Very Large Happy Tears vase, pewter and saturated gold finish
Walking into a beautiful room with a "showstopper" vase of flowers was the inspiration behind the "Very Large" Happy Tears vase. I wanted it to say "Something magical, memorable is going to happen here." Happy Tears vases are created using slabs of stoneware clay formed and thinned without the use of a mechanical roller or machinery. The clay is stretched, cut, trimmed and fastened entirely by hand. Once fabricated, the piece is dried slowly over another one to two weeks (depending on the weather) before being fired in an electric kiln to 1828 degrees Fahrenheit. The piece is then glazed, and fired a second time to 2232 degrees Fahrenheit. During this second firing the glaze melts and becomes glass. The intersection of the two glazes is a melding of materials, a coming together; sometimes in a clean line, sometimes in a drip or a blur. It's meant to symbolize the indelible impression we leave with one another in a social, family or public space. This chemical contrast draws both the