My longtime pottery pal & “co-collaborator” at ART IN THE GARDEN every year since the beginning… the amazing Cory McCrory!!! Her work is always colorful with lots of textures, plus a sense of whimsy that is undeniable! Always fun to play with Cory… and I can’t wait to see our finished collaboration pieces when they come out of her kiln… just in time for this weekend!!!

Introducing the talented metalsmith Amy Taylor… and our host for this annual art fair in her backyard!!! As well as one my “co-collaborators” this year. Amazing craftsmanship & designs… and I especially love that she uses some unconventional “stones” in her work like reflectors, pieces of bowling balls & my favorite “fordite”!!! Let’s just say… I have quite a collection of her pieces!!!

ART IN THE GARDEN is just a few days away… and the collaboration pieces are coming together nicely… I see COLOR!!! My pal & co-collaborator Cory McCrory has been working so diligently in her studio adding her own special sense of whimsy to every piece! We can’t wait to show-off the finished flower pots this weekend in Glenview! Remember, there are a limited quantity of these colorful collaborations!

Cute critters with curious cravings carved in clay! Fresh out of the kiln… now I just have to get them all cleaned, prepped, packed & priced for this weekend in Glenview for ART IN THE GARDEN! No dibs… it’s always “first-come, first-served” at ART IN THE GARDEN.

For more details & location info… www.grassrootsartfair.com

ART IN THE GARDEN is just a few days away… and the collaboration pieces are coming together nicely… I see COLOR!!! My pal & co-collaborator Cory McCrory has been working so diligently in her studio adding her own special sense of whimsy to every piece! We can’t wait to show-off the finished flower pots this weekend in Glenview! Remember, there are a limited quantity of these colorful collaborations!

Removing the front door of the kiln is always exciting… as it reveals the fired work for the first time layer-by-layer, brick-by-brick. Fingers crossed that everything turned out well. Excited to see that there are some good colors, good clay surfaces & not too much of that “blasted dolphin-skin grayness” that happens in a lot of soda kilns! Looking good so far… and usually gets even better as you dig in further while unloading!

After a full day of cooling, it was finally time to crack open the top of the kiln to cool it completely to unload later that night… and to get a first sneak peek into the kiln!!!

After a LONG day of firing… when the last cone finally falls over, the kiln is at its top temperature right around 2,350-degrees!!! It’s been a very loud day with the flames, burners, air, fans, etc.!!! So when the kiln is finally done, it’s a weird feeling to turn the kiln off & have sudden silence! Hope it all went well & that everything looks good inside?! Just a silent glowing box of bricks as you leave for the night… with fingers crossed.

By the end of the firing, when the kiln is almost to its top temperatures, the last of the pyrometric cones are dropping fast. I start to insert the soda-mixture when cone 8 goes down & cone 9 is soft. When the mixture of soda ash & soda bicarbonate is added into the kiln, the flames go WILD as the mixture burns & the moisture evaporates instantly! Causing crazy-cool flames to come shooting out EVERYWHERE!!! Not for the weak of heart… or those afraid of flames.

I think most potters are pyromaniacs somewhere down deep! HA!!!

After a couple hours of the kiln firing & warming everything up, the temperature starts to build rapidly. At a certain point in the firing, you put the kiln into body reduction. Forcing the balance of the “air-to-gas” ratio out of whack. Not enough air for a stable flame. So the flames seek out extra oxygen wherever it can find it. Pulling the air from the porous pots… and reaching out through any cracks in the bricked-up kiln door! Very exciting!