So I did a little digging around on Pinterest…
trying to figure out how it works, and how I can get started.
I did a quick search and was surprised by the results!!!

If you do a Pinterest search for “Gary Jackson” or “Fire When Ready Pottery”
you’ll find that I’m pretty well represented already! I was surprised how many
of my images came up under each of the categories. So I still don’t quite know
“how to do Pinterest”… but I sure am glad that someone else does!!!

Click here for Pinterest “Gary Jackson.”
Click here for Pinterest “Fire When Ready Pottery.”

So I was right… and my reclaim clay was already dry enough to be “processed” back into clay. So after a lot of slicing, layering, pounding, wedging, layering, slicing, pounding, squishing, layering, etc.it felt more like clay… and more homogenized than it was before. My freshly turned-out clay has a lot of different “pockets” of different clay bodies. And I would rather have it all the same. So it takes some work to blend it all back together! Some extra “workout” to slam it all back together. All in the name of 207 pounds of FREE CLAY!!!

So now it’s all bagged up and resting. In a couple more days, I might find the energy to finish wedging all of it. Typically I take my reclaim clay and layer it together with some new clay. So that the clay I actually use is about half reclaim & half new. So now I can’t wait to get started digging into my FREE CLAY to make some new work!!!

Happy New Year… Happy New Clay!!!

So I made a new friend & customer today… thanks to Pinterest!!!!
She found a picture of my new textured wall pillows on Pinterest, apparently admired them and then tracked me down. We connected through e-mails & phone calls to set up today’s studio visit. She brought her designer daughter (with her color-matching PMS color book) to pick out two groupings of textured wall pillows. And now these pieces have found a new home… thanks again to Pinterest!

I’ve never really thought about it, but maybe I need to consider this Pinterest thing?! I “kinda” know what it is, and I’ve heard many customers mention seeing my work on it. But maybe it’s time that I need to start using it myself. Seems like all the cool kids are doing it?!… or am I already too late to hop on this bandwagon?!

I started toying with some new glaze recipes a year ago.
If you recall, I started 2013 with a quest for some new glazes. And look…
here it is 2014 and I’m doing it again…. let’s just say that I kinda lost focus along the way.

So I’m going to try and do a better job this Winter. I need to make some new test tiles with a couple different clay bodies. And then I’m hoping to find a few new cone 6 oxidation glazes that pool well & break well in all of my stamped textures. An added bonus would be if that same glaze recipe also worked in a cone 10 reduction kiln. It would be wonderful to have some new “double-duty” glazes in my studio. Here are a few of the cone 6 glazes I tested during 2013… fewer than I wanted to…

I do believe there are a couple glazes here that are working well at cone 6. I need to do some more testing before I make full batches. And I would love to try a few more recipes to get a few different colors. I think that’s what is drawing me towards cone 6… some brighter colors. That and the fact that I could fill an electric kiln a lot faster & quicker to get a new pop of color into my inventory. Now don’t get me wrong… I love soda-firing. And I don’t expect that to change. I just want to broaden my pottery palette.

Anyone have any suggestions or glaze recipes they would be willing to share?
If you know of a glaze that pools well & breaks well at cone 6, but might be good at cone 10 as well, I’d love to get them. And here’s a deal… if you send me a glaze recipe and I decide to add it into my “repertoire”, I’ll send you a FREE stamped mug glazed in your color!

Seems like so long ago… but “The Cup Song” was huge last summer!
All of my summer campers were tapping plastic cups & clapping all summer.
And now this version is floating around the Internet… a new Irish Gaelic version of
“You’re Gonna Miss You When I’m Gone” with 600 kids hand-popping their cups!
It’s a great video, and a beautiful version of the catchy little ditty!

Click here for the fun-loving Irish Gaelic, cup-popping, hand-clapping video.

And for those of you who live in a bubble and have never seen the original “Cup Song” video, or the movie “Pitch Perfect”, click here for the original movie video clip.

And if you would like to learn how to do it yourself… click here for a video tutorial.

Once again, I’m kicking off the New Year by turning out a new batch of reclaim clay in my studio. It’s a pretty big pile this time. Lots of trimmings & scraps all re-hydrated and ready to go. Unfortunately, I think I may have let it go a bit too long over the holiday break… and the pile is bit drier “stiffer” than I’m accustomed to.  I actually added some more water to it and stirred it up BEFORE I turned it out onto my plaster bat to get it to dry again. Kind of counter-intuitive. And I’m a bit concerned that the “wedging it back into clay” process may be a bit tougher than usual. I usually need to let it sit for a couple days to stiffen up… but this time I might be wedging tomorrow!!!

And every time I do this, it reminds me of “The Blob” from my childhood. Very few people seem to remember this, but it was really cool. “The Blob” was basically a pile of clay on a pedestal that “came to life” as an artist did some quick cutting & sculpting to give it a personality. To the best of my recollection, it was from the kid’s show “BJ and Dirty Dragon.”

Sure, it may be freezing cold outside… but the sunset was pretty impressive tonight from inside! I was working at the “glitter gig” and saw this happening outside the window. It was fun to watch the colors change from the warmth of inside. Sure, I wish those crazy phone lines weren’t in the picture… but sometimes that’s the price you pay for living & working in the city.

Luckily for me, and my morning bike rides… the sunrise view is unobstructed over the Lake.
No power lines in my morning sunrise!

It’s freezing cold outside this morning.
Like something Princess Elsa might have done to the town of Arendelle… but I digress.
As I was leaving this morning, I was amazed by this wonderfully frozen fern that was sadly “forgotten” in our back courtyard. Wonderful winter sculpture… yet not so good for the fern!

Just for the record… Disney’s “Frozen” was really good.            There. I said it.
Beautifully animated. Great songs. Intriguing characters. And a good plot twist or two!
And I’m not too proud to say “Yes, I do like Disney movies.”