… the tiles are transformed.

The reds came out especially nice, and the shinos did too. I think I’ll be able to pick a few favorites out of these to add to my color palette.

I got a couple of glaze sample kits from Coyote Clay, and am firing about 45 test tiles as I write this post. I am testing the Coyote glazes along with some other glazes that I had on hand. This is what the tiles looked like when they were loaded into the kiln. I am always amazed at how flat and powdery glazes are, until they are fired and transformed into glass and color. This firing also includes a bunch of other stuff including frog items, a sushi set (pictured) that is being refired for (hopefully!) a more attractive color, a whole bunch of spoon rests and some other fun stuff. It is threatening rain, I think the monsoons are starting. Oh, how we need the rain! I just hope it holds off for another hour or so, until the firing is done.

I love opening the kiln after a glaze firing. Everything is so colorful, and there are always surprises. It reminds me of Christmas morning as a child, so excited to see what was under the tree, I could hardly sleep the night before. With ceramics, the pieces go into the kiln dry and chalky-feeling, and come out shiny and smooth. It is an amazing metamorphosis.

Yesterday, I was afraid I had over-fired the kiln. I bumped the flame too high there at the end, and it experienced a rapid increase in temperature in about the last ten minutes of firing. So needless to say, I was pretty nervous today while I waited for the kiln to cool down enough to unload it. Luckily, I caught it in time to avoid damaging all but the three thinnest pieces, which had some problems with the colors fading and running (they were in the hotter bottom part of the kiln). All in all, though, a successful firing. I am excited to take pictures of this new work and get all the stuff listed on Etsy!

I bought another propane bottle yesterday, and am finally, finally doing a bisque fire today. I hope this is the beginning of many productive months to come, now that I won’t be restricted by a nearly empty tank and the possibility of shutting the kiln down partway into a firing. And, of course, now that school is out for the summer and I’ll have studio time. Can’t fire if there’s not enough to fill the kiln!

I have started to play with photo composition. I find that the sterile background of the light tent does not showcase my work the way I want it to. So, this morning I set our dining room table up outside, set up some pretty props, and practiced with some bowls that have been sitting in my store for a while now. I took the pictures in the shade, but still got a lot of glare. I am not sure how to deal with that, unless I try to photograph earlier in the morning. I think anything that is shiny is going to glare, even in natural daylight. And, maybe that’s not such a bad thing.

Here is my first effort at photo composition using props. Admittedly, the salt shaker needs to be moved next time. I didn’t realize it would come through so white. Otherwise, I am pretty happy with these photos. They certainly show the colors of the bowls better than the photo tent pictures ever did. What do you think?

Well, this year started off with a bang, but a couple of minor setbacks have me running behind on getting my first load fired and ready to sell. First, I had the flu. That put me down for two full weeks and three weekends in January. Next, is the weather. It has been snowing like MAD. We’ve been getting about one storm per week for several weeks now. I had to dig out around the kiln house so we could get the propane bottle refilled. That is finally done, and the kiln is accessible. I am working on putting color onto the last of the mugs. I plan to load the kiln tomorrow, candle overnight, and fire it on Sunday. This will be a bisque firing; next will be to do the glaze firing two weekends from now.

I have been doing a lot of color on striped mugs and espresso cups, and water design “eddy line” plates. I did some plates with Duncan underglazes, and others with stained slips. I’m excited to see which technique comes out best.

Here’s a picture of the kiln house and the path I shoveled. Hard to tell from the picture, but the snow is about two feet deep: