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

Pulling a few new handles to turn some stamped cylinders into stamped MUGS!!!
You know they’re my favorite thing to make!

Categories: process, production, tools
I LOVE TRIMMING!!!
Especially when it’s the bottoms of “mugs-to-be” and using two of my favorite tools…
a Bison Trimming Tool and my ever-spinning Giffin Grip!!!

Categories: process, production, stamped

Finished up the latest batch of flower pots with some trimming, slip painting of accents and drilling drainage holes. So for now they dry before firing, glaze, and then fire again!

Categories: production, stamped

Spring is going to get here eventually…
so I’m making sure that I’ll have some flower pots ready to go!
More throwing… more stamping… making homes for more plants!!!

Categories: kiln firing, process, production

And it wasn’t just one kiln… there were a couple kilns leading up to the holidays. Here’s another bisque kiln that I fired prior to my last soda kiln firing. A lot of mugs, bowls & sgraffito pieces… as well as lots of ornaments, both mine and my student Christine’s!

Christine’s ornaments even got their own shelf!!!…
with a little barricade to keep them from rolling off.

Categories: kiln firing, process, production

Okay, so I’ve been a little busy… so busy that I never really had the time to post pictures of my bisque kilns prior to my Holiday Home Shows. So I’m just sharing the memories… as many of these posts have already found their forever homes! Not my tightest kiln pack, but I was rushing to get things fired before the deadlines… and a few things were still a bit damp!

Categories: kiln firing, mugs, pottery, process, production

After a couple hours of “Pottery Tetris”… I finally got my soda kiln filled to the brim last night. Lots of pots & ornaments that will be coming out just in time for next weekend’s HOLIDAY HOME SHOW!!!

The Back Stack…

The Front Stack…

Categories: glaze, organization, process, production

My studio cart works especially well when I’m glazing & wadding for a soda kiln. When my cart is full… it pretty much equals a full kiln. So then I put these masking tape “seat belts” on the shelves so no pots can jump off during their ride down the rickety freight elevator to the kiln room.

Categories: glaze, ornaments, process, production

These ornaments have been wiped off so the glaze stays in each stamp… headed into my soda kiln when I load this evening. These will be fired upside down on little tripods… get a metal ring after firing… and then make their big debut at My Holiday Home Show next weekend!!!!

Categories: glaze, ornaments, process, production

Adding a bit of tenmoku glaze into the stamped impressions on my latest batch of holiday ornaments. I’ll wipe off the top surface to leave the glaze neatly inlaid in each stamp.