Serving essential needs throughout human history, bottles have long been valued for their practical function of holding liquids. Today, we use bottles for aesthetic beauty as well as containment. This hand-turned bottle may be used as a bud vase for fresh or dried flowers. Featuring Ben Owen Pottery's exclusive Aurora glaze, this bottle makes a charming and thoughtful gift. Measuring 3"dia x 5.25"h.
Please Note: What appear to be white spots on the surface are reflections from photo lighting.
Aurora
Ben Owen III developed this stunning glaze over the summer of 2025. Resembling the dynamic flickers across the night sky resulting from the natural phenomena, Aurora borealis, this glaze produces a display of color covering the spectrum of green and red.
Considered an "artistic glaze", Aurora can produce large sections of the turquoise-blue tones as if a curtain was being pulled across the surface of the pot. At other times, Aurora develops individual speckles of the green-blue color. The blushes of red hue develop from the smoke of the flame within the gas kiln, converting copper from green to red. Just as no Aurora borealis effect will ever be re-created, no two pieces of Ben III's Aurora will ever be alike. A distinct and alluring glaze, Aurora will forever intrigue its owner.
Salt Glaze
Salt Glaze was first discovered by German potters in the late 14th century. Due to the high firing temperatures, stoneware clays are required. The pieces can be handled and decorated with clay slips of many different colors, or, glazed partially with Cobalt Blue Glaze. The surface may resemble the texture of an orange peel. This was an early glaze used by settlers during the 19th century in the Seagrove area. Many of the pieces Ben makes in Salt Glaze are functional, even the more decorative large-scale pots.
Silas Bradley
An apprentice at Ben Owen Pottery since August 2025, Silas crafts a variety of wares for the Tableware Collection. In addition to crafting work for the Pottery, Silas continues to create his own ware, focusing on stoneware pieces rendered unique through the raw unpredictability of atmospheric firings.
A native North Carolinian, Silas Bradley grew up in Clinton and discovered his passion for clay at a young age. Beginning his first apprenticeship at age 16 in Burgaw, NC, Silas immersed himself in the world of clay. This time exposed him to a wide variety of methods and techniques that sparked the development of Silas’ own voice in clay. Having worked in Texas and Montana making pots, Silas settled back in his home state to work further with the practices and traditions of Seagrove.
Silas is part of a new generation of North Carolina potters, eager to converse with longstanding traditions of craftsmanship while paving the way for new creations; with deep respect for tradition, Silas crafts pieces that evoke history and practice.
Creating honest forms that are both familiar and new,
Silas attempts to write a further line in the continuing story of North Carolina clay.
This piece is hand-signed by Silas Bradley (either “Silas” or “Silas Bradley”).