Fresh from the kiln… I unloaded my soda kiln last night and got a lot of sweet pieces out of it. After a slightly anxiety-ridden firing, all turned out well. So now these two, and almost 50 more new mugs from this firing will all be headed to ART IN THE BARN this weekend!!! Come on out to Barrington!!!

Last night I unloaded my soda kiln. After a full day of firing and a full day of cooling, you’re always a little anxious to unbrick the door and get your first peek of what’s inside. The front of the kiln is always “pounded” with a bit more soda… and there fore a bit more “gray.” But the backsides of those pots on the edge are usually pretty sweet, with great contrast to the soda blast zone. Here’s the front stack of the kiln…

And then the back stack of the kiln…
looks like pretty good coverage throughout. No dry spots that I can see so far.

Yep, everything turned out pretty well. A good coverage of soda on the pots.
A lot of nice flashing. Some sweet glaze effects.

A LOT of mugs… you know they’re my favorite thing to make!!!

A couple new sets of salt & pepper shakers…

And some new tiles, in a few new sizes…

Today was a great night to turn regular cylinders into something Ghoulish. Every year I like to add another character to The Ghouls Collection. We started with a Pumpkin… then added a Skull & a Frankenstein. Followed by a Vampire. So what to add this year???… I figured a Black Cat would be a nice addition.

So tonight was filled with ears, eyes, noses & whiskers!!!

Okay, so we’re less than a week away from ART IN THE BARN.
My soda kiln is cooling… so what better time to START making the newest Ghoul to add to the collection?! Could I have put it off any later? I don’t think so…

With “Art In The Barn” just a week away, I’m working extra hard to make plenty of new work. So while I’m firing a soda kiln full of new work, I decided to glaze & load another kiln. Why not do two kilns at the same time?!!! I’m stuck in the studio all day firing… why not tackle another project?! I had already cleaned my studio… so more is more. And the more I have in Barrington next weekend, the more I can sell right?

My past couple Cone 6 firings have had mixed results. More pinholing & shivering that I would like. I was hoping that Cone 6 would be an easy firing with quick, colorful results. Not so far… still trying to find the right solution. So this time, I’ve added pyrometric cones top & bottom to double-check that the kiln is reaching temperature evenly. I’ve also put on a much thinner “sprayed” layer of glaze on most of the pieces. And one dipped to see if that makes a difference. Fingers crossed that something turns out okay. And that we might find some “answers” along the way!

Kiln Layer #1 – spoon rests, tiles… and a serving bowl that I’m re-firing!

Kiln Layer #2 – two bowls, mugs and more tiles.

Kiln Layer #3 – two more bowls, spoon rests , mugs & tiles.

Kiln Layer #4 – bowls, tiles and more of my “Relic Rattles.”

Kiln Layer #5 – textured fortune cookies.. and two tiles that didn’t fit on the layer below!

It’s been a very productive day in the studio.
Just getting my glaze on!!!

So I’ve been glazing, cleaning, and wadding getting everything ready for loading.
Luckily, my studio rolling cart is pretty much the same size as the soda kiln. I know that when the cart is filled with glazed pots, I’m pretty much done.

My eyes are getting a little glazed over.
Tired and still working. Lots of painting. Lots of wiping.
My second bisque was finally cool enough to unload, so now I have even MORE pieces that need to be glazed & wadded. A lot of work to get done before I start loading tomorrow night. I’ve still got a long way to go!!!

I’ve been working like crazy trying to get everything done in the studio for “Art In The Barn.”
Of course, I’m running a little late...

But I am trying a new form this time. I’ve made textured slab vases for a couple years. Each with a different pattern & color on each side. This time around I decided to try a round vase, with a bit more of a “constructed” feel. These are brand new. And I hope they all hold-up and work properly. And survive the firing.

Of course I should have tried just one prototype to check first.
But that’s just not how I work. So I dove right in and made a full batch.
Two sizes… and I’m hoping they survive.

Especially since they’re still wet and have been under plastic all day. I just added some colored slip accents, they’re sitting in front of a fan… and in just a few minutes will be going into a bisque kiln. Yikes! If they don’t get in, they won’t be out soon enough to glaze them and get them into my soda kiln. And if they don’t make it into my soda kiln… they don’t make it to “Art In The Barn.” And that would be bad… so, fingers crossed…

I’m surprised how fast the days are ticking by… and my kiln dates are rapidly approaching. Like tonight!!! So I had to come into the studio extra early this morning to add some colored slip accents to my mugs.

So now they’re all done and drying in my studio… and now I’m off to the “glitter gig.”
I sure hope they dry… they’re going into a bisque kiln tonight – dry or not dry?!!!

After trimming, I pulled a lot of handles and let them set-up a bit.
Then it’s a lot of score, slip, attach, repeat… voila’… another two dozen mugs!!!