Firing the clay day pieces was challenging. The first attempt was made on Labor Day weekend, and was cut short by rain. I tried to regain the firing but the temperature rose too quickly, and I had to shut the kiln down, leaving the pieces underfired. The second firing was yesterday, and was successful. I hope the kids (and grownups!) are as pleased with their pieces as I am.

Here are a few favorite “other” pieces from the firing.

Plant pot:

Soap dishes:

Spoon rests:

I am still having temperature variance issues with the kiln. The cones on the right were in the top, and in fact, the pieces that were on the top shelf will have to be refired. I think I’ll need to start leaving that top shelf empty if it is too close to the top. It only had about five inches clearance from the lid and it just doesn’t get hot enough up there. Getting more studio time in the new year should help, since I’ll have more variety of sizes and shapes to stack into the kiln, as well as more practice using it.

… 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?