Oh Joy

It was a beautiful day today and my helpful husband brought the wheel up from the basement of our Anderson Island cabin so I could throw on the deck. It is so lovely to sit in the sun (a real treat in the Pacific Northwest) and throw pots. The violet green swallows were circling above ridding us of unwanted insects and the kingfisher couple chattered as they darted about. I didn't see any eagles but there are some on the island.

After throwing, the pots are set on the railing but I must be careful to not let the breeze and sun dry them out unevenly or too quickly.

Good news - the forecast for Sunday is also for sunny weather.

Bisque Firing Nirvana

Here is a photo of pots on the bottom shelf in last week's bisque firing.

Once upon a time, far, far away in the land of Drudgery, I used to bisque fire in the gas kiln. It has two small burners that allowed that risky practice but it meant checking the kiln frequently (usually every half hour) to make sure the temperature stayed around 200F. I was always turning the burners up or down, cracking the door wider or closing it tighter and finding that I would often overshoot my goal by heating or cooling too rapidly. One time I lost five pots.

Then along came a used Skutt kiln with an electronic kiln master and life has been bliss ever since. (At least on the bisque firing front.) I push a few buttons, check the kiln's progress a couple times and be sure to hang around when it is time for it to shut off. I love electricity and electronics!

April 27th Firing

I unloaded last Tuesday's firing and found a few good pieces and a couple losers. Unlike the last firing, which was slightly under fired, I made sure to reach a solid cone 10 temperature before turning off the gas and heading to bed. This longer firing didn't suit one of my green glazes and I had three pots who's glaze melted onto the shelf and will require some grinding to remove the remnants.

The Supervisor

I have noticed from reading other potters' blogs that they enjoy the company of pets, usually cats, in the studio and I am no exception. Our Bob does not like to be petted, picked up or do lap duty but he does enjoy keeping an eye on the activity in the house, yard and studio.

Here are some photos of our Bob-cat performing his watch.

Casseroles, Casseroles, Casseroles!

Casseroles (and serving dishes) are about the only thing I want to make these days. And thanks to my slab roller - bought off Craig's List - I can make non-round pieces.

First, a well wedged piece of clay is cubed and tossed onto the table until is it flat enough to go through the rollers.

I have found that the slabs of clay need to shrink and firm up before being attached to the bottomless sides to keep them from separating later in the process.

In the third photo you can see where my fingers pushed against the sides as I rolled the texturizing cylinder around the outside.

When the slab is ready, bring out the Magic Water. (What a wonderful name for water with some sodium silicate to aid in adhesion. It is a recipe from Lana Wilson I got from a pottery magazine. It works like magic!)

Score and slip (photo 4) then add a coil to reinforce the joint. In the 5th photo I haven't smoothed out the coil. Again, apply liberal amounts of Magic Water.

After a period of rest another slab is draped over the top and coaxed into a domed shape. After it is very firm a surform is used to gently shape the edges so they fit in the galley of the piece.

The photos at the top are pieces slowly drying and getting ready for a bisque firing. I'm anxious to see how they turn out but it will be several

more weeks before they can be glazed and fired in the big gas kiln.

Patience, Patience.

Anderson Island Gift Shop is Open

Anderson Island is situated in south Puget Sound and, like other islands in the area, has it's own special history. The Anderson Island Historical Society was formed to preserve this history and part of their mission is to operate the gift shop in an old chicken coop that was part of the Johnson Farm. (For more information about the farm see http://andersonislandhs.org/)

This Saturday the gift shop will be opened after it's usual winter break and I will again have some of my pottery for sale. I have several baking/serving pieces that are new as well as some bowls and mugs. For such a small shop there is a wide variety of merchandise at all price points. If you are on the island during a weekend, stop by for a visit. The shop is open 12pm to 4pm Saturdays and Sundays.

Here is some of my work.

Bottoms Up

Well, bottoms are not up but they are on the pieces I threw last weekend. I also have attached lug handles on all the casseroles and for the three pieces with a galley rim, I have started working on a slab lid - a process I'm not very skilled at yet.

The white powder on some of the pieces is cornstarch which keeps the damp lid from sticking to the pot while being worked on.

The one urn from the weekend is progressing nicely though I need to cut the foot rim so it has "feet". Notice that the rectangular dish next to it hasn't had its bottom slab shaved to fit the walls.