A Shibori Geometric Vase Collection

The Japanese art of Shibori fabric dyeing is some of my favourite fashion art. The art of shibori often celebrates the Japanese appreciation for the art of imprefection. This is commonly known as "wabi sabi". When making these vases I used the handbuilding technique to roll out multiple slabs of clay. I cut out various geometic shapes. These were not pre-planned, instead it was designed based on each rolled out slab.

Once at the leather hard stage I started to assemble each vase attaching pieces in an abstract design.

The patterns carved out into each vase was chosen at random and includes various Japanese patterns and floral designs. To achieve the desired "shibori" effect I first bisque fired the vases. I used a rich blue cobalt mason stain watered down to the perfect consistency. The stain was brushed onto the bisque fired vase then gently wiped back with a wet sponge. After this stage each piece was dipped into a clear glaze with a dark blue cobalt glaze on the inside.

The final glaze firing resulted in the pieces shown in the photos.