I've always been fascinated by the various myths about Dragons, and with this Chinese New Year being Year of the Dragon, I figured it was time to give a vase a try. It took me a while to come up with the idea of using clouds to create the background, but I absolutely love the result! This vase started as a plain piece, and after many hours of carving, cutting out, and tidying up, it was into the first firing. Then 3 to 6 coats of each colour were applied to the various deatils, and it was fired for the second time. Third firing was needed for the gold and silver details, and a forth for the Mother-of Pearl. This vase was inspired by my mother, and good friend/ceramics teacher, who are celebrating 5 cyles of the Dragon... xx [...]