Work Cycles

I am feeling good that we have completed the first work cycle of 2017. The first glaze firing of the year is cooling. Today we are back to making pots. The last few days were a whirlwind of activity. On day one the bisque kiln was unloaded (while it was still quite warm!), pots were rinsed, waxed, and under-glazed as needed. The next day we glazed and loaded. We worked into the the night, with me leaving for a couple of hours for a town zoning board meeting. I am not sure how that happened, by I have been on the board since last summer. After a quick dinner break, Jeff finished up with the kiln and bricked up the door. He decided to light it and fire overnight.

I went to bed at 12:30.
He's a night shift sort of guy... I am not.

During the less intense cycles of pottery making, I try to cook things that will feed us for a couple of meals, ideally something I can freeze for later. Last night it was great to heat a baking dish of stuffed shells for dinner. We were both too pooped to cook! On the weekend we enjoyed chicken tikka masala, that was leftover from earlier in the week.

Sophie cat takes it all in stride. As long as she gets her three meals a day and has Jeff's lap for a few minutes in the morning, she's a happy girl.

Hands in Clay

It feels so good to be at the beginning of the making cycle, seems like weeks since I have touched wet clay. We have another opportunity to put some pots in a wood firing so my mission has been to make some pots that will embrace the magic of the flame.

During the last couple of years I have only made dotted flower mugs for orders. The gray, white and blue from the gas kiln doesn't really excite me... but fired in a wood kiln is a whole different story. The blue turns a deep blue, almost black and the slip gets all toasty, marshmallow like. The last batch I put in a wood kiln had a lot cracked rims. This time I am using STARworks Michfield clay and I think I will have better results. Fingers crossed!

Here are few things that came out of Fred Johnston's wood kiln last week...

 This rattle orb is about the size of a softball. It has some nice coloring from the flames.

Remember the mermaid? She was waiting for months to be fired! She got a lot of ash over the top and I think it plays rather nicely with her oceanic hair.

Two of the porkers went into this firing. One is a little dry so he will get a second roasting either in the gas kiln or a wood firing. I am happy with this little guy. He looks like a yummy toasted marshmallow.

The morning is getting late, the sky is overcast and the air is cool. Perfect weather for studio work. Time to get out there and move some clay. Have a great day.