Woodfired Tulip Magnolia Box

Tulip magnolias twist and turn and flip their petals across the surface of this handmade, woodfired triangular box inspired by the footed boxes of Michael Simon. The piece was made on the pottery wheel by Rob and then given to Jess to illustrate. I chose to draw these flowers because, to me, they symbolize individuality, quirkiness, and the beauty of marching to the beat of your own drummer.

The interior is a a local granite-based celadon, a soft, sage-y green, like young foliage, and the exterior is alive with the toasty colors of wood firing, created by the path of flame and ash in the kiln.

More about the making of the form: The sides of the box and the outer edge of the lid were thrown on the wheel as bottomless cylinders and then altered to their triangular shape. Lid and bottom slabs were also thrown on the wheel and stretched so that the spiral of the wheel forming process translates through into the finished surface. Feet were wheel-thrown, attached, paddled, and carved.

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.