Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery
A Chicago potter’s somewhat slanted view of clay & play
Categories: mugs, process, soda-fired

So while one kiln is cooling, it’s time to prep, price & pack my pots from a previous kiln! Starting with a large batch of new soda-fired mugs that need to be ready for their “Big Debut” this weekend in Schaumburg!

Categories: glaze, kiln firing, mugs, textures

Another TEXTURE TUESDAY with some fun textures & glaze pooling effects on these soda-fired “hybrid” mugs! I’m always enamored with this glaze effect when it comes out of the soda kiln… and the glaze highlights & breaks in all the right places!

Categories: mugs, soda-fired, stamped

Celebrating another MUGSHOT MONDAY with more stamped mugs straight out of my latest soda kiln. Bright colors & good flashing effects coming together on this batch of mugs! Looking forward to taking these to my first few art fairs this summer… coming sooner than you think!

Categories: classes, mugs

Last night in class, my Beginning Wheel students tackled their first cylinders with some trimming & handles to finish their first mugs!!! Not too shabby for Week 3… more fun to come!!! Well done team!

Categories: handbuilding, mugs, soda-fired, stamped, surface decoration, wheelthrowing

Just a few of my newest “hybrid” mugs fresh out of the soda kiln! Celebrating a little Texture Tuesday with these fun patterns created with hand rollers from MKM Pottery Tools. My “hybrid” mugs are a combination of wheelthrown & handbuilt parts & pieces… my newest obsession in mug-making!!!

Categories: mugs, soda-fired, stamped, textures

Celebrating a little MUGSHOT MONDAY with a pair of new “hybrid” mugs fresh out of my latest soda kiln. Loving this new texture from MKM Pottery Tools … and how the soda-firing process creates great colors & accents on the unglazed exterior!

Categories: kiln firing, mugs, soda-fired

The soda kiln has been emptied… with plenty of new pots ready to prep, price & pack for upcoming shows. Overall a beautiful soda-firing. I love all of the brighter colors that grab my attention while unloading! Such a fun treasure hunt!!! Okay, so there were two “casualties” with globs of soda goo & chunks of who-knows-what in them… but enough about that… back to pretty mugs!!! Here’s a fun stack of new mugs… and one beauty that might just need to join my own personal collection???

Categories: glaze, mugs, process, production, stamped

A little early morning glazing! Flower pots now with a liner glaze & inlaid glaze in the stamps… both with my favorite tenmoku.

Next up for these?… wadding!!!

Categories: glaze, mugs, process, production

This batch of stamped mugs now has inlaid glaze in all the stamped impressions.

Next up?… tenmoku liner glazing! I like to work in an “assembly line” kind of process.
Finish one step, then move onto the next.

Categories: glaze, mugs, process, production

Glaze on… glaze off. Busy putting tenmoku glaze into the stamped impressions on my mugs. I like how the dark inlaid glaze really makes the stamped textures show up so much better!