Vase: Slab Soda Blast

These mishima pieces are created by carving in a line design when the piece is leather hard, working a copper stain into the lines after bisque and painting glaze combinations into the shapes.  They are a tedious delight and combine my approach to watercolors with my ceramic work.

This vase was slab formed with a rich chocolatey brown stoneware.

Each soda fired piece is one-of-a-kind as atmospheric firings are unpredictable and can yield stunning results.  Soda firing takes an enormous amount of time, energy, labor and resources and is usually a community effort.  In the soda firing process, soda ash (sodium carbonate) is added to the kiln at cone 9 (2300°) and the sodium vapor combines with silica in clay to form sodium-silicate glaze.  The sodium vapor also interacts with the slips and glazes to create amazing, unpredictable results that shift around the piece.  This piece in particular got a hearty soda blast, the shapes and shifting colors are just visible through the clouds.