Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery » process

Tonight’s Kiln Loading… More Pots. More Glaze.

Gary — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 03:45:50 +0000

With “Art In The Barn” just a couple weeks away, I kind of feel like I’m ahead
of schedule by loading my kiln tonight… and firing tomorrow. No last minute
unloading and shlepping hot pots to the fair for me this time!

Tonight I loaded my work into a high-fire kiln for a cone 10 gas reduction firing.
I am sharing the kiln with my friend & studio neighbor Karen Patinkin. The back stack
is mostly mine, with the exception of her big bowls on the top. The front 2/3 of kiln
was loaded with Karen’s stunning large platters with intricate glaze detailing and
some of my smaller “kiln filler” bowls around them! Tomorrow we fire…
and it’s up to me to get it lit up & started very early in the morning!

And The Glazing Continues…

Gary — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 03:15:50 +0000

Another night of glazing. Tonight I glazed more work in the studio
including these ovals. I lined them with temoku and inlaid the stamps. After
drying overnight, I will dip the exteriors in an accent color… and hope for the best.
That being some great glaze interaction & stamp accentuation! Fingers crossed…

Another Night of Glazing

Gary — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 02:29:42 +0000

So camp is over, but my studio work never ends…
especially with Art In The Barn just a couple weeks away!… 9/25 & 9/26.
So tonight I worked in the studio trying to pack away the “madness” of my stash
of summer camp supplies – to make room to get some work done! I’m scheduled
to share a cone 10 reduction kiln with studio-mate Karen Patinkin next week so I’ve
got some glazing to do! I want to be all done before she gets back from her weekend away!

I started by waxing the bottoms of my latest bisque pots to help keep the glaze off
the bottoms. Much easier to clean them up if they’re waxed ahead of time. I recently
bought a bottle of wax resist from Aftosa and it is a nice shade of green. The color
and the wax will disappear during the firing, but for now – it make it a bit easier
to see what you’re waxing as you’re doing it!

Then I spent some time inlaying glaze into the stamping to help accentuate them.
I find that frequently the cone 10 glaze tend to obliterate & cover-up the stamping
if I don’t inlay glaze and dip in more transparent colors. So tonight I inlaid temoku glaze
and I’m letting them dry. Hopefully I’ll get back into the studio over the weekend to dip
the top coat of glaze. Well before Karen’s return… I think we’re loading on Wednesday?!

Taylor’s Dinnerware Set

Gary — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 02:43:40 +0000

After a little splash of clear glaze… and nice electric firing…
my niece Taylor’s handmade set of dinnerware is all done! And ready for her
to cook us all dinner and serve it up on her new dishes! Shhh… don’t tell her…
I want them to be a surprise. She doesn’t know they’re done yet…

My “Pre-Camp” Bisque Kiln

Gary — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:35:38 +0000

As camp was about to start this morning, I was quickly loading another bisque kiln.
Hurry… and I quickly learned that my ovals don’t pack quite as tightly as I would like.

The second layer was glazed terra cotta… my niece Taylor’s plates being fired!
Don’t panic… that groovy green color is actually low-fire clear glaze!

The third layer packed much tighter than the first. I love when there’s enough
greenware to pack the kiln tightly – and not “waste” precious kiln space.

Thanks to my friend Katie Biderbost who had some smaller mugs & pitchers
that fit in “perfectly” and helped fill the layer. Katie’s been working at Lillstreet
for years, and is now making these precious little pieces with some really
tight slip trailing. I can’t wait to see how her beautiful blue glaze breaks over
the decorations!

Once I had loaded my work, and Katie’s pieces, I had to rush off to camp. I left a layer open
on top for another studio-mate Karen Patinkin to top off with a few of her beautiful platters!

Basic Bowls for My Beginners

Gary — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 03:44:11 +0000

Tonight in class we focused on making bowls on purpose…

…and not a cylinder gone bad. So I demonstrated how to make a basic bowl.
Followed by throwing eight bowls, then demonstrating some quick techniques
for simple designs, patterns & styles to make their bowls special. Anyone can
make a plain round bowl… but it’s more fun when you make it your own
with a little design along the way! Texture… pattern… slip… fun!

Bottomless… part two

Gary — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 23:42:48 +0000

So the cylinders are not quite so bottomless anymore!
Thanks to a couple free hours between summer camp & my adult wheel class.
Now they’re “ovaled”… as well as stamped and slab bottoms attached.
The bottoms still need to be smoothed out & finished, but they’re one step closer!

Bottomless.

Gary — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 01:41:28 +0000

Back in the studio and making bottomless cylinders.
Don’t panic… it’s just Step One.

More Mugs.

Gary — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 04:45:01 +0000

When in doubt, go back to basics and make more mugs!
Good thing I love making mugs, huh?
Trust me, they’ll look more like mugs once I stamp, trim & add handles!

Another Kiln. Another Bisque. Another Night.

Gary — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 03:40:29 +0000

Tonight I unloaded my latest bisque kiln… with a few pieces of terra cotta
thrown in for good measure. The bottom layer was filled with the wall pocket vases
that I made last week. I tried to fit them all in… but ran out of room. One of them
had to squeeze in sideways. And another two had to go to the top shelves!

Also in the kiln, were three new birdhouses just in time for the Evanston Lakeshore Art Fair.
I just need to find the perfect twig to stick into the hole for the perfect perch for our fine
feathered friends as they decide to move into their new residence!

After unloading the kiln, I spent the rest of the evening glazing the wall pockets…
lining them with temoku glaze, inlaying glaze in the stamps, spraying a bit of glaze
for some color accents, and wadding each of them… getting them ready for a soda kiln!