With all my focus on the Ghouls lately… I totally forgot to post about these! A batch of new birdhouses for ART IN THE BARN. Assembled & painted with colored flashing slips for the soda kiln.

Wanna see ‘em finished?… posting that next!!!

Okay, so here’s some of “glamorous side” of being a potter. Sure, it’s great fun to make the pots. But everyone forgets about all of the heavy busy-work that goes on behind the scenes. I was pondering this tonight as I was busy cleaning the soda kiln after my recent firing. Removing all of the shelves & posts, scraping the shelves, kiln washing them all (my least favorite part)… plus the sweeping & mopping!!! At least I got some beautiful pots out of it all. Ha!!!

Apparently this year’s new Ghoul started with an idea, a doodle & a bottle cap!!!

So I just placed the kiln in “body reduction.” This is when I throw the balance of gas-to-air out of whack. Too much gas for an efficient flame… so the kiln is seeking air anywhere it can find it. Thus the flames shooting out of the kiln searching for air… like the movie “Backdraft.” It is also the time that the porousness is being sucked out of the bisque making the pots inside solid & vitrified. Who knew so much chemistry & physics would play into my simple little pottery world?!

Finished loading last night… carefully stacking every shelf from back to front & bottom to top. You want to get in as many pieces as possible, while still leaving enough room for the soda atmosphere to move around inside & hit every pot. Lots of new stuff just in time for next weekend’s ART IN THE BARN in Barrington.

Last night I brought studio cart down to the kiln room to start loading the soda kiln. I like to use these masking tape “safety belts” to keep my pots from jumping off the shelves while heading down in the rickety freight elevator.

Painting some colored flashing slip on a few last-minute pieces for my upcoming soda kiln! If all goes well, the slip will turn orange & the textures will all be accentuated by the soda-firing atmosphere! Fingers crossed.

Also finished off another batch of wheelthrown holiday ornaments. Getting ready for a bisque firing… then into a soda kiln for the final firing. New ornaments & holidays coming soon… sooner than you think!!!

This hasn’t happened for a LONG time… like when I started stamping.

But tonight I stamped some of the cylinders from Tuesday night’s class demo.
I could tell they were still far too wet… and I should wait another day or so.
But I didn’t listen to myself… and I ended up stamping right through the side of the cylinder!!!
Maybe good for a dribble glass???… or portion control… or most likely the reclaim bin!
It’s just clay!!! Listen to the clay next time… and wait…

Yep, a nice pile of reclaimed porcelain clay setting up in the studio. All from a bunch of dried scraps from a potter-friend up in Minnesota who doesn’t reclaim… but does save the scraps for ME!!! Can’t wait to start playing with nice some white clay!!!