Glazing...

Glazed these Tuesday evening. All have a spotted shino base with an accent of alfred's blue glaze.

Put some copper carbonate on some of the pots. Also applied soda ash to all of them.

Put more soda ash on these teabowls than ones in the past. They're also a bit larger--- they all shrink so much in the gas kiln. It is good that these are bigger. Notice the green copper carb mark on the left teabowl.

Made this cookie jar too. Two lids just to make sure that one of them works! Am busy using as much clay as I can and getting a bunch of pieces done before Saturday before I fly to PA to be with my family for Mother's Day and my grandfather's memorial service on Monday.

Really like this birdhouse. Adrienne, my instructor made it. It's big! Maybe I'll make one of a similar shape in the days to come. I see a busy weekend ahead!

Kiln Unloading and More!

Two soon to be vases!

Made these tumblers yesterday... will trim them a bit--- not too sure whether I like the new form or not. Time will tell! :)

Once again, the kiln was unloaded. I hope I never get tired of this! As I had hoped, all my pieces did well. One bowl was warped, which was expected as it went in a bit warped.

This was a student firign, so there were pots of all kinds in the gas kiln. The two bowls on the right are mine.

That teabowl in the back-- the shino one, is mine. Cone 10 for this firing- about 2350 degrees.

Both of these bowls turned out well--- the purplish color on the one on the left is from some alfred's blue on the blue/green celadon. The St. Francis prayer is written on it.

Those bowls in the back are mine. Plus the teabowls on the bottom.

These teabowls are beautiful! The black is from the copper carbonate I brushed onto the teabowl. Interestingly, the blue/green celadon that I sprayed onto the teabowls turned only white--- no red or purple and the wax resist that I put on some teabowls didn't show either.

Some teabowls have a hint of blue- like one of those at the top.

These small bowls are my favorite. Spotted shino base glaze with some soda ash and copper carbonate sprinkled on the outside. I'll make more like these.

I think the next round of glazing (which I'll do this week) will include some more blue on the spotted shino glaze and some more blue/green celadon too.

Went to the Thrown Together sale yesterday. It was wonderful to see potters there---- here are Jennifer Mecca's pieces- someday I will get one of hers!

Here are some of Julie Wiggins' pieces. She's been busy lately in the studio!

It was a gorgeous day!

Matt Jones was the guest potter. Amazing pottery!

Ron Philbeck's pottery too... Ahhh, a wonderful day, which ended with time in the studio.

Busy Days

Busy days! Glazed these this past week. They're now in the gas kiln, cooling down after being fired yesterday.

Two glaze combos. one was blue/green celadon with alfred's blue sprayed on top. That was for bowls that had lettering on them.

It's all a long process; and takes longer every time than I think it will.

All the teabowls have a spotted shino base coat and then accents in wax resist, copper carbonate (this is new for me!) soda ash, and either alfred's blue sprayed on or blue/green celadon or both.

With the lighting, it's hard to see the detail. I did brush some copper carbonate on top of the spotted shino. Shinos always need to be a base coat, I'm told.

Meanwhile in class last week, Adrienne (instructor and director of clayworks) made these teapots. I'm not a fan of teapots, but I do like the one on the left-- the smallest one. Adrienne can make just about anything.

I made these pitchers--- last week during class. While they're far from finished, the're off to a good start.

Kiln loading. 3/4 of the way done. My teabowls and bowls are on the left front stack-- and right front stack. A bottle and a jar too of mine are somewhere too.

Oh, I also sprinkled some wood ash on the shino pieces. It gives this beautiful brown. Oh, there's the simple jar in the back. (Bowl is not mine). Teabowls are.

More teabowls. I prefer the natural brown glaze colors. Am on the verge of new glazes though. Think I'll stay with the same clay body: phoenix.

This sculpture made it into the gas kiln too. It's way back from 2009--- a fundraiser then- called 'All Fired up' created by several studio instructors. Greg glazed it.

This was the kiln, just before the door was closed. Full, but not packed. Will be unloaded on Sunday. Most of my teabowls and bowls can be seen in this pic... all are in the front stack.

Today, I decided to make some small bowls--- different forms. Am wanting to try some new forms. Ended up spending much less time in the studio today because of other things to do. I'm so ready for a whole day uninterrupted, making pottery.

Not sure when that completely free day will come, so until then, I'll make a few pieces here and there. Will trim these tomorrow. Thanks for reading!

Is It Too Late?

This post is for you, Mom.
Was at the dollar store today, because I'm convinced that is the best place to find tissue paper and gift bags. Saw seeds- each pack was 25 cents. Bought four.
According to their packages, it's late to plant them--- sow them, is that what it's called? Yet I thought- why not give them a try. So I got a pack of Morning Glory and here, Cosmos and

Marigold and Aster.

Here are the marigolds spread out a bit. I don't expect all of them to make it.

Yet I'm an eternal optimist. So, they're in these four flower pots just under the surface. Took this pic to remember which kind is where.

L-R: morning glory, aster, cosmos, and marigold

My mom has a green thumb. My dad too for that matter. Maybe that will rub off on me as these are the first flowers I'm trying to grow from seed.

God and time will tell. Well, and maybe the birds and squirrels too. Hope they let them be.

Will keep you posted.