Cousins in Clay

 Jeff and I took a much needed break on Sunday and went over to Bulldog Pottery's "Cousins in Clay". This is an annual event that they host at the end of May. Along with Samantha and Bruce Henneke's stunning work, there are guest potters from various parts of the country. A special treat this year was Henry Crissman's mobile anagama kiln. Many potters from the Seagrove area had a few pots in the kiln. Each of us donated one pot to help raise money for the Dwight Holland Scholarship Fund. The scholarship gives assistance for ceramic students to be able to attend the North Carolina Pottery Conference.

 The firing is quite short. I think it was about 8 hours and reached cone 11.

The day was gorgeous and sunny, which also meant it was really hard to take photos with a phone. I was sort of shooting blindly! I was happy with all three of my pots, but this is the only one I got a photo of.
Tomorrow I should have some house makeover pics. Things are coming along nicely. I also have good news about my Dad! He was moved to the intensive rehab facility and is doing much better. His brain is pretty much cleared up... no more hallucinations. This place is keeping him busy. Therapy three times a day and they take him to the dining room to eat meals. He can now stand with a walker to move from the bed to a wheelchair. I hope that he will regain his mobility eventually.
That's it for now, check back tomorrow for more house blogging. Happy Monday!

Results

The wood kiln was unloaded yesterday...

As with most wood firings, you have to take the good with the bad. Unfortunately the majority of my pots got the bad. Only one pitcher survived and it looks great, the other got the hammer.

 The pitcher, like this vase, had the blobs all over it, as well as inside.

These were the only two spoons that were acceptable to me. The others have a so much thick, gray ash that the design was obliterated, and they are quite ugly. Most of my pots with ginkgo leaf carvings also ended up this way. There are a couple that might be saved with some grinding and maybe a re-fire in the gas kiln.

Jeff had some pots that were obliterated with ash, but he also had some really nice ones.

I have come to the conclusion that this type of long firing (4-5 days) doesn't suit me or my work. I am too disappointed when I have spent hours carving a pot, only to have it obliterated with ash. I prefer a shorter firing with just a little salt or soda. In another week we will have some pots in the wood kiln at STARworks. I am planning to put just a few small pieces in. The firing will be shorter, which means less ash. No ginkgo leaves will be sacrificed!

The Element of Surprise

Jeff helped David Stuempfle fire his wood kiln just prior to my mother's passing. We had a few pots in the kiln and this porcelain bowl was one of them. I really hadn't had any time to look at it, as I flew to New Hampshire a few days later. It definitely got hot! I like the way it warped in the firing and the flashing is gorgeous. Not everyone enjoys the wabi-sabi effects of wood firing, but I just love it.

I am going to hang on to this one for awhile.