Vases II
The vases 2 collection is an extension of the pottery that I used to throw on the potters wheel, but without the limitations of that process. (They pretty much had to be round or at the most you could alter them a little). But I wanted to make my shapes asymmetrical and have flat plains and angles. One reason I slant the sides is so you can see the sides at the same time as you see the face and the top. It gives them more movement and allows me to juxtapose the colors and relate to them like a cubist painting, utilizing color more akin to a modernist painter then a potter applying glaze to a pot. I sometimes think of these vases as three-dimensional images of vases rather than just a vase.
I form these shapes with white earthenware clay and they are fired to about 1950°F. I start the glazing process by first masking off around the face of the piece. I then use an airbrush to apply multiple gradating colors. Four to six different colors are used to create the gradation effect. Each color requires several coats. For the solid colored areas I start by masking them off also, but then I use a regular soft haired brush and apply several coats of glaze. When all the areas are complete, I clean up the edges with a razor blade and then fire the pieces once again, this time to about 1890°F.
