Another Firing

We fired yesterday and all went well.  Good dry wood, clouds instead of a hot, sunny day like the day before.  Hopefully results will be good.  When I was loading the 2nd from the top shelf in stack 3 the posts underneath rotated and there were posts and pots all over the place!  Scary and infuriating.  Posts shattered two of the mugs on the floor and various pots had scuffs in the glaze which I touched up.  I only hope there were no cracks hidden under the glaze.  Unloading is on Wednesday or Thursday.  Fingers crossed.

Stack 3.

Last hour or so of the firing.

Assembled

All assembled and most cooling in the last bisque before the firing.  Glazing and wadding for the next  day or so, then loading and the firing on Sunday!

Teapots and olive bowls.

Garlic keepers and soy sauce servers.

Countdown

Last day to throw today so quickly did a few oil bottles, some garlic pots, olive bowls and 2 teapots to fill in the gaps.  Tomorrow will be assembling and handles etc.  Then quick, quick drying, I hope, (no cracks please) for a firing on the 14th.

Today's work.

Half dry pots.

Barely dry mugs.

Partly loaded bisque kiln.

Bisqued pots waiting for glaze.

Culture Tour

We took a day off yesterday and headed for the Slocan Valley and the Columbia Basin Trust Culture Tour.  It's a long drive from here so we narrowed it down to 2 potters studios, Cameron Stewart's and Robin DuPont's, so we would have time to really look and to talk pots a bit.  Cam Stewart had Lisa Christie and Pamela Stevenson as his guests so there were 4 potters to visit with.  A great day and a good break from making.  I left a couple of pieces behind that I wish I'd bought so am hoping they're still available.  Lesson learned - don't hesitate!

Cam Stewart's handbuilt, delicate little mug.

Lisa Christie's unomi/on the rocks cup.

Robin DuPont's porcelain bowl.

Robin DuPont stoneware bowl.

Gearing Up

I'm on a roll, gearing up for a firing as soon as it rains.  I'm going to have the kiln loaded and ready to go as soon as we get several days of steady downpour.  This abnormally long spell of dry, hot weather has got us all a bit nervous.  100's of fires in British Columbia and I don't want to be contributing to them.  

So pots are drying on their heads/faces and more are coming.  Made teapots today that I'll assemble tomorrow.

Soup/cereal bowls

Big salad bowl

Basket serving dishes

Upside down big bell vase inspired by a bell played at the local Zendo Ceremony

Detail 

Wood

Unless you've wood fired before it's hard to imagine the actual amount of work involved.  I've had customers ask me how long it takes to make that mug.  So where to start?  With mixing the clay, or mixing glazes?  How about the wood?  Today we finished stacking 4 cords of wood - it's taken a few days, we're old - and then we'll have to split the remaining wood and stack it.  Each firing takes about one cord - picked up one piece at a time and put into the kiln - no wonder arms and hands are tired at the end of even a relatively short firing!

Kiln shed is almost full.  Outside pallets are crammed full.

Waiting to be split and stacked.  The biggest pieces are 12 - 14 inches across.

Pot Shots

Here are a few pots from the June firing.  Better late than ...

Ash glazed nesting bowls

Bare and near bare jugs from the front of the kiln.

Red Shino Nesting Bowls

Red Shino Covered Dish

Temmoku Teapot

Tea dust temmoku oil bottles.

Ash glazed tea pot.

Red Shino tea pot.

Ash glazed tea pot.