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

Still glazing… this time I’m on the pots that came out of yesterday’s bisque kiln. Cute little oval vases with a fun strappy handles to help separate the flowers. And if one handle is cute… maybe two handles are even cuter?!!! Larger version with two handles & textured panels on each side!

Categories: glaze, process, production, stamped

Moving right along! Filling the stamps with glaze & then wiping off the top surface with a wet sponge. It leaves the dark tenmoku glaze inside the stamp to really make the texture pop! Then a quick liner glaze with the same tenmoku… clean the edges with a wet sponge… and we’re almost done!!!

Categories: mugs, process, production, stamped

While another bisque kiln is firing, this first batch is ready to start glazing.
Lined up & ready for the first step… doing a little glaze inlay into the stamped impressions.

Categories: food, platters, stamped

Meanwhile, back at my Easter dinner… I made two flavors of Gooey Butter Cake. A yummy version of the St. Louis classic… in honor of my niece Taylor who is now going to school in Missouri and had her first Gooey Butter Cake “experience” recently. And now we’re all fans!!!

Categories: food, platters, stamped

Looks like there was a bit of Easter yumminess down Peoria this past weekend… a festive carrot cake with plenty of cream cheese frosting & glittery sprinkles!!! Oh yeah, and a pretty green stamped plate makes any cake even more special. Thanks for sharing your pics with me!

Categories: flower pots, flowers, soda-fired, stamped

Plants everywhere are loving their ceramic homes! So happy to be living their best lives in a handmade, stamped & soda-fired flower pots. And you know I want to make more happy plants… so I’m making more flower pots! Thanks Rick for sharing your beautifully blooming African violets!

Categories: mugs, process, production, stamped, television

Working in the studio adding some colored slip accents & details to my mugs. Celebrating Mughshot Monday… and what better time to watch “The Great Canadian Pottery Throwdown” watching potters succeed & fail on Reality TV. Also fun to see that my Lillstreet Throwdown’ers had already done some of the same challenges in their class!!!

Categories: bowls, process, production, stamped, stamps

Still working in the studio… and I’ve moved on to stamping some serving bowls. Just have to pick the stamps I want to use… and then start pressing them into the “softer-than-leatherhard” clay one by one… by one… by one…

Categories: process, production, stamped, vases

Just added some handles to this latest batch of oval vases. Not only do I think they’re kinda cute… but they should also help spread & hold the flowers in place! Working towards filling another kiln or two… the summer art fairs are coming soon!!!

Categories: pottery, process, production, stamped

Busy making again… this time it’s bottomless cylinders that get turned into ovals.
No one ever said that wheelthrown pots had to be round!!!