Clay, shape, silhouette, texture, glaze, color, decoration—there are so many wonderful aspects to working with clay, even when limited by the circular process of throwing. A vase requires a delicate balance of all these elements, which is often the hardest to define. It’s a matter of taste, experience, and a lot of practice, resulting in a distinctive signature. You can find my signature in every piece within these series.
Sgrafitto is when you scrape away a thin layer of applied clay, to reveal another color. Here the checkered pattern is quite deep and often the pattern starts to shift to 'acceleration'
The wonderfull technique of inlay or Mishima or Sang-gam... because all clay technigues come from Korea. I have a very narrow historical viewpoint; all interesting techniques come from the Joseon Dynasty (Korea) and the Song Dynasty (China). Just go with my flow and you'll find beautiful decorative ways of combining clays and glazes.
I like to call these vases "the cheeses" because they resemble the shape of a wheel of cheese. They look great stacked but ofcourse they are all independent and different. I use this shape now to make my tulip-vases (see Collections)
If you like a drip like I do then this series makes sense. Defying gravity with a very lush waxy glaze, resembling a shino. Drippin' good!
These shapes remind me of big bulging berries, but they are actually based on the shape of a 'bundle', a hail-shot for cannons. The technique is called 'bomberen' (bombing). How appropriate. The shape is made by working the clay outwards with a knocking stick.
So in Japan there was a Raku tradition of making little pots for matcha powder, made of earthenware and with a fine ivory lid. My take on that was this little colorful series with a porcelain lid.
The 'little black dress' of vases. You simply must have a few of these in your vase-storage because they hold flowers well and they make for a great canvas. Pieter Groenveld called this shape 104 so I do that too.
Based on the medieval german Bartmann- or Belarmine-jugs I created a modern hipster-version with glasses. Lost the handle and made it into a vase. Somehow when you put flowers in them, they look seriously funny, like having a floral wig.
We humans descend from them, I was told and that seems like a great idea. I got one of these fossile trilobites (called a gerastos granulosus) and it was the inspiration to this kind of vase. The 'skyline' made by two colliding glazes makes a great, dramatic stage for these clay appliques.
I am an artisan potter based in Amsterdam. I create ceramic pieces I love and share them with you. I focus on making vases, bowls, and pots. If you’d like something custom-made, just ask—I can craft one especially for you or your loved ones (dead or alive). My work is sometimes dark and quirky, even wonky if that’s your style. I’m not overly concerned with traditional perfection.
I strive to create useful and beautiful pieces. Even without flowers, brushes, or branches, my vases can stand alone as beautiful objects. They are tough—but please, don’t throw them at people. All of my shapes and glazes are homebrewed, made right here in what I call Mokum.
Really, what more do you need to know? Drop me a note to share your thoughts, ask a question, place an order, or anything else you might need.
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