Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery
A Chicago potter’s somewhat slanted view of clay & play
Categories: mugs, process, production, stamps, surface decoration, tools

Just pulled out some of my MKM Pottery Tools hand rollers to help make some groovy cool textures! Doing a couple quick “test rolls” to figure out which rollers to use on this batch of hybrid mugs!

Categories: bowls, stamped, stamps, surface decoration

So I’ve taken the group of class demo bowl up to my studio for safe-keeping… and maybe a little stamping & detailing. Allegedly…

So I did in fact do some decorating… you knowMORE IS MORE!!!

So here are the bowls now after a little surface decoration fun…
with some stamping & some further altering of the rims!

Categories: mugs, process, production, stamped, stamps

So the cylinders that were thrown yesterday were ready today to start stamping. They were under plastic overnight so now they are at a good stage that I like to call “wet-leatherhard.” Not quite stiff enough to trim yet, not quite wet enough to be squishy or sticky… but instead firm enough to hold its shape, and yet wet enough to press in good impressions with my handmade stamps.

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So for now they’re all back under plastic wraps… drying up a bit more until they are leatherhard and ready for trimming. And then… the ever-popular task of adding handles to all of them!!!

Categories: mugs, patterns, process, production, stamped, stamps

Lots of stamping… lots of patterns… lots of textures! Always fun using my own handmade clay stamps to create the surfaces on my mugs. All pressed in one by one… by one… by one…

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: classes, stamps

And then after using MY stamps all night… I taught my SURFACE DECORATION class how to make their own! So now that’ll be able to go even further in their own personal stamping journeys!!! Handmade clay stamps for the win!!!

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: stamped, stamps

Finishing up a dinner plate class demo with a little stamping around the rim. Sure, I could have left it plain with a nice spiral… but you know how I subscribe to the “more is more” theory of pottery!

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

Another large platter wheelthrowing demo… got a little makeover once I got it up to my studio. Just a couple stamps here & there. All made with one handmade stamp pressed in one-by-one-by-one…