Buck Naked, t shirt, or fully clothed


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Our next wood firing is a week away and I’ve been thinking about the chaos of glazing day. I have put out over a dozen glazes and watch with horror at some of the combinations and then find myself somewhat surprised with the awesome results.  I have seen people think that the wood kiln will provide all the serendipity and watched their disappointment at a “so what brown” pot. I have gone the gamut with wood firing. I have left the pot buck naked, I put a t-shirt on and left the bottom to get toasted and I have entirely glazed the pots. Last firing I left my Helmer clay body buck naked and it was beautiful. Sometimes if the kiln decides not to kiss the pots I wish I had glazed them. In my fully clothed period I was reacting to the hundreds and hundreds of brown pots I was seeing representing wood fire.  So many ho hum brownies for a few killer pots. I had the brown blues.  So it is a conundrum – clothes, some clothes or cover up all the parts. 
Here are a couple of Cassara's slip cast porcelain vases from the Sheridan wood kiln.  Here is me from Ronnie the Rat's Ratagama. I think bare bones was a good choice.

Comments

Unknown said…
I LOVE the vase you relegated to second place behind its sibling. I usually don't have much use for vases but I would make room in my life for that cutie.

I wonder about what sells. If a potter makes what she/he finds appealing, do they starve? Do we need to wrap everything in blue and green? Is it self indulgent to only make what we (as in me cause it is all about me) personally like?

As far as the clothes no clothes question, sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't. I always reserve the right to change my mind.

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