Kiln Time

Time seems to go by really fast these days. I also don't have internet access where I'm living so it makes posting on my blog really challenging. Anyway, here are some of the pieces I glazed on Wednesday evening, just before the kiln was loaded. More about that later in the post.

Susan and Becky were busy making all sorts of things. Susan's bowls were getting 'feet' added to them.... in this case....

webbed feet!

Nearby were some other feet waiting to find their new home on a different bowl.

Meanwhile, Julie loaded the back stack of the community kiln. It was a humid day with storms in the evening, which means EXCELLENT firing weather!

At the bottom of this pic, you can see my chalice in the center. I took most of the upcoming pictures to remind myself just where these pots of mine ended up in the kiln.

For this round of pots, I put granulated rutile and soda ash on most of them.

All were dipped in spotted shino as a base glaze and then some had alfred's blue glaze on the rim and also as an accent. These six yunomis made it into the kiln and most had some granulated rutile or soda ash sprinkled on them in various places. I learned quickly that for either of those to stick, they must be applied quickly!

These days, I love simplicity, so I'm experimenting with simple decorating. With this jar I did just that... and then-

did the same with the lid.

and then lastly, dipped some rick's shino on two sides of the jar. I'm interested to see how this one turns out...

Here's some of what was used to load the kiln... cone stacks, gosh I forget if they're really called that.

My jar ended up in the front stack on the left... right next to Becky's big goose. That is a good thing; good luck being next to her beautiful piece.

Some yunomis ended up on the left stack about halfway up.

Both on either side of this bowl.... I wonder how much reduction will take place... I learned that for good reduction to take place, it helps to stack the shelves at varying places to make it harder for the air to travel from one spot to another.

So, yunomis on the left side. This will be interesting to see how the pieces turn out...

Loading the kiln is like a puzzle. Greg was doing his best to put as many pots into the kiln as he could.

Kiln will be opened and unloaded on Sunday... Gosh, how I love the pottery world!

Birds in my Office

Second post of the day because.... some birds arrived in my office yesterday. Yes, it's true! They didn't cause any trouble though and quickly found their new home.

A bit hard to see at first, but at closer look.... How gorgeous! Check out Becky's blog to find more! Thanks, Becky.

Some More

Made some more pots this past weekend... and my first colander. I think this may have too many holes. Still it will serve its purpose, I think.

These pics are blurry... not sure why. Guess I need a camera 101 class. Still they show the kinds of yunomi forms I'm making.

The smaller one in the back is my favorite. I thought I had about 1 lb of clay and it turned out that the ball of clay was smaller. Yunomis continue to be my favorite form.

It was so good to be back at the wheel. How peaceful!

Gas kiln will be loaded and fired beginning on Wednesday evening. I don't think these will be ready in time as they're in the bisque kiln now, but I have a few others that will hopefully be included. How refreshing it is to have my hands in clay!

Some Favorites

First, my abuelos. My grandparents. Of course, pictures can never capture it all. How I love them! They are among my most favorite people on this earth.
My nieces, Marisol and Carolina. I remember holding them when they were babies. They are the daughters of one of my cousins, Luci. They remind me of God's joy.

My abuelos are Aymaran people. They grew up on the Altiplano, which is on the shores of Lake Titicaca, just outside La Paz, Bolivia, at an elevation of 12,500 feet. Their first language was Aymara which has this beautiful rhythm to it and lots of consonants! This means I am Aymaran also. They have taught me more than I can say. I miss them more than I can say.

I will never forget these girls and my family in Bolivia. How I wish they all were closer! Marisol is 11. Carolina is 10.

Here is my abuelo with my tio Enrique. Bolivians don't tend to smile for pictures, but abuelo was happy when he was talking with Tio Enrique in Aymara.

Marisol knew I am a potter and showed me this piece of pottery she made in school. It's a replica of an Incan piece as she is learning about her heritage and the indigenous people groups in Bolivia. More pictures later. This is a good start. Thankfully, God too remains there with them. Such holy days there.