Earth Tone Kwali Vase
I make this vessel form in homage to Ladi Kwali and so many other women potters from Nigeria, both named and unnamed. I was excited to see this African pottery form come together with my new earth tone surfaces. I used both wild and commercial clays to create different shades of decorating slips called terra sigillata. The clays used on this pot were foraged from Louisiana, New Mexico,
This piece commemorates the period of time after Tropical Storm Debby but before Helene & Milton, when we’d visit the bay and beaches in our town at night to witness bioluminescence. We watched fish jump, disturbing bioluminescent plankton which causes them to glow momentarily, creating subtle blue rings of light above the fish after they re-enter the water. We had so many nighttime nature adventures that we began to be more attuned to the cycle of the moon.
8” tall, 7” diameter
