Friday, December 16, 2016

Pots from the November Firing


Here are a few pots from the last firing.  Now I get a break until January!  All the best for the holiday season!


Front stack, lots of ash glaze.
Ash glazed bowl

Red shino faceted bowl

Temmoku pouring bowl with stamping

Ash glazed nesting bowls

Temmoku basket 

Ash glazed mug

Ash glazed paddled bowl

Friday, November 25, 2016

Last One

Getting ready for the last firing of the year.  Bricking in the door and clamming up today, Farmers' Market tomorrow and firing on Sunday.  I'm very much looking forward to some down-time soon!


Thursday, November 17, 2016

Some Pots From the October Firing

It's that high pressure time of year.  Firing after firing and then the Christmas Sales.  Here are a few photos of pots from the last firing on October 31st.  Next one is the 28th of November, if all goes well.

New oil bottle prototype.

Ash glaze over heavy slip.

Ash glazed bell vase.

Red shino bowl with fly ash.

Ash celadon over thick slip.

Ash celadon over thick slip.

Red shino on my own clay with iron rich local sand added.

Teadust temmoku teapot with rattan handle.

Temmoku teapot with rattan handle

Ash glazed teapot.

Ash glazed basket.

Ash celadon over thick slip.

Sunday, August 28, 2016

Mixing Clay Again


It's heavy work but worth the effort.  Less than a full day's work, sore muscles aside, and we have approximately 1500 lbs of exactly the right clay for my kiln.  I've thought of buying commercial clay to ease my work load but after testing many different clays there were none that worked well at the flat cone 12 front of the kiln.  I still use Laguna B mix for some of my pots as well as a commercial sculpture body but this one is my main clay!

1000 lbs of dry ingredients in half the tub of water.

We take turns mixing with the big drill for at least 45 minutes.

This is truly the hard part.  Half a bucket is all I can manage.

Drying racks with old sheets in.

Dead freezer clay bin.

And overflow.

Monday, August 15, 2016

Recent Pots


Here are a few pots from the most recent firing with their rattan handles.   I was hoping that the reddish ones would be more orange/brown to accent the breaks in the temmoku.  Will have to play with the dye a bit.









Monday, May 2, 2016

More Handles


If I wasn't a potter I think I'd be a basket maker.  Just received an order of cane and reed and made a few handles.  The first two are smoked reed and the third is a combination of smoked reed and reed that I dyed with walnut husks and tea bags.  I think pots look great in the company of baskets.  I love the textural contrast with the harder, smoother clay.  And the darker handles bring out the richness of the ash glaze so well.






Sunday, April 10, 2016

New Pots

Here are a few pots from the last firing.  It was mostly mugs, bowls, and other smaller things.  These were the ones I liked the best.


Red shino vase.


Ash glazed bell vase.

Shino tea bowl.

Temmoku pedestal fruit bowl.

Saturday, April 2, 2016

Fired

Fired yesterday.  Conditions were great; blue sky, light breezes.  It was a slightly longer firing than usual but hopefully all will be well.  Unloading Tuesday.

Early in the firing.

Morning light on the kiln.

Late afternoon.

Last light.

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Firing Friday!


Pots are all glazed and loaded.  The door will be bricked in and clammed up tomorrow.  The weather should be beautiful for the first firing of the year.



Favourite handle.  Hope survives.


Thursday, March 17, 2016

Inspiration


A few years ago I attended a celebration that included musicians, one of whom was playing this marvellous bell.  I was so taken with the bell that I did a few quick sketches on the programme - we're potters - doesn't everything look like a pot?  Over the next couple of years the pots have slowly changed from that original inspiration.  Here are a few in order of production.  Interesting to see how they've morphed.