Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery
A Chicago potter’s somewhat slanted view of clay & play
Categories: flowers, soda-fired, stamped, vases

Looks like some last minute flowers are being pulled in from the chilly nights up north… filling some small stamped & soda-fired bud vases. Even the cat seems to be liking them!!! Thanks for sharing the photos!

Categories: soda-fired, stamped, vases

I’ve always know it was bound to happen… finding one of my older pieces in a local Thrift Shop! Well, kinda. I didn’t find it… but one of my Facebook Followers found this in a local shop and checked in to see if I could confirm that it was indeed one of mine! And it was… so I hope she swooped back to snatch it up!!! Thanks for fulfilling one of my “dreams” Marsha!

I “kinda” want to know how much it was priced in the Thrift Store???… but then again, kinda not too!!!

Categories: kiln firing, soda-fired

Well, here it is… my soda kiln full of pots!

Plenty of shelves covered with pots of all shapes & sizes! Looks like it was a good firing… even without a top cone pack! Plenty of vibrant colors & good soda “glaze” coverage. Gearing up for my HOLIDAY HOME SHOW which is just a couple weeks away! How can that be?… it still feels like summer!!! More photos to come…

Categories: kiln firing, soda-fired

Another layer closer to the “big reveal”…
and already loving the bright colors!!!

Categories: kiln firing, soda-fired

The first sneak peeks… so far, so good!

Categories: kiln firing, soda-fired

Earlier on Friday night, this is what the soda kiln looked like. Empty, yet filled with possibilities. I got a late start loading… knowing it was going to be a LONG night!

Categories: process, production, soda-fired

Backing it up just a little… someone asked what “wadding” is when they say all of the mugs I was glazing and said that I still “needed to add the wadding.” So here’s a quick shot of the bottom of the mugs… similar to every piece put in a soda kiln. The little balls of “wadding” are made of a special clay mixture with alumina hydrate mixed in which makes the clay resistant to the soda atmosphere. The goal is to keep the pots elevated off the kiln shelves so they don’t fuse during the firing while the soda atmosphere in the kiln is “glazing” all of the pots. After firing, these little balls of clay will fall right off.

Categories: flowers, soda-fired, stamped, vases

The Fall coolness may be in the air today, but that doesn’t mean that the flowers are done showing off. Like these beautiful green hydrangeas that look perfect in a stamped & soda-fired vase!

Categories: soda-fired

Out of the soda kiln & headed to The Garden! Some of these precious pumpkins will be coming to ART IN THE GARDEN this weekend to jump-start the Fall season… and more will be headed to ART IN THE BARN in two weeks!! Plenty of pumpkins for both shows!!!

Categories: holiday, soda-fired, The Ghouls Collection

Fresh out of the soda kiln, these little cuties will be coming to ART IN THE GARDEN and ART IN THE BARN. Not really an “official” addition to The Ghouls Collection… but they would definitely fit right in! A new soda-fired version of my terra cotta classic pumpkins!