A Handcrafted Mulberry Roses and Stripes Cylindrical Balloon Bowl Vase

This Handbuilt Porcelain Slab Balloon Vase of Mulberry Celadon Glazed Coiled Roses and Striped Slabs Measures:
4-1/2" wide x 6-1/8“ high.

"Mulberry Roses and Stripes"

This Mulberry Balloon Vase is part of our Celadon Glaze Series.
(Scroll down to see what a Celadon Glaze is).

Utilizing a balloon that is long in shape instead of round, creates a balloon bowl of a different shape, however, it DID have its challenges.

(Scroll down if you'd like to read a little  bit about . . .  balloons)?

This special balloon (size 660) I used to make this balloon bowl has a tie end, but also has a "tail" on the other end, allowing balloons to be easily tied together.
I made several attempts at holding that tail down to make this balloon bowl, but it just wouldn't cooperate. Had to work around the "tail", leaving a hole at the bottom of my vase, which was later plugged with porcelain clay.

Does this vase hold water?
It held water when water was poured into it.
This balloon vase is in the process of a "paper towel" test, sitting for days with water in it to see if water leaks onto the paper towel.

Since the vase is constructed of overlapping slabs; handbuilt, as opposed to a solid wheel-thrown vessel, there is always room for leaks where slabs overlap.
The interior glaze helps, but if there is separation in the firing process, even a little, then leakage can occur.
So, I can't guarantee non existent water leaks.

OUTSIDE:
Vertical slabs were taped with a narrow masking tape, and glazed with a Mulberry Celadon glaze. (last photo shows this vase in its taped state, before glaze application).
Thin slabs were twisted to produce the roses on the top of this vase, forming the rim,
glazed with glossy Mulberry Celadon.
Footring was formed on the potter's wheel and attached after bowl was constructed.
A small striped design on the bottom centered in the footring.
Footring was sanded smooth using a diamond disk on our potter's wheel.

INSIDE:
A honey colored glossy glaze inside the entire vessel.

RIM:
Twisted coiled roses form the organic shape of the rim.
Glossy Mulberry glaze (lilac/lavender).

Handbuilt Laguna 15 Porcelain combined with 
Sio-2 Cellulain Porcelain Paper Clay.
Lead free, dinnerware safe glazes
Fired to cone 6 (2232 degrees Fahrenheit).
I recommend washing this vase by hand.
My signature engraved on the bottom.

What is a Celadon Glaze?

This Roses and Stripes Balloon Vase is glazed with Amaco Celadon glazes.
AMACO Celadon glazes are glossy, transparent, and pool darker in recessed areas to accentuate textured and carved surfaces.
These Celadon glazes are lead-free and food safe.
Amaco Celadons fire to cone 5-6 (2160 degrees - 2232 degrees Fahrenheit).

What Actually Goes Into Those Balloon Animals

Latex balloons used to make animals and sculptures are called 260 balloons.
The "260" refers to their dimensions.
When fully inflated, they measure approximately 2 inches in diameter and 60 inches long.
For chunkier or larger shapes like bear bodies, artists may also use 360 balloons
(3 inches in diameter, and 60 inches long).
These balloons would still be too narrow for my vase, so investigation led to
660 balloons!
These are massive twisting balloons measuring 6 inches wide and 60 inches long. They feature a special tie tip at the top, making them the professional's choice for creating giant balloon animals and sculptures.
An air pump is quite beneficial when trying to inflate these.

All of our handmade pottery is either wheel-thrown or hand-built in our North Carolina home studio.