Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery
A Chicago potter’s somewhat slanted view of clay & play
Categories: platters, stamped, surface decoration

A plain platter suddenly stamped & textured.
All with one of my handmade clay stamps…
pressed in one by one… by one… by one…

Categories: bowls, food, soda-fired, stamped

Enjoying the heat of the oven yesterday as I baked a batch of brownies to share with friends!
I figured a dinner party with friends can always use some homemade brownies…
and the hostess “might just” get to keep the bowl too!!!

Categories: hybrid mugs, mugs, process, production, stamped, surface decoration

One last thing before they dry… I added a layer of colored flashing slip to my batch of hybrid mugs. At some point, these mugs will be soda-fired so they should change to shades of oranges & yellows during the atmospheric firing.

Categories: hybrid mugs, mugs, stamped, surface decoration, textures

They’re coming along nicely… a fresh batch of hybrid mugs in the works!
Next up… trimming, then handles!

Categories: stamped, textures, tools

Here we go again… starting another batch of hybrid mugs. The coneflower pattern from my friends at MKM Pottery Tools was so popular last summer… I figured I should make more of them for this summer’s art fairs!

Categories: mugs, process, production, stamped, surface decoration

Accents painted & done! These mugs will be bisqued & then soda-fired. So they will not get any glaze on the exterior except for a little tenmoku in each stamped impression. The raw clay & colored flashing slips will transform in the kiln due to the firing process creating a nice “glazed” shine & flashing effects. Each one totally different based on where the flames hit it during the soda firing.

Categories: mugs, process, production, stamped

Handles attached… we now “officially” have mugs!!!

I’m a firm believer that by definition a “mug” needs a handle!
While some of my students might try to convince me otherwise… I’m not buyin’ it!!!

Categories: process, production, stamped, surface decoration

And for now they’re all going back under plastic so they can dry slightly to leatherhard clay. Then it’s trimming & adding of handles… and soon enough, these will become mugs!!!

Categories: mugs, stamped, surface decoration

Been stamping some mug cylinders this morning. Adding some textures & patterns to the sides. Pressing in each stamp one by one… by one… by one…

Categories: soda-fired, stamped

Looks like my cousin Kim has created a nice “constellation” of textured wall discs in her dining room. Different sizes & different textures all coming together into one art installation. Thanks for sharing Kim!