Carved Drop-Rim Vase Erik Wilson

Appears in the Jul/Aug 2023 issue of Pottery Making Illustrated.

When I started making pots and looking at the work of other clay artists, the work that spoke to me the most were simple, functional pots, that utilized glaze, slip, and texture in a way that caught the eye and gave the user something new to consider. Warren Mackenzie, Phil Rogers, and Randy Johnston as well as Korean buncheong potters were my early inspirations. These were the types of pots that I loved to look at and ultimately influenced my work. With that inspiration, my goal is to create visually interesting pots and surfaces that engage the viewer and show off the quality of the materials. My carved vases developed from a desire to make work employing repetitive textures that capture the character of the ash glazes I use, providing edges for the glaze to break and run, creating a naturally variable surface. I hope you enjoy the work and process and find it informative for your own studio practice. 

Throwing the Form 

These vases start out as a basic cylinder. I recommend using a bat, so they don’t get distorted when you remove them from the wheel. Start with about 3 pounds of clay to allow for enough height before folding over the drop rim and walls thick enough for carving at the leather-hard stage. Center the clay as you would for any other form, ensuring that the base where the clay meets the wheel is well centered (1). This will ease your throwing, particularly with a taller cylinder, and help you achieve the uniform wall thickness critical for carving. Open the form at a 45° angle (2), as opposed to straight down, this will help you control the rim and offer a good start on opening the form. 

Once you have the floor diameter that you want, use a wooden rib with a 90° corner to compress the floor and establish the corner where the floor meets the wall (3). I use a basic wooden rib for this, but anything with a 90° angle will do. Once you’ve set the floor, begin pulling the wall of the pot (4), keeping it coned in at the top as you gain height (5), and using a rib as necessary to remove the slip and compress your walls (6). Remember to keep the walls thicker than normal as you throw to allow for carving later. At least a ¼ inch thickness is a good place to start—try throwing a few at different thicknesses to find what’s best for you. Height-wise, aim for a cylinder that’s about 9 inches (23 cm) tall before creating the drop rim. 

Creating a Drop Rim 

Once you’ve achieved the necessary height, rib the cylinder’s surface off one last time, and be sure to mop out all the water from the base of the pot as this will be difficult later on. Collar in the top (7), then slowly, while using a finger on the inside to support what will be the corner of the piece, begin to press the collared section down, ultimately dipping below the outer rim of the vase to create the drop rim (8). Use a rib (I prefer a metal rib for this) to define the corner of the piece and create the final concave curvature on the drop rim (9, 10). Wire the pot off your bat and set it aside to dry.

Trimming and Carving 

Before carving, I give these pots a light trim on the wheel as I would any other pot; removing excess clay, and evening out the surface to set up a nice canvas for carving. Once trimmed you’ll want to keep the piece suspended at leather-hard dryness throughout the carving process; wrapping each piece individually and tightly in plastic is best. I personally like the clay dry enough so that it will cut easily, but not so dry that it makes the carving difficult. If it feels like the form is distorting or you are dragging and smearing the clay rather than cutting it, let it dry more before carving. 

To carve these vases, I begin by laying out a grid. Using a right-angled trimming tool, draw a vertical line from top to bottom anywhere on the vase, then another directly opposite. Divide the two vertical halves each in half with two more lines to create four equal sections around the pot. Divide each of these four sections with another line to make eight equal sections. These guidelines will not be visible once the carving is done, but it is an effective way of establishing a uniform pattern. Next, using a ruler, create markings along each guideline at equal distances from the bottom to the top of the piece. Start with markings 1 inch or ½ inch apart and go from there on future pieces. I find ¾  inch to be quite nice (11). 

Once all the marks are made along each guideline use your trimming tool to connect those lines around the pot, establishing your pattern for carving. For instance, in the case of a vase with basic horizontal banding, markings at the same height are connected creating the bands from top to bottom. To create a chevron pattern, each mark is connected diagonally with the mark above or below on the adjacent vertical line (12, 13). Once the pattern is fully established use the right angle of your trimming tool to continue carving along those lines (14). Think of each band as a bevel with the top having a slightly greater thickness of clay than the bottom (15). Once your carving is complete let the vase dry fully, brush the surface with a soft brush to remove any excess clay from the carving, then bisque fire. 

Glazing and Considerations 

The intention behind these vases is twofold. The first is to create a visually captivating pot that looks great when displayed with flowers or without. The second is to create a form that can achieve that first goal by harnessing the characteristics of a single glaze. The ash glazes I use are ideal for this as they break over edges to run and pool, creating multiple points of visual interest over the surface of each piece without much complexity in the glazing process. I encourage you to experiment with different patterning and different glazes to find combinations that, when applied simply, bring out the characteristics of the clay and glaze. 

In terms of actually glazing the piece, I take a simple approach. First pour glaze on the inside of the pot—using a funnel, if necessary. Swirl the glaze around and pour it out. Immediately invert the piece, hold at the base, and dunk it in the glaze. Make sure the top drop rim section of the vase enters at an angle so as not to trap any air and potentially leave some small areas unglazed. Leave the pot to dry before cleaning up any excess around the base. Experiment with different approaches to see how they interact with the carving. Pouring or layering glazes are two approaches that could yield interesting results over these surfaces. 

(@bostonpottery)

Erik Wilson is a studio potter living in Medford, Massachusetts. He is a resident artist at Mudflat Studio in Somerville, Massachusetts, and also serves on the board of directors. See more of Erik’s work on Instagram @wilsonerikb.