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

Handles added. Mugs made.
Ready to start adding some colored flashing slips to them
before I call them done for the night!

Categories: mugs, process, production

Celebrating another MUGSHOT MONDAY
by making more mugs… and adding handles!

I’ve had this discussion before with my students…
“Can a mug be a mug without a handle?”

They seem to think you can as an “avoidance” to making handles…
I of course think not. I love making mugs. I love making handles!
They go together… by definition I believe.

Categories: production, stamped, textures

Some more fun stamped textures in the studio today…
getting ready for Spring flowers with these ikebana vase discs!

Categories: bowls, production, stamped

Once the handles had stiffened up a bit, it was time to give them a little curve and start attaching them onto these fun split-rimmed “basket” bowls! I’m thinking these might just be glazed, finished & perfect for that Easter Bunny who loves pottery!!!

Categories: process, production

After teaching class this morning, I pulled some long handles and let them hang off the edge of my wedging table to stiffen up. For mugs I like to flip them to set the curve of the mug handles… but for these “basket” handles I wanted them a bit thicker, longer & straighter!

Categories: platters, process, production, stamped, textures

Celebrating another TEXTURE TUESDAY with a large stamped platter. Started as a plain class demo piece last week… but one single stamp pressed in over, and over, and over again made quite an impact. I’m digging the “starburst” effect that radiates out from the center!

Categories: production, wheelthrowing

Kicking off my Saturday morning in the studio with some freshly-thrown little drip plates to go with some flower pots… looking forward to that snow melting. Bring on Spring!!!

Categories: clay, production, tools, wheelthrowing

These tools have been very productive today!
Gotta love a full day of wheelthrowing… at least until you start to run out of shelf space to store the pots under plastic?!

Categories: bowls, process, production

Staying warm, staying inside… making more bowls in the studio. Can’t wait for these to stiffen up a bit so I can stamp them and move them along in the process… let the transformation begin… soon to be “something to behold”!!!

Categories: process, production, stamped, vases

After stamping, I added a few accents of colored flashing slip onto the vases. These will change colors as they react with the atmosphere of the soda kiln… believe it or not, I’m painting with a slip that turns ORANGE!!!