This morning I took off the first row of bricks to help speed up  the cooling process. I’m pretty sure my Soda-Firing Workshop students will appreciate unloading a cooler kiln. It’s never fun when everything is all too hot too handle. Plus, when you take out a couple rows of bricks… you also get a sneak peek of the treasures inside. Looks like a few of my stamped pots made it in as kiln filler for the workshop firing.

My reclaim bucket was full of slaked down porcelain scraps. Pulverized porcelain scraps soaked in water, and then evaporated until it was gooey, but not puddley. So I thought today would be a good day to glop it all out onto a large plaster bat to get it to start setting up. After a few days of drying, I will be able to start wedging. You gotta love free clay!!! Especially when it’s porcelain… Thanks again Emily!

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According to my friend Pam, some morning coffee in a handmade mug makes your commute so much better!

Sure, I could have glazed the bowls… but instead I decided to throw more cylinders for another batch of mugs!!! You know how I LOVE making mugs!!! So much better than glazing!!!

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With all the best intentions, I waxed all the bottoms of my class demo bowls. I was planning on finally glazing them all. Instead… after they dried, I stacked them up and put them back on my teacher’s shelf. Again. Let’s just say it is not my first time doing this ritual. Maybe tomorrow??? Ha!!!

Have I mentioned lately how much I hate glazing???

It was another beautiful Summer day in Chicago with some incredible clouds billowing through. Blue skies & puffy white clouds. Gorgeous.

Beautiful tomatoes, bountiful veggies & some stamped bowls. The perfect combination. Thanks Kim for sharing your summer harvest!

A quiet morning along the lakefront.
Just a couple clouds flying low… perfect for a splash of sunrise color.

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After a very short sleep, I was back in the studio firing the soda kiln. Day Two of the three-day Soda Firing Workshop. My students came back towards the end of the firing in time to help put the soda mixture in. Since this is the very first firing experience for any of them, I thought it was important that they get the full experience. Doing all of the work if possible. Including the oh so glamorous job of mixing the soda mixture…

Then when the kiln was ready, we started insert the soda mixture. I like to put it in when cone 8 is mostly down and cone nine is starting to soften. I gathered the group, explained our process and then had them do the soda insertion. Starting with laying the mixture onto an angle iron.

The loaded angle iron is then inserted into the peeps so that it dumps into the side fire boxes. They were a little apprehensive of the flames shooting out at first, but quickly warmed up to it. And found the fun & excitement of playing with fire!!!

Beautiful flames as the peeps are pulled out to check the cones. Glowing. Orange. Fantastic.

As we’re nearing the end of the firing, it’s always fun to see the flames peeking out between any brick it can.

So now the kiln has been turned off and the cooling has begun. It will cool all day Sunday, as well as most of Monday. My Soda-Firing Workshop students return MOnday evening to unload their kiln, admire their pots and do some kiln shelf cleaning, scraping & maintenance. All part of the process.

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Soda-Firing Workshop well under way. The kiln is heating up nicely. We’re currently in body reduction… but a few more flames than expected so I’ve got to back it off a bit. Still so much fun to play with fire!!!