And then when they were done making their doughnuts… and thought they were done… they then found out that they needed to make a box to “keep it fresh.” A little twist that my GREAT LILLSTREET THROWDOWN students hadn’t quite anticipated. So if they made a larger doughnut, they now needed a much larger box!!! A fun little handbuilding challenge to finish off the night.

This week, during my GREAT LILLSTREET THROWDOWN class, my students started the class with some “sweet inspiration”… DOUGHNUTS!!!

Only after they had eaten their sweet treat did they find out it was also their inspiration for the night’s challenge! Yep… they were challenged to make the most realistic doughnuts possible…twice as large as normal! Always fun to see how they each tackle a project they’ve never done before!

Okay, so Darlys is apparently the over-achiever of the group… and is already showing-off her pieces for “4×4 : FOUR MAKERS”... while the other three of us are still scrambling to get our pieces pulled together!!! Stop by “4×4” next weekend in Evanston to see how they all come together! Now back to work…

So while the soda kiln is cooling all day today, there are PLENTY of “other projects” going on to fill my day today! I can’t believe that our “4×4 : FOUR MAKERS” pop-up show is now just a few days away! And I still have SO much to do…

Towards the end of yesterday’s LILLSTREET 3-DAY SODA-FIRING WORKSHOP, my students got the chance to load the soda mixture into the kiln. When the kiln gets up to cone 8, it’s time to mix it up and then start scooping & inserting the mixture into the kiln. I like to use a long angle iron to fill with the mixture – and then slide it into the kiln, dump it into the fire box, and then watch the flames shoot out!!! It’s a lot of work, but all part of the soda-firing process. I think they all enjoyed the experience. So now after several rounds of adding soda, the kiln has been turned off and it cooling all day today! They’ll return tomorrow night to open & unload the kiln… do some kiln cleaning & shelf maintenance… and then we’ll all get to look at their new soda-fired masterpieces!!!

Towards the end of the firing yesterday, the soda kiln is creeping into the cone 7-8-9 range… and the kiln is in full reduction at that point. Always exciting to see the flames shooting out everywhere!

Yesterday was the firing of our kiln for the LILLSTREET 3-DAY SODA-FIRING WORKSHOP. I started the kiln early in the morning… waiting for the pyrometric cones to start going down… and sometime around noon it was time to put the kiln into body reduction. Which is always fun because that’s kinda the first time you seem some flames peeking out of the kiln here & there!

So this weekend has been part of the LILLSTREET 3-DAY SODA-FIRING WORKSHOP. I have a great group of students with most of them firing their work in a soda kiln for the first time! There’s so much to learn & we’re just trying to squeeze it all in! Friday night we met up, talked soda, and then started glazing & wadding right away!

It was a very long night… since we also had to load the entire kiln & brick up the door. My group were “rock stars” with everyone pitching in… even as we went well past the “posted” end time! They all had a great time, worked really hard & soaked in as much as they possibly could! We got ALL of their work into the kiln… so I’m hoping they each get a bunch of beauties out when we unload Monday night!

A little more fun this week making some cone packs for upcoming firings.

The pyrometric cones are designed to melt at different temperatures. So this little pack of six cones will take us all the way through the soda firing… indicating certain kiln firing modifications along the way. During the firing, you pull out a brick and peek into the kiln to see the cones… watching their melting progress. When the final cone… cone 10… melts over halfway down your kiln is done!! Very high-tech, right???

This week has been crazy busy with teaching class & preparing for my Lillstreet 3-Day Soda-Firing Workshop this weekend… and getting some new stuff ready for “4×4 : FOUR MAKERS” for next weekend. So I’ve spent a bit of time adding some inlaid glaze to these highly textured pieces.

There is already some colored flashing slip accent in the stamped areas… but I wanted the impressions to be highlighted too. So I’ve added some tenmoku glaze into them & gently wiped it off the top surface to reveal some more contrast that I’m hoping the soda kiln will love!!!