What started out as a quiet & serene sunrise… turned out to be a bit more splashy that I had expected! I always LOVE when the waves are crashing & the sunrise is highlighting every wave! Timing is everything!!!

Looks like Spring has finally arrived in Chicago… for real this time… with blue skies & crisp white trees flowering all around. Love it.

Experiencing the eclipse Monday with some friends… with a whole assortment of eye-protection! Also good for shooting photographs through! Here in Chicago, they say we had 94% totality… which was pretty darn cool.

A beautiful start to the day… with wispy clouds floating across the horizon…
and a quietly shimmering reflection.

This morning I pulled out a few bricks from the kiln door to help cool the kiln.
So here’s a quick sneak peek. Looking good so far!!!

Towards the end of the day-long firing, I start to put the soda mixture into the kiln between cones 8 & 9. The introduction of of the soda, moisture & combustible materials make the kiln go crazy during this high reduction time. So dramatic with flames shooting out everywhere!!! Not for the faint of heart… but so much fun for those of us who love playing with flames! Especially knowing that these crazy flames are also working their “magic” on the pots inside. Fingers crossed everything looks great inside!!!

Part way into the firing, it’s time to put the kiln into body reduction… altering the ratio of gas to air. Reducing the air level so the flames need to seek-out oxygen wherever it can find it. And that’s when the flames start to peek out through the cracks & crevices of the bricks. So much fun… kind of enticing!

Packed tight from top to bottom, as well as the three shelves deep. It’s a lot of pots & mini tiles trying to utilize as much surface space as possible… trying to get the most out of every soda kiln firing!

The empty soda kiln full of my firing hopes & dreams! HA!!! It was late Friday night when I finally got around to loading. A lengthy process to fit in as many pots as you can, all the while trying to think about air flow & soda coverage during the firing. It’s a beautiful kiln that has done many, many firings… as you can tell by the beautiful soda “patina” build-up on the bricks!

Backing it up a couple days… to Friday when I finally finished my glazing & wadding, and took my pots down to the kiln room to start loading the soda kiln. Since my studio is on the second floor of Lillstreet, and the soda kiln is on the first floor… my pots need to travel downstairs in the rickety freight elevator. So I’ve learned to use some masking tape as “seat belts” to keep everything place during the journey.