{"id":3595,"date":"2026-04-10T18:29:01","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T18:29:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.steffievandenakker.com\/?p=3595"},"modified":"2026-04-12T07:52:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T07:52:51","slug":"nebula-serie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.steffievandenakker.com\/en\/2026\/04\/10\/nebula-serie\/","title":{"rendered":"My Fascination with Space and the Galaxy Series"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I look at the starry sky at night, I am captivated by the immense depth and mystery of the universe. The thought of cosmic dust clouds and nebulae in which stars are born stimulates my imagination. The cosmos possesses a special aesthetic with colors that blend into one another and textures that seem to constantly change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I bring this fascination with space to my studio. Translating those colors and depth into something tangible like ceramics was the driving force behind the creation of the Galaxy Series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Detail<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Handgedraaide<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Close-up<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From clay to vase In space, everything begins with stardust; in my studio, everything begins with a lump of clay on the potter's wheel. Making vases like the Orion or the Pleiades is a process of focus. While the wheel spins, I pull the walls up into a clean, simple line. In doing so, I seek a balance: the vase must be sturdy enough for daily use, but also radiate tranquility so that all attention can be focused on the glaze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The process after throwing is a matter of patience. The vases must dry slowly and evenly. Every trace of moisture must be gone from the clay before they go into the kiln for the first time for the bisque firing. At approximately 1000 degrees, the clay transforms into hard, but still porous ceramic. This is a necessary phase because, in this state, the vase can absorb the glaze well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Flow of the Mists The glazing process is where the Nebula series truly comes to life. After the vase has survived the first firing, the ceramic is ready for the finish. I apply the glazes by hand, playing with the glaze thickness. In the areas where the glaze is applied more thickly, deep, saturated colors emerge after firing. Where the layer is thinner, the appearance remains subtle and light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The real transformation takes place during the high-temperature main firing. A ceramic kiln is a world unto itself, in which I must partially relinquish control to the heat. Small temperature differences within the kiln chamber cause the glazes to react and mix. Just as in the cosmos, patterns emerge that can never be exactly copied. The glaze flows out into a unique design that gives the vase its characteristic depth and texture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A unique fragment of the cosmos. The moment the kiln is finally allowed to be opened again after the main firing remains special. Only then do I see how the heat and the minerals in the glaze have worked together. One vase has taken on the depth of a distant star cluster, while the other radiates the soft glow of a nebula.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No two vases leave the studio the same. With the Orion or Pleiades, you bring home a tangible result of my fascination with space, captured in a robust and waterproof ceramic vase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the near future, more vases will be added to the Galaxy Series, as I continue to experiment with new combinations and colors from the cosmos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are looking for a specific size or have an idea of your own, please know that I also work on commission. Feel free to contact me. contact <\/a>Get in touch with me to discuss the possibilities. I would love to see how we can create a suitable vase for your interior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Als ik \u2019s avonds naar de sterrenhemel kijk, word ik gegrepen door de enorme diepte en het mysterie van het heelal. De gedachte aan kosmische stofwolken en nevels waarin sterren worden geboren, prikkelt mijn verbeelding. De kosmos bezit een bijzondere esthetiek met kleuren die in elkaar overvloeien en texturen die constant lijken te veranderen. Deze […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3596,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[157],"tags":[156],"class_list":["post-3595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-blog"],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.steffievandenakker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG-20260410-WA0027.jpg",893,1339,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.steffievandenakker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG-20260410-WA0027-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.steffievandenakker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG-20260410-WA0027-200x300.jpg",200,300,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.steffievandenakker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG-20260410-WA0027-768x1152.jpg",768,1152,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.steffievandenakker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG-20260410-WA0027-683x1024.jpg",683,1024,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.steffievandenakker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG-20260410-WA0027.jpg",893,1339,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.steffievandenakker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG-20260410-WA0027.jpg",893,1339,false],"trp-custom-language-flag":["https:\/\/www.steffievandenakker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG-20260410-WA0027-8x12.jpg",8,12,true],"mailpoet_newsletter_max":["https:\/\/www.steffievandenakker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG-20260410-WA0027.jpg",893,1339,false],"woocommerce_thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.steffievandenakker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG-20260410-WA0027-300x300.jpg",300,300,true],"woocommerce_single":["https:\/\/www.steffievandenakker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG-20260410-WA0027-600x900.jpg",600,900,true],"woocommerce_gallery_thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.steffievandenakker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG-20260410-WA0027-100x100.jpg",100,100,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Steffie van den Akker","author_link":"https:\/\/www.steffievandenakker.com\/en\/author\/dharma\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Als ik \u2019s avonds naar de sterrenhemel kijk, word ik gegrepen door de enorme diepte en het mysterie van het heelal. De gedachte aan kosmische stofwolken en nevels waarin sterren worden geboren, prikkelt mijn verbeelding. De kosmos bezit een bijzondere esthetiek met kleuren die in elkaar overvloeien en texturen die constant lijken te veranderen. Deze…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.steffievandenakker.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.steffievandenakker.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.steffievandenakker.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.steffievandenakker.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.steffievandenakker.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3595"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.steffievandenakker.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3595\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3603,"href":"https:\/\/www.steffievandenakker.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3595\/revisions\/3603"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.steffievandenakker.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3596"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.steffievandenakker.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.steffievandenakker.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.steffievandenakker.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}