Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery
A Chicago potter’s somewhat slanted view of clay & play
Categories: ornaments, process, production, tools

Doing a little trimming on the bottom of the ornament I threw as a “throwing-off-the-hump” demo for my class. So much easier with my Giffin Grip holding it tight, spinning it fast!

Categories: ornaments, stamped

Summer Camp has ended and soon enough it will be Christmas!!! Say it isn’t so!!!!…
But just in case, I’ll be ready with another batch of soon-to-be soda-fired
wheelthrown ornaments!

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Categories: ornaments, production, tools

Never too soon to make more Christmas ornaments, right???
Just trimming the bottoms of my latest batch… made SO much easier
with my favorite Giffin Grip & Bison Trimming Tool.
Spinnin’ & trimmin’ before adding the ring on the top to hang them from!

Categories: ornaments, soda-fired, stamped

Never too soon for Christmas ornaments, right? Well here’s what they look like fresh out of the soda kiln. Bright & shiny. Next I will add a bent wire ring on the top to hang them from. And since I love making them… I’m sure there’s another batch or three in my not-so-distant future!

Categories: ornaments, process, soda-fired

Some of you have asked how I fire my wheelthrown holiday ornaments. I posted a couple “before” photos… and these are the “after.” Still standing on their little tripods. With the tips dipped in kiln wash so they don’t soda-fuse to the ornaments during firing.

Categories: kiln firing, ornaments, process

Many people have asked how I fire my holiday ornaments. I tell them “upside-down.” Well, here’s the real secret revealed… I prop them up on a tripod I make out of clay, bisque and dip in kiln wash. A little balancing trick so I can get soda-fired effects around all sides of the ornament. Hope it was worth the wait!!!

Categories: glaze, ornaments

My first batch of holiday ornaments are ready to go into the soda kiln as well.

Categories: ornaments, production

So Winter is slowly coming to an end… but it’s still holiday festive in my studio
as I’m trying to finish up this latest batch of holiday ornaments.
I’ve added all of the handbuilt caps & rings to the trimmed tops of each ornament.

And then I painted them with some colored flashing slip accents. My hope is that these colors will “POP” a lot more in the soda kiln. There should be some oranges and mustard yellows in here somewhere when we’re done!

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Categories: ornaments, process, production, stamped

And now they’re even starting to look a bit like ornaments… as I just did some stamping & trimmed off of the “stump.” Next I need to handbuild caps & rings to hang them from!!!

Categories: holiday, ornaments, vases, wheelthrowing

Sure, the holidays SEEM far away… but it’s always fun
to make a few ornaments & mini’s on a wet & soggy rainy day!

Plus, there’s only 308 days until Christmas!!! Giddy-up!!!

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