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

“Hybrid mugs” assembled, trimmed & handled… and the MKM Pottery Tools that did most of the hard work. Sure, I might have had a tiny-something to do with it too?! But having good tools always makes it more fun!!!

Categories: garden, soda-fired, stamped, totem pole

Looks like it’s TOTEM TUESDAY! And it looks like Gerry & Rosene’s garden is doing great this summer… beautiful flowers all around their totem pole. Stamped & soda-fired pottery is always a nice addition to the garden!

Categories: kiln firing, process, production, stamped

I realized it’s been awhile since I’ve shown off a loaded bisque kiln. So here’s the one I just loaded tonight… with more MUGS than I thought I had made?! I sort of love when you can get everything in… even if you need to turn things on their side to fit them “just-under” the lid!!!

Layer One –

Layer Two –

Layer Three –

Layer Four –

Layer Four just “under-the-lid”…
with some oval vases turned on their sides so they would fit in!

Categories: bowls, food, stamped

Looks like a “Sunday-Sundae-Funday” for Rosene!!!

Categories: bowls, stamped, surface decoration

A little stamping fun inside this bowl. I’m totally diggin’ the cool pattern it created as I stamped it one-by-one-by-one into these cool pointed chevron patterns!

Categories: process, production, stamped, surface decoration

Just adding a few accents of colored flashing slip to a quick batch of oval vases. They may look white now… but after a soda-firing, these slip accents should turn orange… my favorite color!!!

Categories: clay, mugs, process, production, stamped

After playing outside all day, I just had to get into the studio tonight to get a bit of work done. So I’m tackling a new batch of mugs… shocker, I know… but this time I’m trying out a new clay body!!! Sure, I coulda done a test tile or something first. But that just not how I roll. I’m all in!!!

I typically use a lot of B-Clay… but the last time I bought clay from Continental Clay they suggested “B-Clay with Grog.” It threw beautifully, seems to be drying a bit faster… and I can’t wait to see how it reacts in the soda kiln!!!

Categories: mugs, process, production, stamped

Finished painting some accents of colored flashing slips on this latest batch of mugs. These color-painted areas will “flash” with colors & soda effects after firing in the soda kiln. But first… they need to dry & be bisque fired.

Categories: flowers, soda-fired, stamped, vases

A sweet little stamped & soda-fired mini vase with a few sprigs of fresh eucalyptus… brightening Tiffany’s table! You can almost smell the eucalyptus from here!

Categories: flower pots, stamped, terra cotta

A sweet little setting for one of my terra cotta flower pots… planted up & sharing a space with a fun birdhouse. Thanks Karis for sharing your garden space with us!