Unloaded the kiln just now. Overall, very pleased. Tried something new this time, experimenting with holding the firing at it's highest point for an hour to get uniform results throughout the kiln, and also hoping to push a little more depth out of some of the glazes. Generally speaking it went well, but I may have over-fired my Rust Red by just a scoche as a result - went a bit darker in some places than normal. Sandstone gave me nice results this time too, a little bit more depth out of it then normal - hints of red and blue (maybe some crystallization of sorts?) came through on some underbellies. Tonight the kiln gets loaded and fired again. Lots of bowls on the way. I may try a 30 minute soak vs. 60 to see about finding the balance between getting the rich colors without toasting the Rusts. 

Top Shelf (that glaze mark on the shelf there is from my first firing with unknown glaze properties, not the result of soaking at ^6).

Next half-shelf.

Down another tier. That smattering of orange-browns is "Albany Slip Brown," my new favorite glaze.

Mountains and IYFC Blues.

Mountains. Sandstone went a bit dark on the blues, but the browns are gorgeous.

Bitty vases.

Bowls and bowls and bowls.

And bowls and bowls and bowls.

And more bowls.

And a few mugs for good measure.

Excited to get out next weekend and see what other folks think of these pots.

Opened the bisque firing Sunday night. One cracked plate, but otherwise all clear! I just love the vibrancy of those blues, even after just the bisque firing!

"Top Shelf" pottery. At least, the "top shelf" of the kiln. 

Got just about everything into this firing - a couple larger pieces that just didn't fit. And then, Monday night I found another little vase hiding in my studio - totally would have fit in the middle of that shelf above. Oh well. 

Jungle-pup wants to help me glaze. Or she's stalking me.

Krystal's away on business for a couple days so it's just me and the pup. She tolerates my extended glazing sessions slightly better than Krystal, but still gets a little bored of it after a while. At least I'm glad we're out of the stage where she was constantly trying to go swimming in my glaze buckets.

The work. Mind the box in upper right filled to the brim with 40+ small bowls. Also, the 30 mugs still in the kiln.

I made a fair amount of headway on the glazing front last night. All the mugs, mountain vases, smaller vases, and small bowls made it into the glaze firing, plus some other pieces. I think I still have a full firing worth of bowls left to glaze. 

Also trying something new with this glaze firing, hopefully I'll have something exciting to share when I crack the kiln (Tonight? Tomorrow? Probably tomorrow.).

Loaded this up yesterday (Saturday). That's a kiln stuffed to the gills with greenware, now bisqueware. Looks like I'll be doing some glazing this week to get these pots ready for a couple of my spring shows. 

First on the calendar, I'll be showing at the Pierre First United Methodist Church Spring Bazaar on Saturday, March 24. That's just a one day deal that won't require my full setup but should be good for local name recognition.

Next up after that is the Pierre/Ft. Pierre Zonta International Craft Show on April 14-15 at the Pierre Mall. Supposed to be a good turnout for these Zonta shows, so I'm looking forward to it. I may still have time to make a few more pots between now and then. 

So if you're a local reader, or you're interested in road-tripping to central South Dakota this spring, come visit me at those events! As usual, I'll keep you updated ad nauseum as to the preparations for the shows.

Lots of Firing Around Here

Busy busy busy. I seem to be starting a lot of note that way these days. The final firing before my show is cooling to be unloaded tonight. I've been firing nonstop since last Friday night: a final bisque load and now into my third (I think?) glaze firing. There's no way I'll be able to log all of my pots as "slide" quality images, but the bottom line is that a lot of them aren't portfolio worth pots. I'll hopefully find time in the next 9 days with enough good natural lighting to get some good photos of my favorite pots to come out of the last couple months work. In the meantime, here's a taste of what's been coming out of the kiln.

I did a baker's half-dozen cups like this. I may be taking a break from my sgraffito this winter to do more pieces that emphasize carving, relief, and glaze work. Mostly I love these two glazes together. Wishing I had a whole set of work like this.

Another mountain vase. They're coming out pretty regularly lately. The brown still isn't as strong as I'd like, but what can you do?

Bowls and bowls and bowls. These are itty-bitty ice cream dishes. Or whatever. Beautiful reds.

Still not avoiding disappointment. Here are two stacked bowls with the glaze doing this. In addition to the 6 from the earlier firing that didn't turn out in this combo. And the six small ones that I tried with an alternative glazing that didn't pan out either. Argh. Went back to my glaze/firing log and discovered what I've been doing wrong here, but too late to help these bowls. Blurgh.

This is a big one - blue and sandstone. Should have stayed with the red-sandstone combo, but it's a pretty blue, nonetheless.

More cups.  A whole palette. And remember: Choose Natural Energy!!!

And last, but not least, I think my favorite from this round of work. The glaze, the shape. It's a winner. Now, to make sure I don't arbitrarily price this one head and shoulders above the rest just so I can keep it...

That's it. Don't know how much more news I'll be able to get up in the next week. On the road this weekend to run a marathon - hopefully I don't die. Then home to finish sanding and washing and prepping and pricing for the show. And then the show. And then I may sleep for a week or two straight.

In addition, if you're not already, listen to the new records from Switchfoot and MuteMath. They are amazing.

Peace!

Preview

The kiln is unloaded. It seems like every time I unload a glaze firing the "goods" just look so meager compared to how much work went into getting them into the kiln. Mostly, it's the fact that glazed pots take up significantly more room in the kiln than a bisque fire because they can't be nested in the same way. Sadly. But some of these are stacked in the photo, too. Anyhow, better photos with a real camera later, but here's a preview.

The finished product.

Quite pleased with the blues I've got here. This will be a fun combo to use in future glazing.

While I'm at it, I mentioned previously that I've been enjoying Burlap to Cashmere's latest record a lot, different from what I normally listen to, very engaging. The band recently posted these videos and I wanted to share them here. They really have a nice thing going.

Alright, that's it. Krystal made it home safely and I'm taking tonight off from potting. Have a great evening.

Weekend Work: A Quick Update

A quick update on a full weekend of work. Saturday was throwing, throwing, throwing, and then some cleaning. I have to get better at regularly mopping/sponging down my work area to minimize the dust, etc. Not good for the health, you know. Maybe invest in an air purifier for the basement. 

Today was mixed, throwing, trimming, decorating, glazing. Got a full load of glazing in. Such a mixed bag of work. Plates, vases, wide bowls. Hard to get them all to fit nicely. Could I already be outgrowing my kiln? As I look forward to my October show, I may have to set up a glazing station in the garage. Dry pots out there, load them right into the kiln, unload, and glaze them all at once. Glaze them all in one weekend and then leave them sitting to load the kiln as best as possible. By the time I was done, all I could think was that my dad would probably be pretty good at kiln loading, seeing as how he once upon a time was very good at Tetris. Obsessive personalities will do that to you. I'm just obsessive in a crazy sense. Loading two tiers of kiln before realizing it was hopeless, unloading, and reloading again from scratch. Eventually I fit *almost* every pot in that I wanted, and ended up with some staggered shelves in the kiln. Seriously, like Tetris in there. Only a shame I didn't have any mugs/cups/bud vases to fill in the tiny little gaps. Hate to waste that hot air when you take the time to fire it up.

So, for the quick update some lame-o photos off my phone, but they offer a nice recap:

Started the firing around 7. Hoping to get it done in the middle part of the night so it can start cooling before the day warms up. Should finish up around 3 or 4 and I'll be up by 6 to check on it and make sure the kiln hasn't melted down. So far, so good, but there's a strong odor from the burn-off of the wax. More wax in this firing then normal, but not a pleasant smell!

Staggered shelves. Wishing I had two (maybe three) perfectly sized vases/cups to go in that shelf there.

This is actually maybe the crispest picture I've ever gotten off my phone. This is what I worked with this afternoon. 18 pounds. The pot I ended up with is sorely smaller than what I'd like to be getting from eighteen pounds, but a) I think my perspective has become skewed, and b) though there is some weight to be trimmed out of the base, there's really not THAT much, and I'm really pushing for dynamic forms that require more base support pre-trimming, especially thrown this wet.

And this is sadly not the worst picture I've ever gotten on my phone. It looked better in the thumbnail when I attached it. Anyhow, there are a dozen or so bowls that I trimmed/decorated Friday night.

Some bowls, a mountain vase. No big deal.

So there's the story. Never thought I'd say it, but I'm ready for Monday, to finally get a break from so much hard work. You know, so I can go back to work.  Also, Krystal comes home, so that's always a good thing.

(PS - we are 16 days from the release of Switchfoot's new album. I'm stoked, and trying to play it cool. Counting down? Nah, I'm patient, look at me all nonchalant.)

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Busy Bee

No bees here, just pots. For bees you'll have to go see my father. Or, alternately, skip the bees and raid the honey larder. Just don't tell him I sent you. That's sweet gold, honey is.

All that to say, if this blog were to be trusted, all I've done in the last two weeks is drop one pot on the floor and load a kiln for firing. Well! Be not fooled! I've been quite hard at work, and found the time not only to load that kiln, but also to turn it on and unload it 12 hours later! Amazing!

Here's a glimpse at what else has been going on in the studio:

Redemption: dropped pot on Saturday, threw this one on Sunday.

Big bowl. Going for more minimalist design. Broad blue spaces.

Still waiting for some design work.

I think this is the same bowl seen above, just earlier in the process. They sure are pretty right off the wheel. Love the look of the wet clay pot. Nothing better.

Pots drying.

Detail of the tall vase above. This one was fun. Came out looking like birds (I think). Marching penguins and all that. Krystal says they look like fish. Maybe narwhals. So, abstract representation of pseudo-quasi-semi-mammal-ichthy-ornithological critters.

Biggish plate.

These are actually from the July firing but haven't been seen here. These are the three that DIDN'T crack.

Practicing for my upcoming show. This shelf folds down to be nice and flat and portable. Also, gets the pots off the floor. Very useful.

So that's about it. Firing went off without a hitch; no exploding pots, no collapsing shelves. Ran a normal 12 hour firing cycle.

Other occurrences include an 18 mile run (8/28) and a 20 mile run (9/4), both of which were followed by lots of food and hobbling around. We're going to have to start drawing straws to determine who should be responsible for bringing food and water to the couch. Also, if we keep it up, we might not any long be able to resist stopping in for a pick-me-up as our route takes us by Pizza Ranch right around mile 17. It's getting mighty hard to resist the call of Cactus Bread after running for 3+ hours. Mighty hard.

In music news, I've been digging the debut EP from The Hawk in Paris - synth-heavy pop drawing comparisons to M83 or Depeche Mode. I like to think of it more in a U2 meets Postal Service vein. Which may be the same thing. Very good stuff and worth checking out. I was able to snag a preview version during a limited window last weekend, but a FREE 3-song sampler is currently available over at Noisetrade and the EP releases on iTunes (and elsewhere?) on Tuesday 9/13.

Also in heavy rotation lately is Burlap to Cashmere's sophomore release, hot on the heels of their 1998 debut. I was fortunate enough to win a copy of the CD through an online drawing I'd forgotten I'd entered. I never win anything, so this was very exciting. Also exciting? The music. Greek inspired acoustic folk rock stuff. Very well done, musically engaging, lyrical storytelling.

I highly recommend both of these collections of songs, and they've been pretty good studio music for me. What have you been listening to lately?

 

Well, I think that's all she wrote. Or, at the very least, all I've got time for on my lunch break. More pots in my future, and hopefully that means more pots in your future.

My Labor Day Labor

Loading up and firing a bisque. Making room for more pots!

Nesting pots all nested.

These big guys will have to wait for the next firing.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Busy Weekend (and still one day left).

I've had a busy weekend so far. But a good kind of busy. Pottery, non pottery. All good things. Well, mostly good things. There was the 30 inch vase that I had to trash, but it wasn't too much time loss (section thrown; pieces thrown quite nicely, quite quickly; went a bit too far dry before joining, too much weight in the top half; the pull of reshaping and the added weight caused some issues in the support on the bottom of the vase. I'll be trying again this week.). But productivity was not lost on me. This is what I woke up to this morning:

Them are glazed pots in there.

So of course yesterday was filled with the accompanying sort of messes of glazing and such.

Not the final arrangement: still playing with the best spacial arrangement.

It only took me 4 hours to glaze this kiln-load. Had the table cleared before dinner!

Speaking of dinner, the First Course: garden-fresh grape tomatoes and basil on an olive oil brushed whole wheat crust, topped with feta and just a touch of mozzarella. Grilled. Fabulous. Needed more tomatoes, which we had. Had I known, it would have not been a problem. As it was, hardly a problem.

Among the other things that happened yesterday: we started the morn with a 14 mile run. My longest run to date, Krystal's longest run in nearly 7 years. When we were within a mile of home (we were delirious - debating whether or not rhinoceros are hoofed mammals or not. Because seriously, if you've determined that you're trying to guess a horned, hoofed, herbivore native to the African plains that isn't a cow, buffalo, antelope, or goat, this is an important point. I'm pretty sure they're not hoofed, and I convinced Krystal* as such, but seriously.) - so, let me restart this thought. When we were within a mile of home I observed to Krystal that the Marathon will just be this, twice. Not too shabby, I say. I think I can do it. I think it will not be fun. I think it will hurt. But yeah, I'll get medieval on those 26.2 if that's what it takes.

I also asked Krystal, somewhere around halfway (so, we've already run 8 miles) if going out and running for hours on end ever just seems stupid. She just gave me the look.

All that to say, by noon or so we were all cleaned up and ready to tackle the day with the rest of our tasks, like glazing and groceries and teaching Temperance how to dance. Because she's awesome.

Our dog is an awesome dog: she trains with power and love, our Dog is an Awesome Dog.

So that was our day. Running for the better part of the morning, teaching our dog to dance, buying groceries, glazing pots, grilling pizza. Ready to do it all over again. Except with less being on my feet. Cause I'm sort of done with that. Here are a couple more pictures of things that have been happening this week and last week and such that never got photographed or posted.

This one's actually in the glaze fire already, so a bit behind the times.

This one's drying. Discovered I have sore few of bowls in this style for October show. Time to kick it up a notch. BAM! (Must be channeling my inner Emeril this morning. Don't know what's up with that.)

Bigger mountain vase. Pretty nice balance to it. And the camera's autofocus needs some help apparently. Sorry!

Well, that's all I've got for now. Still working on shots of the last firing, and there may be new pots in view by bedtime tonight. As you saw above, the kiln is still glowing. In fact, it needs to drop about 2000 degrees before I can open it yet. So that may be awhile. But I'll certainly keep you posted.

Thanks for stopping by, and don't forget to keep your Sabbath holy! Or at the very least, restful!

___________________

*in Krystal's defense, when we play the "Guess the Animal Game" she normally goes places like "Grevy's Zebra" or "Reticulated Giraffe." Most people are all like, "Horse" or "Cow" or "Bear."** So, she's hardcore, don't think otherwise. I'm willing to say this one was just misstated.

**In my defense, she has met her match. She may know the rare specifics of Blank Park's collection, but I'm all like, "Amur Leopard, BAM!" or "Narwhal, BAM!"*** Yes, in fact there is such a thing as a European Bison, and that's why I kick butt at this game. And I've got a secret weapon for the next time around. Been saving it for years. She'll be like, "What? Can't be!" and then I'll come home and bust out or Guide to Wild Animals of the World and be all like, "Read it and WEEP!"

***I'd also like to point out that she required three (3) reliable sources to convince her that Narwhals were real and not just fantastical. Yeah, take THAT!

Heat Wave!

It's been hot around here, and I've been busy. Our heat index (think opposite-effect wind chill) has been well over 100 degrees for the last couple weeks, but it's finally starting to break. I think we've been steadily in the high 80's for the last couple days, so of course I thought that would make the best time to run a firing.

Well, that and some time sensitive pieces that have been sitting on my greenware shelf for just a little too long. So the bisque ran last night.  Could have fit another 3 or 4 vases in the top shelf, but I didn't have any more, so that was just too bad. But like I said: time sensitive. I set it up to preheat for 3 hours (holds temp at 180 to help get all the moisture out before hitting the boiling point for water) and then ran a slow cycle. Firing completed mid morning (not optimal - but I didn't get the kiln turned on early enough last night) in 14 hours and some change.  Sitting around 600 right now; might be able to unload before bed. Glazing this weekend, and another firing by Sunday night.  Then it will be new pots.

In the meantime I've been making pots. I just haven't been blogging them. And with purpose. I've been selected to show at the South Dakota First Lady's Art Showcase, which coincides with the Governor's Invitational (Pheasant) Hunt. Kind of a big deal in this state. That show will be October 21-22, and I need to make a lot more pots between now and then. So I need to get better about buckling down and cranking some work out. I'm very excited about this opportunity, and also a little freaked out about not whether or not I'll have enough quality work pulled together by the time the show rolls around. I basically sold everything worth selling before our move - everything that was left has slowly been whittled down as gifting away and such. And a lot of time since establishing my current studio has gone to test pieces and special orders. Which are essential (the former) and much appreciated (the latter), but haven't left me much time for building up general stock. So here's hoping that I won't be a complete dud at showtime. So that's what I've been up to.

Well, among other things. Krystal and I are in training for a fall Marathon (the weekend before the big art show - crazy?) which will be my first, and her third. So, that's taking a lot of time and energy and effort. The good news: if the pots aren't done by the weekend before the show, I've probably done something wrong anyway! And I don't have to travel, as the show will be in Pierre!

I also have taken some "good" shots of my last firing (good being relative - I've mentioned before that there's a reason I'm a potter and not a photographer) but haven't gotten them edited yet for online consumption. So here's a little teaser.

Trying to get more detail shots to compile a glaze chart for folks who want to order something. Easier to e-mail out a chart than e-mail a whole swarm of photos and try to connect which one we're talking about.

Sorry for my failings at being online: believe me, this time around it means good things for the artwork. Hopefully sooner than later, and have a great weekend!