My "Ugly Bird" Vase

Signed "Lama Oaxaca Mexico"
Not sure if flower's would make this pretty.
He is so ugly I find him cute :)
5" Tall
Online Info;
The color of barro negro is due to the properties of the clay, and is not colored.[2] The earth used to extract the clay is cleaned to remove impurities, which can take a month of soaking and settling out the clay from the rest of the soil.[3] After this process, each piece takes about twenty days to complete.[5]

Traditionally, the clay is molded on plates balanced on rocks to that they can be spun by hand. Modern potters’ tools are not used.[5] Large pieces, such as cantaros are fashioned from the bottom up adding clay as the piece grows.[3] After it is shaped, the pieces are set to dry in a well-insulated room to protect them from sudden changes in temperature.[5] Drying can take up to three weeks. If the piece is to be polished so that it turns out shiny black when finished, it is polished when the piece is almost dry. The surface of the piece is lightly moistened and then rubbed with a curved quartz stone. This compacts the surface of the clay and creates the metallic sheen and dark color during firing.[3][5] This is also the stage when decorative accents such as clay flowers or small handles are added. The designs of barro negro objects are unique to this area.[3]

The pieces are then fired in underground pits or above ground kilns, using wood fires that heat the objects to between 700 and 800 °C.[5][11] When they emerge, the polished pieces are a shiny black and the unpolished ones have a grey matte finish