Black Vase Blue Droplets
Rainfall Against a Midnight Sky
Every so often, a piece comes together that feels like a quiet story captured in clay. Black Vase Blue Droplets began as an experiment—part technique trial, part emotional vision—and ended up reminding me why I love exploring the space between glaze chemistry and pure imagination.
Black Vase Blue Droplets Inspired by Rainfall Against a Midnight Sky
The Making Process
This vase started with 20231G White Stoneware c10 Moist Clay from Sheffield Pottery. I chose this clay for its balance of strength and plasticity—it holds crisp edges while still allowing me to shape organic, gently faceted forms. Once fired to cone 10, it becomes incredibly durable, perfect for functional art that’s meant to live in everyday spaces. It’s also a very white clay. I like that because there’s very little interaction with the glazes I use and I usually get the exact color I want.
For the surface, I built up several layers of Mayco Speckled Stroke & Coat Speckled Tuxedo glaze from Sheffield Pottery to achieve that deep, glossy black finish. This glaze has tiny specks that catch the light subtly, adding both dimension and a faintly gritty, modern texture I love.
The blue droplets were where the magic and the challenge—happened. Using another Mayco glaze called, The Blues, I splattered droplets onto the surface with a loaded brush. After the first firing, they came out far lighter than expected. The Speckled Tuxedo glaze below absorbed so much of the color that the blues almost disappeared. That surprise turned into an opportunity. I layered more of The Blues over the original droplets and refired the vase. The result was engaging: liquid rivulets of blue that seem to move down the sides, darkening into cool shadows or glowing gently against the black.
Inspired by Night Rain
The form itself is softly faceted, narrowing at the neck and flaring just slightly at the rim—almost like a modern hourglass. The idea came from watching rain slide down a window at night while the streetlamp outside lit each droplet. I wanted the vase to echo that sense of gravity and fluid motion, as if water could roll off its curves. From one angle, the blue appears like raindrops on glass; from another, like a handful of tiny stars scattered across the dark.
In Conversation with Nature
Much of my work draws from natural elements and phenomena—movement, weather, and the quiet interplay of light and surface. While Black Vase Blue Droplets stands apart from my recent pieces, it still connects to that thread: exploring how materials and process can evoke something deeply familiar in nature. The sleek black glaze, the organic form, and those unpredictable blue patterns all speak to that fascination.
This piece was also a personal experiment. I hadn’t used Mayco’s Stroke & Coat glazes much before, but I was impressed by their glossy sheen and painterly range. The process reminded me that allowing curiosity to lead the way often brings the best surprises.
Handcrafted in Vermont, each Black Vase Blue Droplets is unique—no two will ever flow quite the same way. You can view more images or make one your own in the Shop Collections.
