Sm. Egg Vase/Chinese Blue Glaze

Vase measures 6 inches tall and 4 inches at widest and was handmade in Seagrove, NC by the Artist Ben Owen III.

The Chinese Blue Glaze is sought by collectors because of the variety of hues and variations of finish from each firing.  No two pieces come out exactly alike.  Although many of the forms are similar to Chinese Red pieces, there are some shapes made specifically for this glaze.  The color is achieved from several mixtures of copper in a glaze and fired to 2250°F.  This glaze was first developed at Jugtown Pottery in the 1930s by Jacques Busbee and influenced Ben Owen Sr. when he established his own studio.  The recipe was handed down the generations and Ben Owen III continues with his version of the glaze.  Each result is one-of-a-kind.

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.