Peek-a-boo Ikebana vase

Monday 7th July As it’s coming in to winter I’m seeking out a more sustainable way to enjoy flowers. Perhaps enjoy a new creative way too.

The ikebana pin plate, Kenzan or frog pin is the base and I thought could be an interesting piece to create a vase focused around how to fit it in or make it the centre piece instead of simply placing it in the middle.

This is my first concept, but it took two tries to throw this 1.6kg lump of clay on the wheel. I wanted a 9cm wide base that I could place the Kenzan and water into tidily.

Second attempt at the Ikebana vase in Midfire Speckled Terracotta 1.6kg

I also knew I wanted to play with the idea of flowing movement of nature that is central to Ikebana flower arranging – to me this meant not having a straight or angular vase. Which I know what you’re thinking – what’s in the picture above is pretty much the epitome of angular with its tiered structure.

After I let the vase dry to leather hard and somehow, unbelievably finding a short cylindrical jar in the kitchen that was the same diameter to use as a trimming chuck, I trimmed the majority of the base down – that lower tier you saw in the earlier picture. Then I carefully pushed and pulled the walls to create a more organic look to the walls.

One thing here is that I felt the walls were still too high, but it wasn’t wet enough to pull lower without cracking all breaking the piece entirely so I practiced stepping away and not doing “just one more thing”.

Until!! My new pottery tools and glazes arrived, I was a gonner. We’d just had a 3-day, once-in-100-years storm so I was certain my lovely pottery supplies would be at least another week away from my door. But they arrived on the doorstep on Sunday!!!

Naturally, as I unwrapped my new hole-punches, with this slightly too tall vase next to me I decided to do that “just one more thing” (but not the one I’d planned to a few hours before) and use the tools to bring the sense of openness to the vase another way, as I said, I couldn’t widen it anymore.

Ikebana vase with slightly dented sides and a range of small and medium holes punched through

These random holes punches into the clay may cause trypophobia for some, but I’m curious to explore them more – to try recreate the way that light works through trees, casts shadows and reflects. I love the way the light comes through this piece to the other side.

Stay tuned for more light/pottery collaborations.

sketchbook noting initial ‘hole-punch-shadow’ idea and Ikebana vase

Saturday 12thJuly It’s out of the bisque firing in one piece! It has a small S crack on it’s underside however it doesn’t go all the way through so at this stage, still functional/can hold water. Next up is glazing this vase!! Maybe in one of my new glazes that arrived on Sunday last week…

Tuesday 22nd July Fresh out of the glaze kiln! The outside is glazed with Amaco Seaweed and Arctic Blue, the inside Chun Plum and Arctic Blue! It’s a lovely soft mossy swamp colour. I wasn’t sure how the Plum/Blue combo would work – I hoped it might lighten the plum to a soft pink but it’s more layered than mixed – still an interesting glaze combination. I think it is perhaps too busy/dark for this vase but I’m quickly learning to love it anyways.

Next step is to get some flowers! I can see our Magnolia tree is starting to bloom which would be perfect.