soda firing

Second Kiln Load and Quiet Inspiration

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It was a very good day in the workshop.  I had a morning of hauling and stacking wood, going to the grocery, working out, and coaching a class at CrossFit Shelby.  But after lunch, by 2pm, I was in the studio with clay pugged and ready to make pots for the second firing of 2015.

I started off making yunomi, which in Japan are everyday cups for hot tea.  I love making this pot.  I have been faceting these lately, cutting the sides to give nice edges for the soda glaze to enhance in the firing.
 

After the first few I was really getting into the feel for them and then on number seven I hit upon with this:

A totally new facet method for me.  I came to this by playing with a tool I made and using it in a way I had not before.  Observation, play, and taking a chance let to this new discovery which is very, very cool and exciting.  Yay!!  When these things happen it just makes me smile from ear to ear and feel really grateful for the process of creativity and discovery.  Needless to say I made a few more, with a couple failures, before moving on to some other pots.

After a couple hours I had the start of my next kiln load.  I'm hoping to fire at the end of this month.
 

About 65 more pots to make but that's a good start for sure.

This past Saturday, Sarah and I drove to the North Carolina Pottery Center in Seagrove, NC for the opening reception of Quiet Inspiration: Japanese Influence on North Carolina Potters.  The show looked fantastic.  I have three pots in the show.  

The turnout was great but I didn't get any photos.  I did shoot a bit of video.  I wish I would have gotten all the pots shot and some of the crowd as well.  But here's a little film showing what I took:

I have a full day tomorrow to work in the studio.  I'm planning on making the most of it.  Stay tuned for some pots.  Who knows what the day may hold?