Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery
A Chicago potter’s somewhat slanted view of clay & play
Categories: handbuilding, mugs, process, production, stamped, textures

Checking my calendar… and hoping I can squeeze in just one last batch of hybrid mugs… combo wheelthrown & handbuilt mugs. They’re kind of assembled… but still need to be trimmed & handled…dried “kinda” fast… and bisque-fired so I still have time to glaze & wad them for next weekend’s soda kiln. It’s hard to get this studio stuff done when my “fingers are crossed”!!!

Categories: mugs, process, production, stamped

Got ’em done… all handles attached for another batch of mugs! You know they’re my favorite thing to make… kind of my default. If I don’t know what to make… I just make MORE MUGS!!!

Categories: mugs, process, production

Got all of my handles pulled, looped & setting-up… just waiting for them to stiffen-up a bit before I start attaching them onto my newest batch of mugs! Score, slip, attach, repeat… repeat…

Gotta get ’em going… as a new session of pottery classes starts tonight at Lillstreet… and I’m back teaching my Intermediates tonight!

Categories: mugs, process, production, studio

Got a little “Clayhenge” popping up on my studio table… little nuggets of clay pressed & compressed into carrot-shapes getting ready to turn them into mug handles!

Categories: color, process, production

Feeling a little ROUGE inspired… and painting some RED accents on these pots tonight for my next soda firing!!!

Categories: platters, process, production, stamped, stamps

Stamping up another platter… one handmade stamp pressed in over & over again… one by one by one… So much more fun that a plain, smooth plate!

Categories: glaze, mugs, process, production, stamped

Now a quick “liner glaze” on the insides of the mugs. These still need a bit of cleaning up… as there are a few drips around the rims. Plus, I want a nice, clean even line of glaze right around the rim. None of this willy-nilly randomness for me!!!

Categories: glaze, process, production, stamped

Started glazing some mugs today… adding some tenmoku glaze into the stamped impressions. These mugs will be in my next soda kiln firing, so they don’t need a lot of glaze. The soda kiln atmosphere will take care of “glazing” the exterior!

Categories: mugs, process, production, stamped, studio

Score, slip, attach, repeat… repeat.. repeat… Another batch of mugs assembled… now they just need some colored flashing slip accents & details! Just hoping to get them all done before I go down to teach class tonight!!

Happy Mugshot Monday!!!

Categories: mugs, process, production

Handles pulled the old-fashioned way… curled over & standing up so that they can stiffen up a bit before I start attaching them to my stamped & trimmed mug cylinders!