Tuesday, February 7, 2012

V is for Vase

The Bascom in Highlands NC has invited me to be a part of a show in July called V is for Vase. I'm not exactly known for my vases, so I'm not really sure how I got invited, but I said yes. So now I begin trying to figure out what I will make that will look like it has my identity, and not just a duplicate of some other potter that makes beautiful thrown vases. For some of those, including some of our blogger friends check out the online show Bulldog Pottery posted about yesterday, there are some really great vases, nothing like what I can or want to make myself.
I do like this Otto Netzler vase. I love his work, this is more my style. I just don't have the interest needed for wedging a big amount of clay, throwing more than five or six lbs. and/or adding to that. Not to mention trying to figure out a glaze that will work for me, unless maybe I raku fire one. When I do make vases, I take them to the NC Crafts gallery, and they sell pretty quickly, I'm just not into making them all that much. Coils and slabs and sculptural glazes are more my style, so we shall see what I come up with.

*as soon as I posted this I clicked back to my home page and saw that Meesh's Pottery also has a vase post, 'tis the season for vases I guess. Check out her post too, she has a great vase in the vasefinder show, as well as other bloggers, Hannah McAndrew, Ronan Peterson and the Bulldog Pottery folks, Bruce and Samantha, and lots of other great potters

11 comments:

Lori Buff said...

This is a really nice vase and it's style reflects your style well. You should make vases that reflect your style including the surface decoration. I'll bet you come up with some interesting pieces.
Congratulations

Michèle Hastings said...

i can definitely see you making slab vase and raku firing them. i am not crazy about making vases. i have made it my mission this year to explore them a little further. i think i would do more if i had my own wood kiln... someday!

Linda Starr said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Cathy Kiffney Studio said...

Maybe a barn/house vase like your new work? I think that could be cool!!... you could have the outside surface the oxide wash but glaze the inside for water tightness. Kind of like a flower brick with holes in the roof. Sounds like a good opportunity, congrats! Cathy

Dennis Allen said...

Your vase may need to be no more functional than all those extreme teapots that people make.I see a barn with a chimney and a flower stuck in the chimney.Ikebana meets the piedmont.

Laura Farrow said...

ditto what Cathy said.

Hollis Engley said...

I think your slab technique would work great in building something that takes off from the Natzler vase. As Cathy and Dennis said, the barn or house form itself could make an unconventional but perfectly usable and lovely vase. Funny thing happened a few years ago, when Otto and Gertrude Natzler's grandson walked into my studio. He was vacationing on Cape Cod and said something like, "Hi, my grandparents were potters. I wonder if you've ever hear of them." Which, of course, I had. I think first of their remarkable volcanic glazes.

Tracey Broome said...

First of all, Hollis, what a great story! You just never know who's going to walk up, do you?!
I really appreciate all of your ideas and suggestions, really has me thinking. I don't want to get too close to some of the work other potters are doing with this house/vase/flower brick thing, but I do like your idea, Dennis, of the chimney and flower. I imagine my vases will not be functional, me and those functional glazes do battle every time we get together.
I am thinking about the raku path, the African vases are way in the past, probably won't be going there again, but they were really cool.
What I do know is they won't be water tight, maybe they will be wildflower/dried flower barn things...we'll see... great ideas everyone!!!

cookingwithgas said...

that is what I was thinking!!
flowers coming out of a chimney.
Any more, when is a vase a vase- gee, you could do a barn surrounded by clay flowers.... a crock sitting on a porch holding wee black eyed Susan....this could get real complicated if you let us all take over.
Whatever you do it will be wonderful and thought out.

Tracey Broome said...

I love it when you guys take over, my brain wakes up!
I love me some black eyed Susan's!

Patricia Griffin Ceramics said...

Oh I know you'll come up with some awesome pieces!