Willie Blakely

Crescent City, California, USA

Title: Vase with a Twist

Year of Creation: 2009

Glaze: Strontium Crystal Magic (Steven Hill) bone ash, red black, red iron oxide, cobalt carbonate, rutile

Clay Body: Stoneware and local clay

Dimensions: Height 8 inches

Artist's Statement: I began working in clay in 2000 when I was 9 years old. This piece was kept from a fire in 2009 that for me marked a milestone in my progress as a potter and the realization of the impact clay had on my life. When I first begin making these vases there tended to be many casualties. Many times I came back to the studio from lunch after a morning of productive throwing to find my new vases collapsed in a rippled heap of clay laying on the bats. But I came back to the form again and again until I mastered the techniques necessary to successfully create this form on a consistent basis.