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

Reconstituting some glaze that had settled out a little too much in my studio… I mean, it didn’t get used much what with the pandemic and all. So with the help of an immersion blender, some more water & a fine sieve to press the glaze through… I now have this bucket of glaze back in working order!!!

Categories: glaze, handbuilding, mugs, stamped

Okay, so I know that this little “mug-orange-mug trio” is the result of a little kiln incident where they got fused together during our Lillstreet Throwdown class… so sorry Tracy!

But I will say… it makes me so happy to see them still on Tracy’s shelves at Lillstreet. And the number of people who stop by and actually touch the orange to see if it’s real… only to find out it was made out of clay… and then the surprise when the two mugs lift up with it when they grab the orange!!! So funny!!!

Categories: artists, bowls, collaborations, glaze

SHE KILLED IT AGAIN!!!

Yes, Chelsea the “Queen of Glaze” worked her magic one more time!!! This second bowl is just as stunning as that first bowl… I kinda wish I had more bowls for her to glaze! As glazing is my least favorite part of the pottery process.

So here’s Chelsea’s “recipe” that made this magic happen… 1- Galaxy Black inlaid in the carvings and wiped back. 2- dipped in Chun Blue. 3- some Coleman Apple Green on the ridges. 4- some Rutile Blue. 5- Finished with some Cohen’s Red swirled in the bottom. Of course there is not guarantee that Chelsea’s “magic” will work exactly the same way for anyone else!!!

If you want to see more of Chelsea’s glaze magic, she will also be part of the NORTHERN ILLINOIS POTTERY TOUR at the Aurora stop!

Categories: glaze, kiln firing, mugs, process, production

All glazed & kiln loaded… with some soon-to-be colorful mugs on the bottom layer! Now to get home to start prepping & packing for this weekend’s HINSDALE FINE ARTS FESTIVAL. It should be a beautiful weekend in Burlington Park in downtown Hinsdale… c’mon by!

Categories: glaze, mugs

Just a few more… a few more to glaze & a few more to load. Trying to glaze & load the kiln kinda at the same time. Hoping to get everything in so I can have the kiln fire & cool over the weekend. Just in time for THE NORTHERN ILLINOIS POTTERY TOUR next weekend June 11th & 12th.

Categories: classes, glaze, patterns, textures

Last night in class, one of my Beginner’s has started doing these wonderful carvings into her pots… and wondering how to best glaze them to show-off the textures & patterns. We decided to paint black underglaze into the design, gently wipe off the top layer leaving it only in the grooves… then spraying a thin translucent glaze over the entire pot. Can’t wait to see how Kristen’s carved masterpieces turn out!!! She’s so excited…. and well, she should be!!!

Categories: classes, glaze

One of my Intermediate students has been “struggling” with getting the right glaze results for her intricate pots… lots of carving, stamping, painting, illustrations, etc. The classrooms glazes have been “covering” all of her hard work.. so she’s been testing some commercial cone 6 glazes when I fire my cone six studio work. Looks like Christine is getting some great results. Can’t wait to see where this glaze journey progresses!

Categories: glaze, pottery, process, production

LOTS OF POTS!!!
Tons of mugs and so much more! All glazed, wadded & ready for a trip downstairs on the rickety Lillstreet freight elevator! Hence the masking tape “seat belts” so nothing hops off along the way!

Categories: glaze, pottery, process, production

Time to get some glaze going… luckily, I’m getting ready for a soda kiln firing, so it’s more about liner glazes, inlays & accents… and not fully glazing things. So it “might” go a little quicker?… but everything needs to be wadded too, so maybe not so much?!

Categories: bowls, classes, glaze

Okay, so there’s been a good bit of “buzz” about this bowl around the glaze carts… everyone asking how I did it. And I didn’t… but because my name is in the bottom everyone assumes it’s my glazing too?! But it’s NOT.

Chelsea was looking for some bisqued bowls for her glaze class demos… and I gave her a couple to play with. This one turned out STUNNING!!! Beautifully vibrant colors, incredible ombre’ blends, gravity-defying drips, the WHOLE THING!!!

So here’s the glaze plan…
as best I understand it from Chelsea, Queen of All Glazing…

1. Waxed the bottom with decorative scalloping.
2. Dip fully in Chun Blue.
3. Dip the top rim inside & outside with Galaxy Black.
4. Just below that, paint a thick band of Tom’s Purple.
5. Dip the top rim inside & out to cover those two bands of black & purple.
6. Then add a few splatters of Galaxy Black on the interior.
7. And then fingers crossed for some kiln magic… which she definitely got!!!