Update From My Back Porch

I have been busy with my last pieces of pottery for the year.

Yes. Last pieces!

Can you believe it?

It seems as if I just started throwing yesterday!

Pictured below are before and after pictures:

• Greenware pieces, dry but not yet fired, to be loaded into my kiln for a bisque firing in preparation for glaze.
• Glazed pieces! Tah-dah!

Most pieces came out splendidly as you can see in the photo above.

Others, not so much . . .

I’ve been throwing, glazing and firing for 21 years and this was the first time my glaze ran so much so the glaze glued my pieces to the kiln shelf. 😱

Why did this happen?

First, the kiln temperature was a factor. My kiln runs cooler at the bottom and hotter at the top. I’ve learned to load accordingly: glazes that do well at a lower temperature on the bottom; glazes that to well at a higher temperature on the top.

My last kiln load, however, all of my pieces required the higher temperature throughout the whole kiln.

So, I tinkered with the kiln temperature and firing schedule a wee bit.

The kiln ran hotter toward the top where the two blue pet dishes were causing the glaze to run and stick to the kiln shelf.

Second, the glaze application was a factor. The blue glaze, for example, can be applied too thin rendering the glaze brown. But because I was seeking a brilliant shade of blue, I applied the glaze too thick which resulted in this mess. This blue glaze never seems to disappoint. However, to be honest, I think I lost count of how many times I applied the glaze and applied one too many. 😳

Meanwhile, my wheel is cleaned off and ready to put away for the season.

“There is a time in late September when the leaves are still green,

and the days are still warm,

but somehow you know that it is all about to end,

as if summer was holding its breath.”
― Sharyn McCrumb