This vase is constructed from what I call an "infinite" pattern, in this case specifically, marbleized clay. An "infinite" pattern has a design in the clay loaf or body that when sliced into a sheet, stands alone, it does not appear to be truncated or obviously off balance or missing a piece. An infinite pattern can be cut to any size and still read as "whole", and can be combined with another piece of the same pattern effectively and harmoniously. A "finite" pattern on the other hand, is usually a design that reads best when viewed in it's entireity, a spiral for instance, or a slab constructed by joining slices of a repeating pattern into a grid- a three by three square of nine slices off of the same patterned loaf. Trimming or cutting a finite pattern disturbs the visual symetry achieved in the origional construction. As always, there are exceptions to the "rule", but this differentation is helpful when concieving a pattern, and, in choosing how to best utilize the finished loaf of patterened clay.