Flying Bird

Three geometric clay pieces converge to form a bird in flight — body, wing, and tail rendered as angular planes, each one a deliberate stroke of abstraction. The dark, matte surface tells a story of texture: a specialized leather-effect glaze wraps the zisha clay body in a skin of fine grain and subtle irregularity, evoking the worn warmth of aged leather rather than the cold smoothness of conventional ceramics. At the tips, triangular accents of liquid gold catch the light — flashes of brilliance against the muted body, like sunlight catching the edge of a wing.

This is a piece about contrast: matte and lustrous, restraint and radiance, earth and fire. Three fragments of clay, each on its own merely a shape — together, they become flight.

Key Features

• Leather-Effect Glaze — A specialized ceramic glaze formulated to produce a matte, finely grained surface that replicates the tactile warmth and visual depth of natural leather. Not a coating applied after firing — the texture is born in the kiln, permanent and integral to the ceramic body.
• Zisha Clay Body — Yixing zisha clay forms the structural foundation, prized for its natural porosity and earthy character. The leather-effect glaze rests on this raw, honest substrate, creating a dialogue between the clay's primal warmth and the glaze's sophisticated surface.
• Liquid Gold Detailing — Liquid gold is hand-painted onto the fired glaze surface at the tips, then fired at low temperature (700–850°C). The organic resin in the gold preparation volatilizes, leaving a thin metallic film bonded to the glaze — controlled flashes of brilliance against the matte leather surface.
• Three-Piece Avian Silhouette — Three geometric clay planes are composed to evoke a bird in flight — body, wing, and tail distilled into angular abstraction. The geometry is precise yet gestural, each plane a single stroke that only makes sense in relation to the others.
• Soft Silicone + Surgical Steel Posts — Hypoallergenic ear posts with soft silicone backs ensure comfortable, secure all-day wear — gentle even on sensitive ears.

Materials & Specs

Technique Heritage

• Leather-Effect Glaze - Unlike conventional glossy or satin ceramic glazes that aim for smooth, reflective surfaces, leather-effect glaze is formulated to produce the opposite: a matte, finely textured surface that replicates the grain, warmth, and tactile depth of natural leather. The effect is achieved through specialized glaze chemistry — typically involving phase separation within the glaze layer during firing, where crystalline structures form at different rates within the glass matrix, creating microscopic surface variations that scatter light rather than reflecting it uniformly. The result is a surface that feels warm and organic to the touch, with a subtle, living irregularity that no smooth glaze can replicate. In the Chinese ceramic tradition, textured and crackle glazes have been prized since the Song Dynasty — from the "gold-thread and iron-wire" crackle of Ge ware to the "oil-drop" and "hare's fur" patterns of Jian ware. The leather-effect glaze extends this lineage: where Song ceramists celebrated the accidental beauty of kiln-altered surfaces, modern leather-effect glazes bring that same reverent attention to texture under precise control. Each piece emerges from the kiln with its own unique grain pattern — no two surfaces are identical.
• Zisha with Gold Detailing - The tradition of decorating zisha ceramics with gold traces back to the Qing Dynasty imperial court, where artisans at the palace workshops applied gold to purple-sand teapots — a meeting of rustic clay and courtly opulence that became one of the most coveted styles of imperial zisha. The technique involves painting liquid gold preparation onto the already-fired glaze surface, then firing at low temperature (700–850°C). The organic resin binder in the gold preparation burns away, leaving a thin metallic film permanently bonded to the glaze. In this piece, the gold accents are placed at the tips of the geometric planes — where the bird meets the sky, where wing catches light.
• Hand-Formed Assembly - Each of the three geometric planes is individually hand-shaped from zisha clay without molds or wheel-throwing. The pieces are then assembled — joined with clay slip and positioned to create the balanced, avian silhouette. The composition must be calculated before the clay dries: each angle, each overlap, each negative space between the planes contributes to the sense of flight. The leather-effect glaze is applied, and the piece enters the kiln for its high-temperature firing. Only after this first firing is the liquid gold applied and the piece returned to the kiln for its low-temperature gold-firing cycle — two firings, two transformations, one finished object.

Care

• Remove before showering, swimming, or sleeping
• Avoid contact with perfume, sunscreen, or harsh chemicals
• Store separately to prevent scratching
• Handle gently — the three-plane structure is durable but should not be bent or forced apart
• Clean with a soft, dry cloth
• The leather-effect surface is permanent and will not wear off, but the gold detailing should be treated with care to preserve its luster