Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery
A Chicago potter’s somewhat slanted view of clay & play
Categories: classes, handbuilding, process, textures, vases

Looks like Rikke has continued her adventures with texture using one of my carved rolling pins from Stodola! We started this in our Thursday morning class when she wanted to go bigger than her textured rubber mat would allow. The carved rolling pins from Stodola allow her to go as big as she can! The texture & pattern is working well… and we’re both loving the “wood texture” inside some of the pressed squares!

Click here to see more from STODOLA!!!

Categories: classes, lillstreet, soda-fired

Lots of flames finding their way through the kiln bricks of the door! Mesmerizing & magical. I think my workshop participants were smitten with the flaming glow… just as I am every time I fire the soda kiln!!!

Categories: classes, kiln firing, soda-fired

When the kiln finally got up towards its top temperatures tonight, my class started scooping the soda mixture onto an angle iron preparing to insert it into the kiln to create the soda atmosphere. They had a great time “playing” with the flames, inserting the soda & making some “magic” happen inside the kiln!!!

Categories: classes, kiln firing

A little wisp of a reduction flame sneaking out through the bricks!

Categories: classes, kiln firing, soda-fired

An early morning start… ignition… flames… here we go!
It’s going to be a long day of firing… with my class coming back
this evening to help insert the soda mixture into the kiln.

Categories: classes, kiln firing

All closed up for the night. A good job done… lots of help from my workshop participants. They were all troopers… even as our loading went a couple hours longer than the workshop was scheduled for!!!

Categories: classes, kiln firing, soda-fired

Dan & Cassie bricking up the kiln door.
One of the more “glamorous “ tasks of the night!!!

Categories: classes, kiln firing, soda-fired

Front stack done… filled last night with lots of pots of all sizes & styles. Can’t wait to see them when they’re fired!!! Time to brick the door…

Categories: classes, lillstreet, soda-fired

Back stack loaded last night… pretty tight to the arched roof… nice!!!

Categories: classes, lillstreet, soda-fired

An empty soda kiln full of potential. Just getting ready for the start of my three-day SODA-FIRING WORKSHOP at Lillstreet Art Center. Tonight we’ll learn about soda-firing, glaze, wad & load this kiln. Tomorrow we fire and then they come back next week to unload and find their treasures!