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

Looks like my Easter Cactus is happy… albeit a little late for Easter?! Beautiful pom-pon-like blooms on a cactus plant that seems very happy in its handmade stamped & soda-fired flower pot!

Categories: bowls, process, stamped, textures

Well, it looks like I’ve got a good bit of trimming ahead of me today… hoping to get it all done before teaching class tonight?! A bunch of bowls at a good leather-hard state ready for trimming… one of my favorite parts of the whole process!

Categories: bowls, classes, stamped, stamps, surface decoration, textures, wheelthrowing

After class last Tuesday, I spent a little more time with my class demo bowls. Just did a little more stamping & detailing… making the bowls even more not-so-basicER!!!

And for now, they’re back under plastic for the night… going to have a LOT of trimming to do pretty soon!

Categories: mugs, soda-fired, stamped

Celebrating another MUGSHOT MONDAY with more stamped mugs straight out of my latest soda kiln. Bright colors & good flashing effects coming together on this batch of mugs! Looking forward to taking these to my first few art fairs this summer… coming sooner than you think!

Categories: food, friends, platters, stamped

Looks like a yummy evening dinner at Rosene’s…
with juicy ham served on a stamped & soda-fired plate!

Categories: bowls, classes, stamped, surface decoration

And boy did they have fun!!! Lots of groovy stamping going on last night in my SURFACE DECORATION class. Always fun to see how they can release their creativity & create such different patterns & designs using MY stamps… instead of trying to “copy” my stamping style!!! In the end they all made their very own stamped MASTERPIECES!!!

Categories: bowls, classes, stamped, stamps, textures

Last night in my SURFACE DECORATION class we all tackled stamping as their technique-du-jour! Not only did I bring down my pre-made bowls for them to play with… but I also brought some of my own handmade stamps! So we talked about some fun stamping techniques… and then I set them loose to do their own stamping!!!

Categories: platters, stamped, stamps, surface decoration, textures

Adding a little texture, pattern & design to a large platter… using one of my handmade clay stamps. Pressed into the rim of the platter one stamp at a time… one by one… by one… by one…

Categories: handbuilding, mugs, soda-fired, stamped, surface decoration, wheelthrowing

Just a few of my newest “hybrid” mugs fresh out of the soda kiln! Celebrating a little Texture Tuesday with these fun patterns created with hand rollers from MKM Pottery Tools. My “hybrid” mugs are a combination of wheelthrown & handbuilt parts & pieces… my newest obsession in mug-making!!!

Categories: soda-fired, stamped, textures

Soda-fired & highlighted in all the right places. Love how the unglazed surface caught the soda to create these details & highlights on this “hybrid” mug during my recent soda-firing!