Cylinders trimmed & handles pulled… time to start attaching!
Making more MUGS!!!

Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery
A Chicago potter’s somewhat slanted view of clay & play |
Cylinders trimmed & handles pulled… time to start attaching!
Making more MUGS!!!

So I’ve been stamping another batch of mugs! A little “something” different as they wre made with a new kind of clay. A tilemaker friend of mine bought some new clay and didn’t like how it “felt” when he started using it. And then when he fired his tiles, they all cracked during the firing. So he believes there might be something wrong with the clay?! He passed it on to me to give it a try… and here I did. I will agree it felt a little goopey & sticky… a little more finicky… but ultimately I made some cylinders for mugs. It was a little tougher to get them to stand up & hold their shape. But I’m sure I’ll get used to it… as he’s planning on passing his “bad” clay onto me!!! Bring it on… CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!!!
Mug 1 – before & after…


Mug 2 – before & after…


Mug 3 – before & after…


Mug 4 – before & after…


Mug 5 – before & after…


Mug 6 – before & after…


Mug 7 – before & after…


Mug 8 – before & after…


Mug 9 – before & after…


So for now

Last night in my pottery class, I did a handles demo – both pulling & attaching. I did two mug attachments in class… but I had another eight to finish today!





So after a full day of playing hooky in the perfectly beautiful outdoors… I did feel a tiny tinge of guilt… so I stopped by the studio to do a little stamping… and then THIS happened!!!!
So I just finished stamping another large platter.
One “magical” stamp doing most of the work!!!
Starting with just one line along the perimeter…




And if one line looks good… why not make it TWO?!!!


Two is good… but let’s go all the way with FOUR!!!

And here’s the handmade clay stamp that did “all” of the work!!!


Just finished adding all of my handles… score, slip, attach… voila’… MORE MUGS!!! Perfect timing for another Mugshot Monday… and perfect timing since I got them done before going down to teach class again tonight!


Handles pulled and stiffening up a bit… it’s always tough to wait. I just want to start attaching right away, but it’s so much easier & cleaner if you wait a bit. Tough to do… but I am…

Now they’re starting to look a bit more like pumpkins… but now they’re gonna need to get some personality… and maybe some warts too?!!! Would love to keep going but I’ve gotta teach class tonight… so the “pumpkinizing” will continue tomorrow!

Throwing some quick rounded cylinders that will “grow” into pumpkins as they move through the process! I made a few different sizes… including some smaller ones, as smaller is sometimes cuter! And who doesn’t like a “cute” pumpkin???


Thrown & stamped all in one day. I LOVE when that happens! A quick batch of spoon rests on Friday-Funday… where a LOT of the day was spent outside playing on my bike!!!

|
Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery
Lillstreet Studios ∙ 4401 North Ravenswood, Chicago, Illinois 60640 ∙ 773-307-8664 gary@firewhenreadypottery.com |