negative space lamps
i’m probably the most proud of these lamps of anything I’ve made so far.
origins: i was inspired by another potter at the studio who had just made her first lamp - she said that the wiring was surprisingly easy.
the problem: i wanted a lamp for my desk, something visually impactful but also not overly heavy, something that wouldn’t take up much space. i had just learned to throw a citrus juicer, the same foundational shape as making a donut, and then made a donut vase with a neck. i thought the donut shape might be a cool lamp body - a strong presence but still visually light and with a low footprint on my desk. i knew from the first donut vase attempt that it would need some sort of base to stabilize it.
v0: white glaze, iron speckled clay
i was so excited to see this come together. I ordered a basic lamp wiring kit and the whole process was surprisingly straight forward. i added felt to the bottom so it wouldn’t scrape my desk, which i’ve continued to do for every lamp since.
this version has the donut sitting directly on the base. i didn’t love the transition, so i thought i’d add more clay to transition in the next attempt.
v1: orange, low fire
this is probably my favorite lamp i’ve ever made, possibly my favorite piece overall. i really like the proportions, the neck, the width of the body, the base, the transition. i added more depth to the donut so it wasn’t as flat.
v(n + 1): so many lamps since
this kind of lamp has become a hallmark of my work and i’ve made so many since. there are four in active use in my current apartment, and two waiting for wiring or future use.
future: cool shades? new approaches to glazing? new shapes?
