Burning gas

As I sit here and try to recollect all the things that have transpired over the last couple of days I realize how tired I am. Excited to see the results of our labors but exhausted none the less.

Tuesday in the studio was spent getting the soda kiln ready to fire, mostly wadding the ware and stacking the kiln. 

Most of this pottery has been sitting in boxes waiting for the cost of propane to go down. It is really great to see the work with fresh eyes.

I have had all these ideas of how I wanted to glaze and stack the kiln for months just floating around my head. It is great to get them out and make space for new ones.

Stacking the kiln is a bit of guess work on my part. I know that things in the front tend to get more soda than the things in the back but when it comes to flow and shelve height I am an amateur. Also keeping an even temperature in the kiln is another aspect to consider when stacking. Again, I am a complete amateur. 

I scour through books and the internet looking for information about how to do this better and to get the results I want but sometimes you just need to do it to understand it. 

Pyrometric cones measure heat work, I use 5 cone packs located throughout the kiln to give me a sense of what is going on inside the kiln. I still feel like a blind man.

I am trying a different approach to the top stack of this firing, light in the front and higher in the back. Not sure how it will effect the firing but I am sure I will learn something. 

Wednesday is firing day and the kiln takes about 13 hours to fire. This gives me the opportunity to spend a lot of time making things. I have been working on this particular shape for some workshops that I have scheduled for the summer.

Experimenting with different sizes, different handles, and different functions.

These will all end up in the soda kiln.

Waiting for the cones to come down......

Watching the fire after a long and exhausting day is really soothing. I always bring my guitar and try to enjoy the process. I will be unstacking the kiln Thursday evening around 4pm if you would like to visit the studio. Of course I will post pictures here as well.

Chilly day, warm studio

Yesterday was another fabulous day in the studio. Slightly crappy weather out but warm in the studio as the bisque kiln was finishing a cycle. I started my day with finishing this hand built tea pot. It's been in a box for ages, patiently waiting for a handle. I finally got it together to try copper wire. This is an old piece of heavy gauge copper wire from our old power lines on the island. After bending it and getting it to fit well on the pot I wrapped the connections for looks and security. I'm happy! I still need to file the wire ends a bit.

Here is a new cup I designed on Tuesday. I took it out of the damp room and put colored slip and a handle on the cup. Another happy moment to my day. I loved the form so much a made a bunch of little ones for snifters. 

From above.

It was a busy day in the studio! Joyce made a fabulous salad, we sung happy birthday to Mari (she is 28 again), and had a happy day chatting, creating, and otherwise having the time of our lives.

Teapot and glaze work

Getting something from the kiln that matches or exceeds your expectations is rare, at least for me. I have come to appreciate almost everything that comes out over time, however picking something up out of the kiln that moves you right away does not happen very often.
Just yesterday I unloaded a firing and was blown away with the results of some glaze testing, or rather technique testing. I've been using the same glazes for a couple years and experimenting with layering, spraying, using raw oxides. I have also been playing with temperature. Slowly I have been getting little pieces of the puzzle put together. It is starting to come together. Right now I can just sit back and take time to admire the results and savor the moment.

Tea pots

I've been working on a good tea pot I can call my own for a while now. I'm getting closer. Here is the latest version.