The Honeypot Vase was designed in 1990, the year Thomas Bucich opened his studios in Sydney after moving from New York. In 2020, the design was re-launched as a 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Series of 30 castings. Originally cast and finished in highly polished bronze and aluminium, the 30th edition continues the precise form, but the work is hand finished in a burnt patination process that is reminiscent of an ancient bronze unearthed from an excavation. This new treatment to the editioned form draws upon his recent works of sculpture and design which examine and reinterpret his classically trained practice, studies of ancient relics, and a consideration of the metaphor of patination.

The Honeypot Vase was designed in form and finish allows it to stand on its own empty as a functional sculpture. The weight of the hand cast bronze allows it to carry a large arrangement from flowers, oversized leaves to tree branches, and the reduced oculus opening acts to ‘hold’ and organize the cluster of plant material placed within it.