Natural textures along the lakefront.

The clear blue skies from the weekend were gone, as the clouds had definitely moved in this morning. Lots of drama & lots of potential for a great sunrise… but the timing just didn’t quite work. Too much cloud, not enough sun.

After being cooped-up in the studio all day firing my soda kiln, it sure felt GREAT to get outside Sunday for a wonderful bike ride along the lakefront. My own “urban jungle” with dandelions popping up everywhere… and to think like a week ago we had snow?!!!

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Stopped in the studio earlier this morning to take off a couple layers of brick so my kiln can cool even faster. Pretty pleased with the first glimpses… can’t wait to see everything as I unload later tonight!!!

Stopped in the studio late last night to pull the peeps to start the kiln cooling!!! Here’s the first peek… and a well-melted cone 10!!!

After starting the soda kiln early this morning,
it’s firing smoothly with a beautiful orange glow inside.
Pyrometric cones at the ready!

Lots of pots later… and almost all of the kiln shelves… the kiln was full. I tried my best to squeeze in as many pots as I could all the way to the top! It’s like a game of TETRIS with pots & shelves. Gotta stack ’em right. Tight… but not too tight. Next to brick up the door, do a little preheat to dry things out and then home for a quick “nap”… for kiln firing started early this morning!

When loading the soda kiln, you start with the back stack… one shelf wide stacked all the way up. Lots of pots. Lots of posts. Trying to balance packing it tight and getting a lot of pots into the kiln against leaving enough air space for the soda mixture to move through the kiln!

Admiring what the soda mixture does to the kiln bricks over time… loving the textures & colored patina effect. Too bad it’s not good for the longevity of the kiln. Beautiful, yet slowly destructive as it “eats away” at the brick!

Started last night’s loading with an empty kiln… and tons of potential.