Vases are not just for flowers…

What’s the difference between a vase and a bottle? All bottles can be vases, but can all vases be bottles? When does a bottle stop being a bottle? Does any of this matter: should the flowers determine what’s what?

This month we’re starting to think about, and make, forms that help us all jump into spring 2022 with cheer. To help get things going we’ve reviewed our archive of student work, member’s makes and projects to gather together a gallery of vessels that, amongst other things, make great vases. If you fancy making a few spouts for sprouts we’ve also included a link to our tube making hack.

Pinch pot bud vase (Beginner's pottery making)

Pinched bowls assembled into spherical vases, smooth and carved surfaces.

Three tiered pinch pot by Amelia (Studio Member)

Three tiered vessel assembled from pinch pots. Carved texture. Made following e-course: start making pinch pots.

Pinch pot (studio sample)

Small pinch pot with paddled texture.

Tall coil pot (studio sample)

Pinched coil pot with dappled surface.

Coil pot with stencilled text by Neil (Studio Member)

Assembled using flattened coils/slab strips. Decorated using paper stencils and slips.

Coil pot with aggregates by Bob (Community Member)

Coil built pot made from clay combined with refractory aggregates.

Coil Pot (Beginner's pottery making)

Interior bonded, exterior unblended.

Coil pot (Beginner's pottery making)

Bonded interior, unblended exterior.

Large coil pot (Start making coil pots)

Bonded and pinched coil pot made over several weeks.

Textured slab pot (e-course: make a slab built planter)

Heavily textured slabs assembled into organic forms.

Studio scene (beginner's pottery making)

Textured slab pot ready for bisc firing.

Communal coil pots with appendages (Meet and Make with Leeds Art Gallery)

Slip decorated slabs attached to coil pots. Each wing decorated by a different person. Experimentation with two and three dimensional form, colour and image making.

Four tiered tulipiere (Improver's pottery making)

Hand modelled leaves attached to four stacking armatures.

Slip decorated bottles (Beginner's pottery making)

Slab built bottles with inlay and sgrafitto decoration.

Textured slab pots (Beginner's pottery making)

Slabs textured with homemade roulettes.

Slab built zig-zag pots (Start making slab pots)

Concertina pots planned utilising templates and built using extruded components.

Slab pot with stenciled surface (Start exploring surfaces)

Slip decoration applied to slabs and assembled.

Slip decorated slab pot (Start exploring surfaces)

Painted and stretched slab built container.

Geometric slab pots with linear decoration by Claudia (Studio Member)

Angular forms planned in paper. Decorated with slips: incisions, inlay and resists.

Stacked moulds and paper cups (studio sample)

Teaching examples: prototyping and dirty model experiments in preparation for planning forms.

Paper maquette (studio sample)

Teaching examples: prototyping and dirty model experiments in preparation for planning forms.

Stacked forms (Beginner's pottery making)

Slab built and rolled cylinders, assembled into quasi-architectural forms.

Black tulipiere by David (Improver's pottery making)

Multi-spouted vase: slip cast, slab built, and hand rolled components assembled into a three tiered stacked form.

Black tulipiere by David (Improver's pottery making)

Multi-spouted vase: slip cast, slab built, and hand rolled components assembled into a three tiered stacked form.

Multi spouted vase (Improver's pottery making)

Multi-spouted vase: press-moulded and hand rolled components assembled into a self-contained vase.

Multi spouted vase (Improver's pottery making)

Multi-spouted vase: press-moulded and hand rolled components assembled into a self-contained vase.

Multi spouted vases with cumerbunds (Improver's pottery making)

Multi-spouted vases: press-moulded, slab built, and hand rolled components assembled into a self-contained vase.

Dirty model (studio sample)

Teaching examples: prototyping and dirty model experiments in preparation for planning forms.

Painted bottle (Beginner's pottery making)

Handbuilt bottle: press-moulded and slab built components assembled into a self-contained vase. Painted with underglazes.

Planter (studio sample)

Press moulded planter with carved decoration.

Painted vase (Beginner's pottery making)

Handbuilt vase: press-moulded and slab built components assembled into a self-contained vase. Painted with underglazes.

Painted vase (Beginner's pottery making)

Handbuilt vase: press-moulded and slab built components assembled into a self-contained vase. Painted with underglazes.

Handbuilt vase and carafes (Beginner's pottery making)

Press-moulded and slab built components assembled into containers.

Octopus bottle (Beginner's handbuilding)

Press-moulded and soft slab built components assembled.

Thrown planter (studio samples)

Wheel thrown planter made with ‘wild’ clay.

Thrown planter (studio samples)

Wheel thrown planter comandeered for studio essentials.

Desk scape (Throwing for improvers)

Wheel thrown collared forms.

Thrown bottle by Oliver (Studio Member)

Wheel thrown collared forms.

Tiny vases (Open Day)

Wheel thrown miniature vases. Thrown off the hump.

Tiny vases (studio sample)

Wheel thrown miniature vases. Thrown off the hump.

Work in progress (Open Day)

Wheel thrown bottle. Thrown off the hump.

Burnished and smoke fired pots by Kim (Studio Member)

Wheel thrown pots, burnished and smoke fired in Kim’s back yard.

Making Tubes

Have a go at making tubes from a solid coil of clay: perfect for spouts without seems.