Lots of mugs… looks like I’ve got a LOT of glazing to get done tonight!!! ugh… definitely not my favorite part of the process!

So here’s a little glaze dilemma!!!

One of my Intermediate Wheel students is working on an installation piece with multiple platters on the wall. She’s been working on them for awhile… but brought this one to me asking what happened to her glaze there in the middle?! Maya didn’t do anything different here… so why this rectangular blemish in the middle of her platter???

Anyone… anyone?… Bueller, Bueller???

So this platter had a crack around the footring. Maya asked me if she could still glaze fire it as a glaze test… to make sure she likes the combo for the replacement platter she’s going to make. I said sure, but maybe you should put a note on it so the kiln loaders don’t reject it because of the crack.

Looks like the fired the platter WITH THE NOTE STILL ON IT!!!
You can practically see the lines of her handwriting “fused” into the glaze!!! I guess maybe next time her note should also remind them to remove the note BEFORE firing the piece?!

But then again, not everyone loves purple… so there will also be a couple stamped plates & platters in other fun colors at ART IN THE GARDEN too! Remember, homemade food always tastes better on handmade pottery!

For all you “Purple Lovers” out there… there’s only ONE of these large stamped platters in purple for ART IN THE GARDEN this weekend. No pre-sales, no calling dibs… we’re just going old-school with first-come, first-served. You might want to come early tomorrow if you really love purple?!!!

While some of you may have missed it in last night’s ikebana post… it was indeed PURPLE!!! And yes, that means I have a new glaze in my pottery repertoire!!! It’s nice shade of purple that highlights my stamping textures. ART IN THE GARDEN will be the “big debut” of my new purple glaze… and it might just be a small batch, limited quantities situation. We’ll see how it’s received at the art fair?!

Well THIS can’t be good?!!!

While I was glazing a bunch of class demo pieces, I went to dunk this flower pot into the glaze bucket using the tongs. And when I pulled it back out, I saw THIS!!! Sure, flower pots should have some good drainage holes, but this is ridiculous. I guess the area where the stamped impressions are was a bit too thin for the pressure of the tongs lifting the pot out of the bucket?!

Shoulda stayed away from that part apparently… well, maybe next time?!

So while I was soda-firing all day yesterday, I also took some time to clean-off my teacher shelves, do a little wipe-down & tackle the piles of bisque! My students all know that glazing is my least favorite part of the process… so my class demo pieces tend to pile up. Sometimes for several sessions! So yesterday I finally glazed everything (except for the platters… let’s not get crazy!) while I was there firing.

Sure, I might not have been too “creative” with my glaze choices… but at least they’ll be done! And making room for NEW demo pots when we start the class session in a week!

Plenty of pots & pumpkins… all glazed, wadded & ready for the soda kiln. The masking tape is just a little “seat belt” to keep everything in place on the shelves as I bring my cart form my studio downstairs on the rickety freight elevator! Spent my Friday night loading the kiln… after the last day of Summer Camp!!!

My summer campers just left for the day… so now it’s back to glazing & wadding more mugs! Yes, it’s the last week of summer camp… and I’m trying to glaze & finish a full soda kiln at the same time. Days with the kids, nights in my studio!

So I guess when I told my Summer Campers to NOT get any glaze on the bottoms of their cups… something got lost in translation? Good thing they know how to use a sponge… start wiping!!!