I've never invested this much time into a single ceramic piece.
First sketching two 6-foot long intertwining serpents around a 12 inch tall vase - the constantly decreasing and increasing radius of the vase always altering the snakes' arc along the surface. Filing the space in a pleasing way, all while keeping track of which one was on top, was quite the puzzle.
I painted it all by hand then commenced carving every scale, all while constantly misting the porcelain with water to keep the moisture high enough to avoid chipping of the surface or cracking the vase.
Once out of the bisque fire, an underglaze wash was applied into the carved lines and sponged from the surface. Finally, all of the white surfaces needed to be sanded to remove underglaze that had made its way there during the previous process.
Finally, a clear satin glaze I formulated and refined in my studio was applied to the interior and exterior.
- Dimensions 12 x 5.5 inches
- Porcelain fired to Cone 6