The fall of the Roman Empire

My mum-Fran

The two best pots I ever made- Robin and Jay

Gawd I love clay roofs.

Can my pots fire like this?

Sprung arch

Today started with a talk on the 3 things needed for combustion- heat, fuel and air. We then discussed different solid fuel kiln types- updraft, downdraft, cross draft and looked at arches. The Roman arch is very common around here and is very beautiful. I'm not as sure it is as strong as the others and hence the fall of the Roman Empire.

Roman Arch

Most common in my kiln building has been the sprung arch that is sprung from a brick cut on the diagonal. I love kilns that are based on a cube and the sprung arch suits this kiln very well. I call this the "square box Volvo" theory. The old square box Volvo station wagons were big with potters. You can fit so much more into a square box. Once you start rounding it like a catenary arch you get so much less in the kiln. So they say they are streamlined but as the expense of cargo.

Check out this roof top outside my breakfast window. That chimney cap and the rood tiles slay me. I wish I could have a clay roof in Canada but the freezing and thawing would have it in bits and pieces in no time. The climate here is wonderful with t-shirts and sweaters in Jan when the Ontario snow and wind is howling.

A little note from my daughter Robin this morning to remind me where I come from. A pic of my mum looking very beautiful. I am the the only one of the 3 boys that got her dark hair and deep set eyes.
And a sweet pic of Jay and Robin home from their first year at University. They look so young as they were probably 18 and 19 respectively. They are now great parents raising kids they too will soon be so proud of.