Lily Pad Green Crystalline Egg Vase

Vase measures 7.5 inches tall and 4.25 inches at widest and is hand signed on the bottom by the Artist Ben Owen III

The Lily Pad Green Crystalline glaze is one of the newer glazes Ben has developed in his Crystalline series. The Lily Pad Green Crystalline Glaze series was carefully developed over several years.  Ben Owen III methodically manipulated various glaze materials with the potential to create unique surfaces and patterns that are reflective of natural scenery in our world's environment.  Some outcomes resemble lichen on stone, lily pads peeking along a pond surface, or even blue moon jellies 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 promote crystal development, while the pigment copper tints the crystals and background green.  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.