Why are the lavender and black checks not in a straight line as in a usual checked pattern?
Nerikomi is the art of inlaid colored clay. A block of this pattern was created by hand using white, black, and lavender porcelain. Then, I cut thin slices off the block and embedded them into a straight-sided cylinder I had thrown on the wheel. The slices must be compressed very well so as to not separate from the walls of the pot when forming the shape or when it is fired in the kiln. As your fingers compress the walls of the pot to combine the two clays and then as they move up the walls to turn a straight cylinder into a vase with curves, they move in a spiral. This causes the clay to move in a spiral and voila! A checked pattern in the diagonal!
This vase is approximately 8.5" tall and 4.5" wide.