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

Handles attached… mugs assembled! I’ll keep them under plastic overnight…
and then clean them up & add some accents of colored flashing slips
before I let them start drying!

Categories: mugs, process, production

Handles pulled & looped-over to stiffen up a bit. Getting ready to add these handles to another batch of mugs … as soon as they stop being so sticky & mushy.

Categories: process, production, stamped

Stamped & handled… one step closer!
Coming along nicely with a deadline drawing near!!!

Categories: bowls, challenge, process, throwdown

Last night during my LILLSTREET THROWDOWN class, I had my students do a little trimming challenge. Taking their “perfect” three pound bowl from last week’s class and trimming the “perfect” footring on the bottom… making it an even “perfect-ER” bowl! We were also looking for a more refined & even wall thickness from top to bottom… giving them a chance to take off some of the extra weight they may have left at the bottom while throwing.

Out of curiosity, we also weighed them all before & after to see how much clay they trimmed off… or at least they thought that was why we were weighing their bowls!!! HA!!! More to come…

Categories: hybrid mugs, mugs, process

Just another batch of hybrid mugs done & drying… waiting for a bisque kiln some time soon!

Categories: hybrid mugs, mugs, process, production, stamped, surface decoration

One last thing before they dry… I added a layer of colored flashing slip to my batch of hybrid mugs. At some point, these mugs will be soda-fired so they should change to shades of oranges & yellows during the atmospheric firing.

Categories: mugs, process

Handles pulled & resting… well, setting up & firming a bit before I start attaching them to make more mugs! I like to loop them over & stand them up so they can “stiffen” a bit with a good curve already established before attaching.

Categories: mugs, process

Getting ready to pull some handles again!!!
The more you do, the easier they get… just sayin’…

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

Accents painted & done! These mugs will be bisqued & then soda-fired. So they will not get any glaze on the exterior except for a little tenmoku in each stamped impression. The raw clay & colored flashing slips will transform in the kiln due to the firing process creating a nice “glazed” shine & flashing effects. Each one totally different based on where the flames hit it during the soda firing.

Categories: mugs, process, surface decoration

Just painting some details with colored flashing slips today. These areas will change colors in an upcoming soda firing kiln. These two should have accents of orange when this slip reacts to the soda atmosphere. Fingers crossed…