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

A fun little set of stamped bowls… maybe for a little ice cream???
While they may not be identical twins, they are surely close cousins!

Categories: bowls, patterns, stamped

One bowl. Two stamps. Lots of repetition…
Just to make another stamped & textured rim. I like how the stamped pattern creates this kind of chevron effect around the rim!

Categories: bowls, stamped, textures

Added a few stamped details to this serving bowl.
A textured rim of repetitive stamping to make it a little more special.

Categories: bowls, food, holiday

You know how much I love celebrating a national holiday… so tonight I felt somehow “compelled” to celebrate with my favorite Ben & Jerry’s flavor to celebrate NATIONAL ICE CREAM DAY!!! All of my favorite flavors in one place… chocolate, caramel, marshmallow, more chocolate… it’s like the “MORE IS MORE” of ice cream!!!

Categories: bowls, process, production, stamped, surface decoration, textures

All stamped & detailed… and the bowls are all back under plastic until they dry-up a bit more for trimming. Good thing I love trimming too… almost as much as stamping!!!

Almost.

Categories: bowls, surface decoration

After Tuesday’s “not-so-basic” basic bowl demo… I did a bit of detailing today with some stamps & textures. You know I subscribe to the school of MORE IS MORE.

So this afternoon I did a little bit MORE to the bowls!

Categories: bowls, classes, surface decoration, wheelthrowing

Last night during my Beginning & Advanced Beginning Wheelthrowing class, we tackled making a bowl on purpose… instead of a cylinder gone bad. We discussed the differences… and how I can see if it started out as a cylinder… tsk-tsk!

After doing a demo on a basic bowl, I explained how the wheel pretty much makes the plain bowl for you… but it’s up to YOU to decorate it and make it your own! So I threw a bunch of basic bowls during class for us to “play with” later!

And then we re-grouped when I was done throwing all of the bowls. We then went through a quick barrage of tricks & techniques for doing some surface decorations to their bowls. None of them are too difficult. It’s more about encouraging them to give it a try, commit to something, having fun… and i fit doesn’t work, we can always squish it up, re-wedge it and try again. IT’S JUST CLAY!!!

Bowl #1 – The “Control” Sample… this is what they all started out like…

Bowl #2 – a simple fluted edge in four places

Bowl #3 – a simple flared-out flange

Bowl #4 – A wider flared flange… more “canvas” for decorating!

Bowl #5 – a split rim with two side dents…
good potential for a basket handle to go up & over the top

Bowl #6 – Another split rim – this time with four dents making kind of a quatrefoil squared-off effect

Bowl #7 – Another split rim… this time with eight finger-pinched sections

Bowl #8 – another split rim with eight dented sections… four inwards & four outwards – creating a bit of a lotus effect

Bowl #9 – Thick white slip with a tight spiral dragged through using the rounded end of my wooden knife.

Bowl #10 – Thick white slip with some concentric banding.

Bowl #11 – Thick white slip with loose fingsr-painting squiggles.

Bow #12 – Thick white slip with groovy squiggle pattern using the rounded end of my wooden knife.

Bowl #13 – Chattering…. rhythmic tapping of a rubber rib through the thick white slip while the bowl was spinning on the wheel.

Bowl #14 – Another bowl with chattering….
this time a bit more angular & linear in the center… by request.

Bowl #15 – An ombre blended gradation of black & white slips… then a fun spiral dragged through both.

So for now they’re all under plastic up in my studio. The class demo was a lot of fun for everyone… just trying to show off some tricks & techniques for decorating basic bowls! I will continue to “detail” them… and possibly do a little stamping in the days to come!

Categories: bowls, ETSY Shop, food, mugs, stamped

Looks like another ETSY purchase made its way to its forever home! A sweet stamped & yellow glazed bowl that looks like it’s already making its way to salad heaven! Plus a stamped & soda-fired mug that looks like it has already made a bunch of friends… and a “stacked” place of honor in an already booming Mug Collection!!!

Thanks for sharing Anita…
and it looks like you might need some more shelving?!!!

Don’t forget that my ETSY shop is always open if you need to add something to YOUR collection!!!… https://www.etsy.com/shop/FireWhenReadyPottery

Categories: bowls, clay, process

Trimming off the ribbons from this bowl thrown with marbled clay. I love trimming with my DiamondCore Tools … especially when shaving off the outer “skin” of the blurred clay to reveal the stark contrast of the marbled clay inside. Looks like it’s MARBLED MONDAY… spinning & trimming on my wheel!

Categories: bowls, ETSY Shop

With fresh berries popping up everywhere, it’s the perfect time for a new berry bowl. Just rinse your berries in the strainer bowl, then place it on the plate and they’re ready to be served in your stamped pottery bowl. Easy-peezy… and healthy too!

Plenty of new berry bowls available in my new ETSY SHOP…
www.etsy.com/shop/firewhenreadypottery