Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery
A Chicago potter’s somewhat slanted view of clay & play
Categories: kiln firing, process, production

So I finally finished glazing & wadding my pieces. Exhausted. Relieved.
Once they’re all done, the go onto my rolling studio cart (that my Dad made for me),
and we all go downstairs on the freight elevator. A little rickety, but still much
better than carrying everything by hand down to the first floor!

And yes, that is masking tape stretched across each shelf acting as a “safety belt” to keep
the pots from hopping off the shelves as they jiggle down the hall & elevator.

Take the tape off, and I’m ready to start loading. The back stack is always the quickest.
I think it’s the fact that it’s one shelf, no seam and you have a whole cart of possible pieces.
When you get to the front, it’s two shelves with a seam between shelves to contend with…
and the selection of pieces left on the cart is beginning to dwindle. So it’s all a big game
trying to get everything in, packed well, but not too crowded, but crowded enough to get
my money’s worth! Too loose and everything doesn’t make it in. Pack it too tight and
the soda atmosphere doesn’t have any room to travel around the kiln –
and you end up with some dry pockets!

So here’s a glimpse of the back stack…. with tall, textured slab vases all the way to the top!

And here’s the completed front stack. Complete with cone packs… which I have
a tendency to forget until it’s too late and I’ve already started bricking the door.

Now that it;s all packed, the front door is bricked into place and it’s good for the night.

Categories: kiln firing, lillstreet, textures

I just love the range of colors in the flashing and the crusty build-up of the soda
on the bricks on the sides of the doorway. From the dark browns, through the reddish hues,
with hints of greens & turquoise going into the crusty whites. All created “naturally” by
the flames escaping through the bricked kiln door and leaving their mark along the way.

And the somewhat “lunar” textures of the back wall bricks from the intense soda build-up
from firing after firing of the Lillstreet Art Center soda kiln.

Categories: inspiration, kiln firing

Don’t you just love the endless possibilities of an empty kiln?!… soon to be filled.

Categories: glaze, kiln firing, process, production, studio

There are still far too many naked pots in my studio.
I just unloaded my second bisque kiln.  I now officially have a LOT OF POTS
to glaze & wad before I can ever start loading tomorrow night. Yikes!!!
Not quite sure how & when this is all going to get done?!

Categories: glaze, mugs, pottery, process, production, studio

When you make a big batch of mugs…
at some point, you’ve got to glaze a big batch of mugs!

Same mugs… just a different, possibly cooler perspective…

Categories: kiln firing, process, production

After drying overnight, everything was “pretty much” dry.
So I loaded everything into one last bisque kiln. I’m firing my soda kiln
this Saturday, so it was important to get everything into this kiln. It wasn’t my
best job of loading… because I found myself with a lot of strange shapes & sizes.
Luckily, my studio neighbors Karen & Lisa were there with some “filler” to help
take care of some of the holes. You know how I LOVE a well-packed kiln!!!

Layer #1 -Bowls, ovals, dispensers, mugs & gourds!

Layer #2 half a layer anyway... Bowls, gourds & “filler” from Karen & Lisa.

Layer #3 – not sure how to count this one?… is it another half shelf?…
or should I count the tall textured slab vases in this layer? Anyway… a platter & round fun!

Layer #4 – another half layer with another slab vase that was too tall so I laid it down
on its side… plus more “filler” from Karen Patinkin!

 

Categories: kiln firing, process, production

I love unloading a new bisque kiln. Somehow I feel so much better having my
new work fired and “solid”… instead of fragile greenware. With so much potential…
just some glazing & some atmospheric firing to bring out their inner beauty!
I’ve got one more day to “squeeze in” some more wet work so they can get into my next
bisque kiln on Tuesday. Then it’s going to be some marathon glazing & wadding
so I can get it all loaded into my soda kiln this comeing Friday night.

Plus… some new sets of bowls that I’m pretty excited about. Remember when I did my last
class demo on bowls, and how to alter each on to make them unique?! Well, the split rim
& square off bowl seemed to get a good response… so I made a “few” of them!

Categories: kiln firing, sunrise

It was gray & gloomy in Chicago all day today.
No chance of a sunrise here. The closest thing I saw that resembled one
was the glowing orange peep on my electric bisque kiln!

Categories: kiln firing, process, production

It’s been awhile, but tonight I finally loaded another electric bisque kiln. It’s been a busy
summer and I’m now faced with the reality that summer is almost over… and we’re zooming
towards the Fall art fair season! And I need to replenish the inventory. Quick.

Kiln Layer #1 – Mugs… and only mugs!

Kiln Layer #2 – Mugs, ovals, soap dispensers and piles of tiles. The dispensers are
upside-down because they’re still a little wet and I wanted the air to get around them.

Kiln Layer #3 – Some new bowls, votive holders and more tiles!!!

Kiln Layer #4 – Plates, platters and a LOT more tiles!!!
Plus one little test tile painting by my studio neighbor Lisa Harris.

Kiln Layer #5 -Some more new bowls, votive holders and… oops, ran out of tiles to fill!!!

And you know how I love a well-loaded kiln?!…
Well, this one is filled to the brim. Not much space left at the top. I actually held my breath
for a second as I closed the kiln lid and hoped NOT to hear any smashing!

Categories: art fair, glaze, kiln firing

Tonight I loaded more pots into a cone 10 glaze kiln.
Marian, one of my studio neighbors, is firing a kiln of her work for the
upcoming 57th Street Art Fair. Lucky for me, she didn’t have enough work
to fill the kiln… so I was once again “Kiln Filler.” I glazed up some more bisqued
work to load in, as well as some of my normal kiln filler tiles & rattles.

Unfortunately, the kiln won’t be unloaded in time for the Schaumburg Art Fair
this weekend… but they will be ready & on their way to Hinsdale!