Here I am inspired by flowers, once again. Spring is in the air and I love having blooms inside as well as out . In my last blog , I shared how I made petals out of clay, as a decorative touch on my porcelain bowl.
I had these beautiful orchid stems, plus a few other flowers I wanted to display. What to put them in?
I had an idea to make sort of an oriental arrangement, so that each individual bloom would be visible. To me this meant something rather low.
I know of the ancient form of flower arranging called Ikebana, which I used as inspiration. They include: embracing the asymmetrical form; use of empty space as part of the composition; and harmony among the materials, container, and setting.
I was perplexed on which container to use.
As I looked around, I spied this luscious, purple bowl I had thrown. The color was perfect to reflect the orchids. I chose three pieces of quartz from my garden to hold things in place, and bring balance. Often I use it for eating my salad, but doesn't function follow whatever form we choose?
So there was my answer. My bowl was more than just a bowl.
I like the whimsy of flowers, so I add them to my ceramics. This is my handmade bowl that I decorated with three, distinct ceramic blooms. Odd numbers seem more pleasing to my eye. Not only are there individually created petals, but in the center the tiny stamens are visible.That makes me smile.
It is a larger vessel, measuring twelve inches in width, and about two inches high. I try to make it as thin in weight as I can. No modern machinery for this artist. Every slab of porcelain is hand rolled with my old fashioned rolling pin, and then shaped in a form. I admire the look of the low and lean container. It can rest on a table, or be displayed in a stand to admire. Like all my high fired bowls, it is totally lead free and food safe.
People refer to this as a " white" bowl, which it is. The fun aspect relates to the fact that you are actually looking at the color of the clay itself: white, high fired porcelain with a clear glaze over, making it permanent and functional. On the outside is the iron oxide stain which shows on the flowers. I see this color every day on the red rocks of Sedona, where I live, and create. This is truly a bowl of nature.
