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

Looking at the calendar…
hoping that I can squeeze in one last batch of clay ornaments & gift tags!
Fingers crossed…

Categories: glaze, mugs, process, production

As most of you know, I hate glazing! But oddly, I totally enjoy waxing bottoms!!! A zen-like process with one clean hand & one wax hand. Wax on, wax off. Now I just need to keep my motivation alive & start glazing all of these if I hope to have them ready for next weekend’s HOLIDAY HOME SHOW!!! Wish me luck…

Categories: bowls, process, production, stamped

Stamping & trimming. Another set of bowls in the works… this time a bit wider & shallower than normal. Just hoping to get these done & glazed in time for my Holiday Home Show!

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

Handles attached & mugs are done for today! For now they’re under wraps for the night so they can “rest” and let the moisture levels even out before I open them up to dry fully. Then it’s into a bisque kiln… and then a glaze kiln… and then to my HOLIDAY HOME SHOW in less than two weeks! Giddy-up!

Categories: mugs, process, production

Giving them a little time to stiffen up a bit before I start attaching them to my stamped mug cylinders. At least this way the curve of the handle is 90% established before I even start attaching them!

Categories: process, production

Great shadows coming from a group of clay “carrots” that will soon be pulled into mug handles!

Categories: holiday, process, production

Just spent some “quality time” tonight in the studio doing some detailing of my latest batch of ceramic Christimas Trees! More textures, more patterns, more holes… MORE IS MORE!!! And this time, some even got textured stars at the top!!!

Categories: holiday, process, production

The forest is growing!!! Last night before class, I threw a few more Christmas trees… as there are only 61 days until Christmas!!! These now need to be trimmed, decorated, dried, fired, glazed & fired again before they’re ready to go!!! But only 24 days until my HOLIDAY HOME SHOW… I can’t believe the holidays are coming so quickly!!!

Categories: mugs, process, production, stamped

Handles attached… mugs assembled!!! Now just a little cleaning-up, a little smoothing… and then some drying, firing, glazing & firing again! Coming along… but still a lot of steps in the process!

Categories: mugs, process, production

Prepping to make some mug handles… a little reminiscent of Stonehenge… err, Clay Henge???