When you feel hated!

I’m glazing some vazzzzes for the inaugural firing of my friends Duncan Aird and Emma Smith’s new larger version of the manibigama. In a firing we had at the Hamilton Potters Guild manibigama there was a zone in the kiln that oxidized and was waaaaaaaaay under fired. Guess who owned that real estate? Moi! My pots were so blistered and  ugly even the landfill didn’t want them.  I decided at that moment I hated the manabigama and it in turn hated me.

Once in my twenties I went deep sea fishing in a little boat off the shores of Barbados. The Captain kept feeding me rum in those choppy waters. Never to be a man to turn down a free drink  I spent most of the afternoon hanging over the side of the boat sick as a dog. I have never drank rum since. Rum hates me and I hate rum. I also never forget!

I do however have faith in Duncan and Emma so I am going to put a couple of my children in the firing. Not my best ones! Those I am saving for the kiln I love and the one that loves me back. The big bourry box at Pinecroft that toasts the pots on both front and back sides. These gama kilns are like sitting in front of my Aunt Rosie’s coal fireplace in Seaham Harbour, Northumberland, UK. Your front is scorched but your ass is frozen. How to warm your arse is always the problem.

That said the nicest pots I have ever had were from Ronnie the Rat’s Ratagama. Nothing quite gives the surface like a 3 or 4 day firing.

Knowing our Emma she will reduce the living snot out of that kiln so I have glazed three vazzes in salt yellow. One is casting slip coloured with cobalt, one is casting slip coloured with red chili pepper stain and one just the porcelain. Should expect yellow breaking to blue, yellow breaking to red and with Emma’s hard reduction yellow breaking to black .

There is nothing worse than when feel hated by a kiln!  It will beat you to a pulp, leave you penniless, sleep deprived and embarrass you in front of what remains of your friends after suffering through bad firing after bad firing. Does this sound like the voice of experience?

No pressure Duncan and Emma. I hope your kiln shows ya lots of lovin’ for years to come. Let the rock and roll begin!  Cya at the firemouth. Bon feu!