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

Painting black slip on white porcelain… kinda antithetical,
but setting up a good “canvas” for a little sgraffito carving!

So it’s never quite as easy as you would think.. it takes several layers and several paintbrushes full of black slip before you start to get a nice even banded layer. But with a bit of paintbrush perseverance…. I finally got them done, back under plastic waiting for them to set-up a bit more… and then some day soon I’ll start carving some sgraffito patterns into the black banded areas!

Categories: mugs, porcelain, process, production, stamped

Scratch, attach, repeat… repeat… repeat…
It’s been a very productive day playing with porcelain making more of my favorites!

Categories: mugs, porcelain, process, production

Porcelain handles pulled… just setting up a bit before I start attaching. I like to sit them up in an arched curve as they stiffen up – so that the majority of the bending is already done so there’s less cracking if they dry out a bit too much.

Categories: mugs, process, production, stamped

Another night… another two dozen mugs!!!
Happy Mugshot Monday… making my favorites!!!
Now just for a little clean-up & colored slip accents tomorrow.

Categories: mugs, process, production

Score… slip… attach… repeat… repeat… repeat…

Categories: process, production, tools

Just setting up for an early morning trimming session.
Always better when you ave some great tools to work with… like my Bison Trimming Tools!

Categories: mugs, process, production, stamped, stamps

Last night I finished off the latest batch of mugs with some final accents & detailing with colored flashing slips. So now they’re drying before they go into a bisque kiln… and then glazed… and then into the soda kiln where these flashing slips will change colors as they get hit with the flames & the soda atmosphere!

Categories: classes, process, production

After class last night, I happened to see two of my THROWDOWN students working on feverishly on their homework project in another classroom. I tried my best not to peek… not to see… not to get a glimpse… I tried, really I did... but I LOVED this pile of orange masking tape that Jacob was using to help with his detailed underglaze applications. Okay, I will say this… from what I “didn’t see”… these two projects are going to be AMAZING!!!

Can’t wait to see them “finished” tomorrow night in class!
Because I didn’t see them yet… much… maybe… okay, just a little… how could I not?…

Categories: mugs, process, production

Celebrating another Mugshot Monday by making another batch of MUGS!!!
All assembled tonight… for tomorrow they’ll get some colored flashing slip accents painted on!

Categories: process, production

Pulling a few new handles to turn some stamped cylinders into stamped MUGS!!!
You know they’re my favorite thing to make!