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

Trying to stay productive… stamps are “filled” with tenmoku glaze… and just added a liner glaze too! Still needing a little clean-up around the rims… and then a lot of wadding for the soda kiln. I’m scheduled to load Friday night… and I still have a LOT of glazing to do. Eyes on the prize!!!

Categories: glaze, mugs, process, production, stamped

Doing a little glaze inlay into the stamped impressions on a bunch of mugs! I’m filling the stamps with a tenmoku glaze, and then wiping off the “top” surface so the glaze only stays in the texture impressions.

Categories: color, glaze, platters, stamped, textures

Swirls, spirals & stamps! A mesmerizing combination with a deep green glaze making this platter a stunner! More plates & platters like this will be coming with me to ART IN THE BARN this weekend in Barrington! C’mon out… I’ll be in the Lower Barn in my usual double booth space!

Categories: glaze, terra cotta, The Ghouls Collection

Right now, the new Ghouls are “green with envy”! A bit of sprayed glaze… looking kinda like mint chocolate chip ice cream… but will turn to a glossy clear glaze after firing! Getting ready to go into the kiln… one step closer to this weekend’s art fair!!!

Categories: art fair, color, glaze, mugs

Just unloaded another kiln in time for ART IN THE GARDEN this weekend. For those who like to start their day with a splash of color!

Categories: art fair, glaze, process, production

Another kiln done for this weekend. This time a cone six glaze kiln with some bright colors. More fresh pots inside cooling… getting ready for this weekend’s ART IN THE GARDEN art fair in Glenview!

Categories: family, food, glaze, platters, stamped

Happy Belated Birthday Tina! Looks like you had a yummy birthday cake… errr, cheesecake… presented on a nice stamped & glazed platter! Making every celebration a bit more special… although I don’t see any candles here?! Thanks David for sharing the festivities!

Categories: glaze, soda-fired, stamped, textures

Here’s a close-up…
perfect for another TEXTURE TUESDAY!

Categories: glaze, kiln firing, process, production, soda-fired, stamped

So Friday night I loaded the soda kiln… layer by layer… brick by brick… pot by pot. It always takes longer than I think it will. But it’s important to think it through while loading to allow some air space & flow through the kiln for good soda exposure… while at the same time getting in as many pots as possible! The more pots you squeeze in, the more pots you can divide the kiln costs over. Can’t wait to see how these turn out… as many of them will be going to ART IN THE GARDEN next weekend!

Categories: glaze, process, production, studio

So it’s been a very busy couple of weeks… finishing up Summer Camp AND throwing & glazing a lot of pots. I loaded the soda kiln late Friday night after the final day of camp. My studio cart travels from the second floor to the first floor kiln room on a rickety freight elevator. So I use a lot of masking tape as “seat belts” so none of them jump off along the way!