Shelves are Stocked but we Keep on Firing

I've been remiss keeping up with my blog. I apologize. It's been hectic around here, getting ready for shows, kiln openings and at the same time working on a second order for foot-soaking bowls.

The Celebration of Spring kiln openings is this weekend. A majority of the potters around Seagrove are stocking their shops and organizing special events for the weekend. We're firing the wood kiln tomorrow, and I've been firing soul pots, mugs, creamers, sugar bowls and vases in my southwestern glaze along with the foot-soaking bowls in my electric kilns.

Levi and I loaded the wood kiln today - lots of cereal or soup bowls, some pitchers and quite a few small vases with trees sgraffitoed into a flashing slip that Ben Owen turned me onto. The slip picks up some nice color from the flame. And I place the trees toward the back of the kiln to keep them from being obliterated from ash.

We've got our first large pot in this kiln, one that Levi created using a coiling method. It's 27 inches tall by about 16 inches wide, taking up nearly a whole stack of shelves in the kiln.

Hope we and the rest of the potters who are participating in Celebration of Spring have a good turnout. Maybe we'll see you there. Mary's making chocolate bread and leek and potato soup. I'll be brewing some of my freshly roasted organic coffee for the early birds. Our shelves are stocked with pots.

Levi carries his large vase out of the shed to load into kiln

Front of the kiln

Behind the front

A little further back

And the back