This form is heavily influenced by the Mei Peng style vases made early in Chinese clay culture and has been made for three generations of Ben’s family. With a modest approach to form that allows the glaze surface to receive the focus of attention, the Egg Vase is one of the most popular forms that Ben enjoys creating.
Ben III’s Patina Green glaze is a blend of Ben’s copper glaze and the natural ash accumulation from the wood firing process. Micro-crystals have formed on the surface of the piece during the slow-cooling of the kiln. Measuring 6”w x 11.5”h.
Please Note: What appear to be white spots on the surface are reflections from photo lighting.
The Patina Green Glaze was first developed by Ben III, in the early 1990s while in college at East Carolina, as a glossy forest green made from the pigment copper. When testing the glaze in the wood kilns back home at the family pottery, the results were strikingly different with many variations of color and surface. If fired in the wood kiln with no salt added to the firing, the color will be a darker green with small crystals on the surface. If finished in a wood and salt firing, the salt will brighten the color and create more blue-green hues with random small crystals on the surface.
This piece is hand-signed by Ben Owen III with the year made (2024).