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

Just finished adding handles to my new batch of “hybrid mugs”… just in time to teach class tonight. Going to try to get these to dry & pack ’em into a bisque kiln quick… gotta get my glaze game going before I load for this weekend’s soda kiln firing.

But I also gotta get my taxes done… when?… not so sure… ugh!

Categories: process, production, tools

A perfect spiral while trimming with a perfect tool!

Trimming fun with DiamondCore Tools!

Categories: handbuilding, mugs, process, production, stamped, textures, wheelthrowing

Doing some trimming on my latest batch of hybrid mugs… making the “wheelthrown” part look even more like a nicely trimmed wheelthrown mug.

Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE trimming?! It makes such a difference…

Categories: handbuilding, mugs, process, production, stamped, textures

Checking my calendar… and hoping I can squeeze in just one last batch of hybrid mugs… combo wheelthrown & handbuilt mugs. They’re kind of assembled… but still need to be trimmed & handled…dried “kinda” fast… and bisque-fired so I still have time to glaze & wad them for next weekend’s soda kiln. It’s hard to get this studio stuff done when my “fingers are crossed”!!!

Categories: mugs, process, production, stamped

Got ’em done… all handles attached for another batch of mugs! You know they’re my favorite thing to make… kind of my default. If I don’t know what to make… I just make MORE MUGS!!!

Categories: mugs, process, production

Got all of my handles pulled, looped & setting-up… just waiting for them to stiffen-up a bit before I start attaching them onto my newest batch of mugs! Score, slip, attach, repeat… repeat…

Gotta get ’em going… as a new session of pottery classes starts tonight at Lillstreet… and I’m back teaching my Intermediates tonight!

Categories: mugs, process, production, studio

Got a little “Clayhenge” popping up on my studio table… little nuggets of clay pressed & compressed into carrot-shapes getting ready to turn them into mug handles!

Categories: process, production, studio, tools

Just getting ready for a little trimming session… and I’ve got my two favorites ready to go… my DiamondCore Tools & my Giffin Grip posts!

Time to get spinning, time to get trimming!

Categories: color, process, production

More color… more red… more flower pots!!!
Can’t wait to see what happens to these after soda-firing?!

Categories: color, process, production

Feeling a little ROUGE inspired… and painting some RED accents on these pots tonight for my next soda firing!!!