Once upon a time, there was a lonely vase lived in the backyard of an artist’s family. The ugly vase had a unique shape and colours as the artist intended to create it with her new technique. However, the artist wasn’t happy with the final outcome because she thought the vase was an ugly piece that hadn’t turned out the way she wanted it to be.
The ugly vase sat in a dark corner of the backyard waiting for the next ‘Hammer Party’**. One day, there was a friend of the artist visited the ugly vase’s house. The artist’s friend had a hobby of collecting ceramics and pottery.
The artist showed her friend the new products that she had made since their last meeting.
She showed her friend many beautiful pieces in her new collection, and as she went through each piece the artist told the story of how she made them, baked them, at what temperature, and what technique she used to colour them etc. The ugly vase was in one of the stories. The artist was very passionate when she told her friend the story of how she made the ugly vase. She described the process of creating the shape, the ‘crazing’ (crackle glazing), and the new technique she had just learned to colour it. But she was unhappy with the result when the vase came out of the kiln.
Then, the artist pointed to the corner where the ugly vase was sitting.
The artist’s friend looked at the vase for a while and quietly said she thought it was a beautiful vase. She liked the uneven patterns, the colours, and the shape of the vase.
The artist was surprised by her friend’s comments and asked: “Do you really think it is beautiful? Because I don’t like how it turned out, and I am going to smash it in my next Hammer Party”. The artist’s friend insisted: “Please don’t smash it, I am very happy to have it if you don’t like it”. The artist’s friend went home that day with the vase held in her arms.
The ugly vase now lives in the living room of the artist’s friend. It sits on a stool under the family’s photo wall – a special corner for her family.
The ugly vase is very happy in its new home. All the flowers seem to be more beautiful when they are in the ugly vase – from strong flowers such as sunflowers to soft and sensitive flowers like lily, lotus, ranunculus, and even the wildflowers from the garden.
The sun often shines through the window and on the flowers’ petals, leaves as well as the vase…which enhances the beauty of them all.
The ugly vase had found its happy home. The family’s guests now often talk about its unique shape, patterns, and colours. The vase is a special piece to open a conversation for all the guests and the owner.
The ugly vase is now a beautiful vase in its home. its owner loves everything about it and she often says to everyone “it is a beautiful handmade vase with its own character, I am so glad to have it in my home”.
NOTE: **’ Hammer Party’- Every year the artist organised a party where her friends would come over to her pottery workshop to pick out the pieces that they like. The leftover pieces will be smashed by a hammer so the artist can reuse the broken material in her garden.