Woodfired Oriental Lily Vase

A single oriental lily with its leaves and buds blooms open on the surface of this handmade, woodfired vase. The piece was made on the pottery wheel by Rob, then altered to a soft square before being given to Jess to illustrate.

The interior is a pale blue with crystals, reminding us of ice and snow, and the exterior is alive with the warm and toasty colors of wood firing, created by the path of flame and ash in the kiln.

More about the making of the form: This plump, softly rectangular vase form was thrown with porcelaneous stoneware to encourage rich coloration and a nice sheen. Playful handles accentuate the swoop of the rim profile. This vase was fired quite close to the firebox at the very top of the kiln where it picked up lots of “juice” from the fire especially on the undecorated face that we loaded toward the firebox.

More about the surface decoration: The flowers were first sketched on the bisque piece, laying out the composition of how I wanted the petals to stretch and reach. Then, washes of underglaze colors to bring highlights, shadows and mediums tones to bring the piece alive were added. Finally, I drew on the form with an underglaze trailer fitted with a super fine tip, creating the black outlines.