Cobalt Crystalline Tang Vase

Vase measures 8.5 inches tall and 5 inches at widest and features gorgeous pops of cobalt blue over a deep green base glaze. 

This piece is hand-signed by the Artist Ben Owen III

Ben Owen III carefully developed the Cobalt Crystalline Glaze series over several years.  Various glaze materials with the potential to create unique surfaces and patterns were methodically manipulated during test series after test series until crystal formation became somewhat replicable.  Many of these crystal formations have been viewed as a comparison of various natural occurrences in the Earth’s environment.  Some resemble lichen on stone, lily pads floating along a lake or pond, moss on a tree trunk, and even blue jellyfish floating in deep ocean waters.
   To achieve this rare find, the kiln temperature is meticulously controlled as it rises AND as it falls, to encourage crystalline growth at specific temperatures.  The glaze is applied by carefully airbrushing multiple layers of complementary glazes.  The presence of titanium- and zinc-rich ingredients promotes crystal development, while the pigment cobalt tints the crystals blue, and the pigment iron tints the background.  We hope you enjoy this one-of-a-kind glaze!

Ben Owen III is a potter from Seagrove, North Carolina. His forefathers came to North Carolina (NC) from England as early as the late 1700s to make a new living in the USA.  Some of these early generations learned skills in craft by making pottery and furnishing storage jars along with other utilitarian wares for early settlers. Ben’s grandfather, master potter Ben Owen, Sr., admired the early Asian pottery he saw displayed in museums and collections while working at Jugtown Pottery (1923-1959). He translated those works into his own style later at Ben Owen Pottery (1959-1972). Ben III studied pottery as a young apprentice first with his grandfather in the late 1970s-1980s and later at East Carolina University (1989-1993). Like his grandfather, Ben creates pottery that reflects a foundation in traditional early american designs, and incorporates influences from Asia, Europe, and Persia.  Ben has participated in workshops and conferences throughout the United States, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Europe and recently in China. His work can be found in many museums nationwide, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Smithsonian Museum of Art. Ben’s commissions grace the lobby of the Ritz Carlton Tokyo Hotel in Japan and The Umstead Hotel and Spa in NC. Singer/songwriter James Taylor and golfer Arnold Palmer are among the notables whose collections include works by Ben Owen III.