This is an original pottery piece created by Roger Neufeld.
A small, hand-crafted raku vessel. Its shape is quietly confident — a low, slightly squat cylinder with a gently domed lid that fits snugly into a shallow shoulder. The piece looks tactile: the majority of the surface is matte rather than glossy metallic of its counter, with subtle irregularities and the faint thumb-marks of the potter’s hand that give it an intimate, made-by-human presence.
Color moves in a soft gradient from a warm, ashen gray at the top down into rich charcoal and near-black around the base. Across the midsection and lid there are delicate, ghosted impressions of feathers or brush-stroked wings, rendered in smoky, graphite tones. These marks seem almost ephemeral, like a memory pressed into clay — some edges are crisp while others blur and fade, suggesting smoke, rubbing, or a deliberate wiping technique that left only traces of image.
The rest of the piece's surface is richly variegated: gunmetal gray and blackened areas mingle with warm bronze and copper tones, while thin streaks of reddish oxidation and flashes of golden reflection catch the light. The finish looks burnished and slightly uneven, with fine tooling marks and subtle irregularities that suggest it was worked by hand. Light skims across the top, highlighting concentric marks and a faint halo of color.
The overall effect is quietly organic and slightly rustic: the darkened base grounds the form, while the lighter upper tones and wing motifs provide a gentle contrast. Light hits the top edge and the rim of the lid, emphasizing the form’s soft curves and the seam where lid meets body. The shadow beneath the jar anchors it to the surface and reinforces the sense of craftsmanship and weight.
It feels like an object made for keeping something small and precious — tea leaves, spices, or a personal keepsake — an item both functional and meditative, whose subtle surface tells a story of hands, heat, and smoke.
The piece is made with raku fired clay. The piece was created in 2024.
The overall dimensions of the pottery are 8cm tall with a 9cm diameter.