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

All handles attached & a full batch of mugs finished before class tonight!!! It was a bit of a marathon… with a short sprint at the end. Lots of mugs finished though. I’ll keep the mugs under plastic overnight so the moisture levels can even out a bit more, and then I’ll let them start drying tomorrow!

Categories: mugs, process, production

Handles pulled & looped over. I always pull my handles by hand, and loop them over to stand them up like this. They will set-up like this a bit before I start attaching them to the mug cylinders. This way, they are already 90% set to their eventual curve… so I won’t need to bend them too much after they stiffen up more.

Categories: process, production

Here we go… gonna try to squeeze out some quick handles on my mugs… after summer camp & before I teach my intermediate wheel adults tonight. It’s gonna be close…

Categories: mugs, process, production, tools

Spinning fast… trimming bottoms… loving my DiamondCore Tools for smooth trimming! A perfect combination when used with my Giffin Grip to help center & hold the mug down for easier trimming!

Categories: mugs, process, production, tools

I’ve been working on another batch of mugs after the Glenview art fair… thrown, stamped & leatherhard… and getting ready to trim the bottoms this afternoon. Ready to use my trimming tools from DiamondCore Tools for clean & smooth trimmings!

Categories: art fair, kiln firing, production

Early morning in the kiln room… with my four favorite letters! Still too hot to unload… but I hope it cools quick enough that I can unload after summer camp today?! Please, oh please… fingers crossed.

Otherwise I might be unloading warm pots on my way to set-up my art fair tent on Saturday morning?

Categories: glaze, mugs, production

Between summer camp & teaching tonight, I’ve been trying to get a lot of glazing done! Trying my best to squeeze in one last glaze kiln before this weekend’s GLENVIEW SUMMER ART FAIR. It’s been rough… as glazing is my least favorite part of the whole process!

Categories: process, production, stamped, stamps, textures

Making grooves… pressing stamps… making frames… playing with textures on another Texture Tuesday!

Categories: art fair, mugs, process, production, tools

Celebrating another MUGSHOT MONDAY while getting ready for my next art fair… prepping , pricing & packing some new pots for next weekend’s Glenview Summer Art Fair… Saturday, July 30th & Sunday, July 31st.

When dealing with drip runs & chunky bottoms with errant kiln wash… nothing works better than the DiamondCore Grinding Disc. Just wet the disc, wet your pot, and press the mug bottom to the disc while it spins fast on your wheel. Before you know it, the excess comes right off the bottom. And if your turn & shift your pot just right, you can get a pretty “perfect” footring on a pot that might have been “ruined” by a bad bottom!

Categories: mugs, process, production

A quiet Sunday night in the studio… just me and a few more mugs in the making! Whenever I can’t decide on what to make… MUGS seem to be my “go-to” default… every time!