cause a soft spotting of the slipped surface that contrasts the oxidized and reduced colors of the clay. This one got spots! Jessica’s depiction of dogwoods also resonated with me, not only as a child of the south, but also because a mature dogwood tree shades the woodpile just uphill from the kiln. I love how her directional application of brushed white underglaze added dimension and varied color to the petals, and also how her intricately trailed underglaze drawing so thoughtfully wraps around the faces of the vase.

From Jess: For me, dogwoods speak of the wild and natural beauty of the south, blooming in the understory where other flowers and trees struggle to thrive. It is a metaphor for strength and resilience in the face of the impossible, which I why I love to draw them, perhaps more than anything else (except fat little birds, of course).