Big One Is Done

I feel like all I did this week was glaze pots.  I'm sure that's not quite true, but there was a lot of glazing.  And a lot of glaze firing.  Two to be precise.  

The first included all the things that my students had been working on the past few weeks.

Before firing.

After firing.

Most of those things on that top shelf are student work.

They are doing some really neat things!

I had never done cups like this before, so I'm learning too.  The slab needs to be thin or it just makes the cup HEAVY.

Look at this tree!  This was painted on the piece with wax resist before glazing. How cool is this?

The second kiln load included that giant pot that I've been working on since late January.  I was really afraid of it, but I made myself just suck it up and get it done.  It is terrifying to move a huge piece of green ware.  It was HEAVY and so very FRAGILE.  So scary.

It didn't explode in the bisque.

I wish I could show you how pieces are stacked up to use the space on the shelf with the big whopper.  I cram as much in a bisque fire as I possibly can.

But then I had to glaze it.

More glaze. Who thought making this big thing was a good idea?

I added glass beads at the handles.  My hope was that it would melt, run down the sides of the pot, and look cool.  Then I had nightmares about the glass jumping off the pot and sticking to the fire brick and new elements in the kiln.  In a glaze fire, pots cannot touch, so there's no fun nesting and stacking when loading up glazed things.

First peek in the kiln. No messes!  What a relief.

Hauling that big sucker out of the kiln.

I promise this is a big piece of pottery even though it doesn't look like it. Note the streak down the side under the handle. That's the melted glass beads. Also, I don't always "dress up" for kiln openings.  We stopped by the studio right after church today, so I was still in my nicer, non-pottery clothes.  My hair is also brushed - another indication that I'd been some place other that the studio.

There she is in all her "glory."

Jeff used a flash to take that picture.  The colors are really dark - black at the top, and then mostly blue and green down the sides.  It turned out ok, but I'm not satisfied.  I keep telling myself that it's ok because this was my first effort on something this size, and I learned a lot.  Maybe I'll make another one sometime.  

I really am happy with the glaze on this vase.  THIS is what I want to happen on my next big piece if I ever have the guts to try again.

I made some soup mugs this time around.  I like how they turned out.  Might have to put those in my regular rotation of things to make.  That is if other people like them too.