Some more festive pumpkins to replenish the Halloween stock.
Under the low-fire clear glaze (which looks green now) there are the real pumpkin colors!

With ART IN THE BARN getting closer & closer…
and so many “Ghouls” still to make… I decided to squeeze in one more kiln firing just because I can. So I threw together some quick replenishment pieces that will get a quick cone six glaze firing early next week… just under the wire. Sure, it’s not my best packed kiln. But it does have a lot of mugs & bowls for ART IN THE BARN. As well as a little holiday surprise on the top layer!

Bisque Kiln Layer #1 – my favorite thing to make... mugs, mugs and more mugs!!!

Bisque Kiln Layer #2 – some stacked bowls and small trays for salt & pepper shaker sets.

Bisque Kiln Layer #3 – more bowls, more trays, and some ikebana vase tops.

Bisque Kiln Layer #4 – which in this case turned out to be a low-fire GLAZE kiln layer!!!
The green glaze is actually a low-fire clear glaze. After firing, these little pumpkins will show their true colors… warts and all.

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Just found this little Summer Camp demo piece on the glaze cart. Looks like it was greatly under-reduced. Not even a hint of the copper red glaze it was supposed to be. No red here!!! Just another example that there’s no guarantee that this whole pottery thing is going to work how you expect it to. There’s a certain humbling nature to it all thanks to the Kiln Gods.

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Since we’re in-between class sessions, I thought this morning might be a good chance to glaze my past class demo pieces. My students know all-too-well how much I “love” glazing and how my pots tend to pile up! Too many glazes. Too many options. Too many ways for the glaze to “ruin” my pots after I’ve employed some of my “control issues” to get them to this point.

There’s been a LOT of glazing going on in my studio lately.
Getting ready to load my next soda kiln. Getting ready for ART IN THE GARDEN.
Lots of liner glazes. Lots of glaze inlay. Lots of wiping clean.
Lots of “tricks” to help make the textures pop more after soda firing!

And I’ve been glazing mine too… with some tenmoku glaze inlay in the stamped textures. These will all be going into the soda kiln… so the colors will definitely change when inside the soda kiln! Also separating them by which kind of clay they are made out of – hoping that might help when I’m loading the kiln. B-Clay towards the back, soda clay towards the front & top.

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So Cory has added a thin layer of glaze on her pieces. Looks like her trays have been dipped… while she has a brilliant “trick” to keep the glaze out of the ole of her salt & pepper shakers!

My summer camp kids glazed their terra cotta pots today.
Can’t decide on a color?… just use them all.

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HAPPY MUGSHOT MONDAY!!!
Sweet glaze colors blending and gently rippling over the stamped texture.

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Porcelain vases glazed, wadded, loaded, soda-fired, cooling… and unloading tonight. I can’t wait to see how they turn out before I donate them all to the ArtReach Chicago Fundraiser. I just wish more of them could have made it into the soda kiln so I could have donated even more!!!

For more information about ArtReach and the charitable programs they provide for kids in Chicago… and especially their fundraiser event where you could get one of these vases… click here.

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