My work was featured in another potter’s blog today - Fireluster Pottery.

It is a great write-up and I am honored!

I enjoyed my long weekend, and got a lot done. I have been working with larger chunks of clay, trying to figure out how much is needed for different sized plates, bowls and platters. I also had fun making a few frog dishes. I sell these as ice cream dishes because they end up being the perfect size for a scoop or two, and the frog sits on a handle that helps keep your hand from freezing. I just love their perpetual smiles!

Have I said this before? The most difficult part of my job as a potter is taking pictures of the pieces. Since I sell mostly online, the photographs must depict the piece as accurately as possible. This latest attempt was done outdoors, using natural light. The pictures were taken in the shade, but the piece is so glossy, it still picks up reflection. The bamboo background was taken fully outdoors, the black background was in a photo tent. Which do you like best? Why?

Quick note: the wax burner does not sit crooked. My tripod does, and I forgot to adjust it!

It’s not uncommon for us to get a few snow flurries in late spring up here in the mountains - but we’ve got a real, live snowstorm happening! It snowed on and off all day, and the weather people are forecasting up to three inches tonight. Wow!

There are a few things that make this especially exciting. First, the mountain always gets more snow than we do on the base. This will make for good runoff, and we need the water. Second, the water is going to help the wildflowers grow this summer. In a month, the hiking is going to be perfect up there, and it’s going to be beautiful. Third, it means that I get to spend a lot of time in the studio this Memorial Day weekend, because it’s crummy outside!

So, I say, Bring On the Snow!!!

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!