useful vases – Gillian McMillan — Rara Avis https://www.gillianmcmillan.com Sun, 31 May 2026 01:12:17 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Useful Pots https://www.gillianmcmillan.com/blog/2026/05/30/useful-pots/ https://www.gillianmcmillan.com/blog/2026/05/30/useful-pots/#respond Sun, 31 May 2026 01:06:33 +0000 https://www.gillianmcmillan.com/?p=16822

Now that I don’t make many pots I tend to consider whether each piece is actually useful. Is the pot destined to be admired on a shelf or will it hold cookies, vegetables, milk, sugar, tea or, most likely in this latest batch, flowers? Even if the pot is decorated, carved or just amusing I’d like to think that it will be used for mashed potatoes or a jade plant. These resulting pots from a much-anticipated soda firing are all designed to find a use in your home. Now that Summer is fast approaching I have made four different vases for your garden gleanings, and also consider the jugbirds to be cool flower holders.

Carved round vase 5.75" x 6"

I’m particularly pleased with the round fellow, top right. It feels lovely to hold. But the other three are all special in their own way. I adore the dimpled one, the flattened-side one was fired on its side, and the taller one has sweet variety in its surface. All will have their special moments when holding the right flowers.

wadding marks on one side. This would be even better in a wood firing, right? 6" x 5" x 4"
Skinny vase, with pale blue orange peel 7.25" x 3.5"
another view of the dimpled pot 5" x 4.5"

The robust pot with a hole is also a vase, of course. The interruption in the middle helps to keep tall delphinia upright!

I made two jugbirds for this firing. The beak on the bigger one was painted with my pale blue earthenware glaze and his body is ‘Blair’s Red’ flashing slip. The other fellow has a fine ‘Lorna’s Yellow’ breast.

Taller vase 9" x 5.5"
Big Jugbird 7" x 10"
Jugbird with terra sig beak 6.25" x 7.5"

Another piece I had high hopes for was treated well by the flames and soda. There are pleasing orange peel and warm colours all around the lidded jar. I can see this filled with homemade cookies!

Carved lidded cookie jar. 6.5" x 6.5"
The lid fits perfectly!

I fired this carved bowl on wads on the plate. The cranberry red in the bowl is super! But the plate is warped because it was on the edge of a shelf and one side got lots of flame/heat/soda. Never mind..

plate & bowl fired together
plate 1.5" x 8.75"
Carved bowl w. copper red liner glaze

I used the same copper red glaze to line this comfortable yunomi and one of my squared wiggle-wire dishes. Both are useful I imagine and have surfaces just the way I like them.

fairly tall yunomi 4.5" x 4"
practical nut dish 2.75" x 5.5"

What else to show you? There was a more traditional jug for your milk or cider and mugs with comfortable handles.

Jug with pale salt blue slip. 6.25" x 6"
pale blue salt mug with flat bottom & round-bottomed mug with Blair's Red slip. both 4.75" tall

Finally, there is a tea-pot that had a 2nd go-round in the soda kiln, and is much juicier, and a sweet little carved dish for your salsa. Jennifer, the teapot is yours if we can get Mike to take it with him to Edmonton.

Thanks for looking at all my useful pots, folks. Now I need to decide which ones should go where.

teeny carved bowl sprayed with Lorna M's yellow slip and lined with Yellow Salt glaze. 2.5" x 4.25"
Re-fired teapot 6.5" x 10"
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