For many years I admired this pretty porcelain dish in my mother's bathroom. It always had crazing. It always had that awful crack. Still, I secretly always wanted it for my own and when my mother grew tired of it and chunked it in the basement (aka: the dungeon of no return) I asked her if I could claim it as my own.
This piece has followed me through my single life, my married life and it continues to maintain a position of importance on top of my china cabinet. I never understood the appeal, aside from the fact that it was porcelain. Earlier in the summer I finally think I figured out why I was always so enamored with it. It's a lidded vessel.
For the past two months I have made it a point to explore lidded vessels and the push to do so came when I was admiring this piece for the millionth time. I guess you can always find inspiration even in the things you know so well. The way the lid sits on the base fascinates me. There is very little shimmy when you hold the base. The lid fits perfectly.
Getting a lid to fit perfectly is not an easy task and I have had many false starts. The pieces that did come out well I am rather proud of and hope to match just the right glaze to these pieces in the next two weeks. There is no rhyme or reason for the shapes. I just let the ball of clay go as it wants. The actual lid is made by building a vessel up and then closing the very top of the vessel. You visualize where the lid will go then stick a razor in the clay while the wheel is moving and hope for the best. Im still getting the hang of this part, but all around, its been a fascinating exploration and most importantly a fun one.
