Small Vase

Lovely handmade vase, wood fired and decorated with glazes.
Height 16 cm.
Width 11 cm.
The material basis of the vase contains of the German clay and natural ash glazes made from the ash of various kinds of wood and straw. The tradition of such ash glazes can be traced back to the Shang period in China (c. 1500 B.C.), and it is thought they were produced accidentally, the result of white-hot wood ash being carried through the kiln with the draft of the fire and settling onto the pots, where the searing white heat melted it to a glass.
The results of different wood ashes often vary dramatically, making it possible to achieve a wide range of unique finishes. Even wood from the same species of tree garnered just miles apart can produce subtly different results. This bowl was decorated with natural ash glaze mixed with totally food safe oxide of copper for green shade. And the wood firing part of the process once more makes the ceramic item very special. Wood firing of the ceramic is so complicated process, fraught with uncontrollable variables. The ceramicists use the kilns that are not commercially produced within exacting specifications, for instance, I have constructed and built my wood firing kilns myself. My fuel source, wood, varies widely in silica, water, mineral, and alkali content, as well as species, and density. Among some other variables are clay bodies, loading techniques, firing range and duration, and weather and atmosphere. Normally I practice the 1260°C-1300°C and it takes up to 12 hours to fire several cubic meters of woods to get the results I'm presenting here.