Vasemaking

Vasemaking is the craft of creating ceramic vessels intended to hold liquids or to be displayed. The primary form is the vase, but the term can also apply to sculptural vessels used for decoration. Techniques include wheel throwing, hand-building (coil and slab), and slip casting. Clay bodies commonly used are earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain, each fired to a different maturity range. The choice of clay affects porosity, color, and durability after firing.

Surface treatments include burnishing, slip decoration, sgraffito, and glazing. Most vases are glazed for functional use; glaze types vary from transparent to opaque, with colored and metallic glazes in certain traditions.

The manufacturing process typically involves designing shape, forming the vessel, refining the form as it dries to leather-hard stage, then bisque firing to remove water and harden the body. After bisque, the surface is decorated and glaze is applied, followed by a glaze firing at higher temperature. Firing conditions depend on the clay body: earthenware around 1000-1150 C; stoneware around 1200-1300 C; porcelain around 1300-1400 C.

Kilns can be electric, gas, wood-fired, or salt/soda kilns, and can influence atmosphere, color, and texture.

Vasemaking has a long history in many cultures, including East Asian porcelain production, Middle Eastern and European tin-glazed wares, and contemporary studio ceramics. Contemporary practice ranges from traditional wheel-thrown vessels to experimental forms and glaze applications.