Handles attached… and now this latest set of mugs is waiting for a few accents of colored flashing slip. Next up I’ll paint on some different colored flashing slips that will react with the soda atmosphere during my next soda firing.

Pulling handles, looping them over and standing them up so they can set-up a bit. I want them to be malleable, but no longer squishy or sticky. And by looping them over this way I’ve set the curve to the most part… final curves made after attaching to the mug!

So the cylinders that were thrown yesterday were ready today to start stamping. They were under plastic overnight so now they are at a good stage that I like to call “wet-leatherhard.” Not quite stiff enough to trim yet, not quite wet enough to be squishy or sticky… but instead firm enough to hold its shape, and yet wet enough to press in good impressions with my handmade stamps.

Mug #1 –

Mug #2 –

Mug #3 –

Mug #4 –

Mug #5 –

Mug #6 –

Mug #7 –

Mug #8 –

Mug #9 –

Mug #10 –

Mug #11 –

Mug #12 –

Mug #13 –

Mug #14 –

Mug #15 –

Mug #16 –

Mug #17 –

Mug #18 –

Mug #19 –

So for now they’re all back under plastic wraps… drying up a bit more until they are leatherhard and ready for trimming. And then… the ever-popular task of adding handles to all of them!!!

Lots of stamping… lots of patterns… lots of textures! Always fun using my own handmade clay stamps to create the surfaces on my mugs. All pressed in one by one… by one… by one…

After stamping the stacked vase, I had to do a little trimming on the bottom. Thankfully I have my Giffin Grip which helped support the vase upside-down while I was trimming!

After the two-part stacked vase demo, I took the tall vase up to my studio and did a bit of stamping. Always good with a little “creative camouflage” to help cover up the seam in the middle!

What a difference a kiln firing can make!!!

So while one kiln is cooling, it’s time to prep, price & pack my pots from a previous kiln! Starting with a large batch of new soda-fired mugs that need to be ready for their “Big Debut” this weekend in Schaumburg!

Kicking off the morning with my favorite four letters!!!
Fresh new pots cooling for this weekend’s art fair in Schaumburg!!!

All lined up… ready for a quick layer of wax resist on the footrings… then some quick glazing before teaching class tonight. I’d love to get them in the kiln soon… as this coming weekend is the Schaumburg Prairie Arts Festival!!! And I’d really like to have some of these berry bowls ready for this weekend!!! Fingers crossed…