Stoneware, a temmoku type glaze based on local stone and pine ash

Height: 20 cm

Diameter: 13 cm

This so-called pumpkin vase, covered with temmoku type glaze, bears numerous marks of a long and intense action of direct flames. It perfectly represents the unpredictable nature of wood firing. Temmoku glazes are usually expected to be dark amber to jet black, but they tend to lighten in contact with wood ash. The rusty spot on one side is a record of the conditions in the kiln. It marks the place where most of wood ash – rich in iron and manganese, settled. The autumnal colours of the glaze match the equally autumnal form – somehow it is the matter of a good luck.