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Normal view

Published — 22 August 2026 ⏭ Florian Gadsby pottery

Making Bud Vase Forms

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For the longest time I struggled to come up with a bud vase form I liked. In years past, I threw shapes that were more quintessential, they were rounded with a small belly and a narrow, tall neck, perfect for slotting in a stem or two, a budding branch of a single flower, yet as my overall style became sharper, more angular and precise, those ballooned vessels begun to feel out of place.

I needed something that felt sleek in comparison, something slightly unusual and more architectural and eventually I settled on these, shapes with an inward sloping rim and a narrow opening that’s hidden when viewed from the side, or if overly filled. The small opening keeps everything pinned upright and it makes for a relatively interesting form to throw as at some point, you have to fold the rim portion inward and somehow keep it stabilised without it collapsing any further.

What you’re watching here, the trimming once the parts have turned leather hard, is arguably the easiest part of the entire process, as there’s no risk of the vessel collapsing, (unless you trim that top angular change too thinly), rather it’s a process of refinement. The thrown forms themselves are relatively neat but it’s always quite surprising just how much further you can take them at this point.

Yes, getting turnings out of them is a pain, as is shaking out excess glaze when coating the interior forms and I recommend using dried foliage for these, or at least being attentive with emptying them and using fresh water, otherwise they can be quite hard to clean out properly.

#budvase #vase #handmade #trimming #clay
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