Ash glaze, Tenmoku, Ginkgo Leaves, and Hurricanes

Jeff and I unloaded the kiln yesterday. Overall it was a very good firing. I had a few ash glaze pots that I sprayed a little heavier than I wanted too... but that was my error, no fault of the kiln. They are still fine pots, just not what I was expecting.

Here are a few of the pieces that I was really happy with.

I made these last winter. I put a couple in the first firing of our new kiln and they got some kiln crud chunks in the bottom. I set a couple more aside and they finally went in this firing. This one made me do the happy dance!

Everyone has their eye on the hurricane that is heading this way. I am really hoping the storm will not impact us or if it does, it will happen before Saturday. We have an outdoor show in Charlotte this weekend. Chances are we inland enough to be spared the brunt of it, but it doesn't mean we won't have high winds with lots of rain. Outdoor shows in the rain suck. Outdoor shows in high wind are dangerous. I am sure the show will be cancelled or postponed if it's too dangerous for us to be out there. Stay tuned for updates!

Getting Wild

Jeff has really been enjoying digging and processing the "wild" clay in our yard. When the area for our kiln shed was excavated, it exposed a lot of this luscious, orange, goodness. After blunging, screening, and drying on plaster, it was ready to be wedged and thrown.

Yesterday he finished one of the tea bowls he made, using the Mishima technique of inlaying slip. Jeff applies the slip with a brush. Then scrapes away the excess, which also pushes all of the slip into the stamped areas. When it's dry, he will sand away any remaining slip, using a green kitchen scrubbie.

There have been a lot of Mishima instructional videos on the internet lately and I have been a little disappointed when watching them, to discover that they aren't really about Mishima, it's about applying wax to clay, carving a design, and brushing on underglaze. While this technique produces some nice designs, it isn't Mishima by definition. Just call me a purist!