Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery
A Chicago potter’s somewhat slanted view of clay & play
Categories: mugs, process, production

So I’ve got forty cylinders stamped, trimmed and under wraps.
Today is the day they become MUGS!!!

So I started by wedging up some clay from the same mix I made the cylinders from. And then I pulled some handles and flipped them up so they can start to stiffen up in a “looped-almost-handle-already” shape. Gotta wait a few…

And then, one by one… the forty cylinders became forty MUGS!!!
Talking each cylinder and determining handle attachment location, cutting out a part of “the loop” and then scoring & slipping & attaching the handle.  Pressing & attaching. Securing & smoothing. Trying to finish each mug so the handle looks seamless before going back under wraps for the night.

Score… slip… attach… smooth… repeat…
Score… slip… attach… smooth… repeat…
Score… slip… attach… smooth… repeat…

So now they’re all done… and quite honestly, this is my favorite part of the process. This freshly finished, leatherhard and now quite starting to dry yet stage. This “I’ve-done-as-much-as-I-can-do-for-now” stage. So I had to take a couple photos before wrapping them back up. I always wrap up my “freshly-handled-mugs” overnight…. my “theory” being that the handles & cylinders need to even-out a bit moisture-wise. And then tomorrow, I can unwrap them, check each one last time and then let then start drying slowly.

2 Comments

Lorraine

April 1st, 2014

Hi Gary,
Your work is very inspiring and I can spend hours just looking at your work. I have a quick question for you, I noticed that your mugs are different heights. Are they different weights too and what are these heights? I’m motivated to try to make some mugs for myself yet I’m not sure what height would be good.

Lorraine

April 1st, 2014

LORRAINE – You are correct.
My mugs are indeed all different sizes. I have found after doing years of art fairs, that everyone wants a different mug. Some want taller. Some want shorter. Some need wider. Some need narrower. So I just make a LOT of mugs. I LOVE making mugs!!! And I hope that soon enough everyone will find the mug they love. The balls of clay range between 1-lb. and 1-1/2 lbs… most somewhere in the middle. Random shapes. Random sizes. Which is great for me… because it’s more FUN for me!!!

And if it’s not fun, don’t do it.

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