Orphans

I am sure this has happened to many of you. The kiln is unloaded, pots are sanded, priced, and sent out into the world. Often there may be a few that are set aside... glaze too thin or bubbly, a crack, or just something about the piece that makes you say meh. The worst of them get the hammer, the others hang around.

It's those "meh" pieces that I call the kiln orphans. 

Jeff brought this porcelain cup into the house a couple of weeks ago and wanted to know why I had left it abandoned on the shelving near the kiln...

First... I am not crazy about the form, second... I can only handle this peach blossom glaze in small doses and this just seems like too much. After moving this cup around the kitchen counter for two weeks, I finally decided to give it a try. I poured in a little tequila, a squeeze of lime, ice, and cranberry juice. I was pleasantly surprised that cup felt good in my hand, particularly the silkiness of this glaze over porcelain. Maybe she wasn't such a bad little cup... or was it the tequila that influenced my thoughts?!

The other type of orphan is the project or idea you excitedly start and don't complete. Two years ago I made some raku fired lamp bodies. My favorite one cracked in the firing and I lost my excitement. The two other lamps just hung out on the shelves collecting dust. Jeff ordered new lamp parts a couple of weeks ago and he decided to wire one of my raku lamps...

I was totally shocked that I actually like it... and tequila had no influence on my decision! Now of course I want to get into the studio and start cranking out some more lamps to raku. I can only hope that it won't take me two years to finish them.

I was tempted to keep this lamp, but I really don't have a place for it... if you click on the photo it will take you to Etsy, because you or someone you know, just might need a lamp.

How about you? Do you have pots or projects, that hang around for months or (gasp) years? Feel free to comment.