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

Early morning production… just trying to crank out one last batch of mugs before my next soda kiln!!!

Categories: process, production, stamped, vases

Just added some handles to this latest batch of oval vases. Not only do I think they’re kinda cute… but they should also help spread & hold the flowers in place! Working towards filling another kiln or two… the summer art fairs are coming soon!!!

Categories: pottery, process, production, stamped

Busy making again… this time it’s bottomless cylinders that get turned into ovals.
No one ever said that wheelthrown pots had to be round!!!

Categories: hybrid mugs, mugs, process, production

Handles attached and setting-up a bit. A lot of scoring & slipping… attaching & smoothing.

I tell my students all the time… I love making handles & I love making mugs.
Two relatively unpopular opinions!

Categories: mugs, process, production

Handles pulled…looped over… and starting to set-up
before I begin attaching them to the newest batch of hybrid mugs!

Categories: hybrid mugs, mugs, process, production

Hybrid mugs moving another step forward…
after going back on the wheel for some nicely trimmed footrings.

Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE trimming??? Well, I do!!

Categories: hybrid mugs, mugs, process, production, textures

Texture, texture… TEXTURE. Yep, a lot of that going on in the studio today! Assembling my latest batch of “hybrid mugs” with great textures made with my MKM Pottery Tools! Wheelthrown bottoms with handbuilt sides… combining to make my “hybrid mugs”!

Categories: process, production, stamped

Just doing a little stamping this afternoon!
Using my own handmade clay stamps… pressed in one by one… by one… by one…

Categories: process, production, studio, wheelthrowing

After finishing up some class demo pieces & posting a bunch of THROWDOWN pictures today… it was time to get back at it in the studio with a new batch of mugs now in the works!!!

Categories: classes, process, stamped, textures, tools

While sharing my textured hand rollers from MKM Pottery Tools in class, one of my Intermediate students tried to make her own version of my “hybrid mugs.” Darcy has been getting some great results by wheelthrowing a cylinder, then rolling a textured pattern on the sides & then cleaning up the rim again on the wheel. Always good to a student take your “inspiration” and then find a way to twist it & make it their own!