Coil Building: Lotus Aromatherapy Vessel

A coil building piece, this time "open coil" where you do not blend the coils together, using negative space as part of the finished piece.  Above is the leather hard phase.  This piece is a combination of form and function. It will be an aromatherapy vessel, using incense sticks,  scented candles and essential oils.    I continue to use the Lotus imagery.  In this piece, the seed pod will hold the incense sticks as shown.  The center of the piece will hold candles, with the negative space becoming activated when candle is illuminated.  The large circular "seed" forms will be fired but unglazed, allowing them to be used for essential oil diffusion.  The glazed portions of the piece are white, representing purity and the self cleaning mechanisms of the Lotus plant.

finished piece

Ceramics Vessel 1st Attempt at Handbuilding

This is my first ceramics vessel.  I used the coil building technique~ roll out tubes of clay, layer them up in a coil, smooth the layers together.  Goal at this stage was to create a smooth vessel with consistent wall width.

leather hard stage, unfired, the snaky relief lines represent twisting lotus roots

 

This is the piece fired once then under glazed.  I actually prefer this color to the color of the final piece.  

the final piece with clear coat glaze

I am really enjoying working in ceramics, and brand new medium for me.  I am hopeful that someday soon the extra resources will appear and I will find an electric kiln on Craigslist.