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

Celebrating another MUGSHOT MONDAY with a bunch of the stamped mugs that came out of my most recent soda firing. I’m always so excited when you open up the kiln and see such bright, soda-fired colors… and not all of the blasted “dolphin-skin” darkness that so many soda-fired pieces get. Remember, not all soda-fired pottery needs to be black, gray or brown!!!

So today I’m packing up many of these mugs to come with me to ART IN THE BARN next weekend in Barrington. Be sure to stop by… I’ll be in the Lower Barn as usual in my double booth!!!

Categories: art fair, mugs

Looks like Jan is celebrating a yummy MUGSHOT MONDAY with the new hybrid mug that she picked-up during ART IN THE GARDEN! Your morning rituals are always better in handmade pottery. Don’t forget… you can get yourself a new mug this coming weekend at ART IN THE BARN in Barrington!

Categories: artists, mugs

Celebrating another Mugshot Monday with this “all-seeing” mug… which came with me from ART IN THE GARDEN. Thanks to my pal Cory McCrory for making this cutie!!! They eyes have it!!! Ha!!!

Categories: food, friends, mugs, soda-fired, stamped

Looks like Allyn has a morning ritual…
with another morning ritual that enhances the “first” morning ritual?!

Anyone else?

Categories: glaze, lidded jars, mugs, process, production

Doing a little glaze inlay into the stamped impressions. I like to fill the stampings with a dark tenmoku glaze so the pattern stands out a bit more after the soda-firing!

Categories: mugs, process, production, surface decoration, textures

It might be kinda late… but I’m feeling really great about getting all of these handles attached! One step closer to getting these “hybrid” mugs in the soda kiln this weekend… oh wait... colored slip, dry, bisque, glaze, wad, load… a lot of steps still to go!!!

Categories: mugs, process, production

Score, slip, attached… repeat.
And repeat, repeat, repeat… and repeat again!!!

Categories: mugs, process, production

Handles pulled the traditional way… and then looped-over so they can start to set-up with the curve already established.

Categories: mugs, process, production

Time to pull some handles…

Categories: mugs, process, production, stamped, textures

Mugs assembled…still have to a good bit of trimming & refining. And then the ever-popular task of adding handles to all of them. Eyes on the PRIZE!!! It looks like it’s going to be a very long night finishing up these hybrid mugs!