Ta-Da!

This was the only lidded oval that survived the wood firing. The lid on the other one had warped a little in the bisque firing and the wood firing just made it worse. I sort of expected that to happen so I wasn't too disappointed.
Today is a carving day in the studio. I have a bunch of bowls to finish. This week I finally made four dinner plates for my brother and sister-in-law. I say finally, because they are a wedding present and they have been married over a year! They want them to match some pieces they already have so they will be glazed in tenmoku. It was really hard to see those nice big plates and  not carve some flowers or leaves in the center!

P.S. The fire ant bites are starting to heal... I just have the ugliest legs in Seagrove right now. On the bright side, I didn't have nearly as much swelling as my encounter with the little buggers last year.

Working Weekend

This is what I did this weekend...

I assembled "salt pigs", that also make nice piggy sugar jars. They come with a cork to keep whatever you put inside, clean and dry. I have these listed on Etsy, and you can choose your glaze color. I have an order for two, one in tenmoku, the other Temple white... they buyer plans to use one for salt and the other for pepper! If you click on the photo it will take you to the Etsy listing.

The weather since Friday has been amazingly conducive to finishing work. The low humidity allowed me to throw, trim, and carve, these 1 quart casseroles in three days.

I have five of these completed and now I guess I should move on to two quart casseroles. The humidity has returned, so it may take a week to get them finished. I guess that means I should turn this computer off and get out to the studio.

The White House Sponsors Cup Show

... in my dreams that is! Last night I dreamed that the White House sponsored a ceramic cup show and that Jeff won an award. Michelle Obama was the juror.

Doesn't the First Lady have excellent taste?

We were so excited that the White House was recognizing ceramic art, despite all the cuts due to the sequester. 

...and then I woke up to reality.

We are firing the gas kiln tonight. We are experiencing chilly temps, but are fortunate that our pyrometer is on a long leash and we can check it from the comfort of our living room... then dash out the back door to adjust the burners or damper and come back in to be near the wood stove. It's sort of funny that we think this is cold, when compared to what we had to deal with in New Hampshire. Amazing how quickly we have acclimated!

While Jeff was tending the kiln, earlier today, I finished some little covered butter/cheese dishes. I hadn't made these in quite a few years and I think I may make some more this week.

There are a few more pots to the Etsy shop, so go ahead and take a look...