2009-09-27 Sunday - Barrel/Saggar/Raku

I went to Clayworks on Sunday to help out with the barrel/saggar/raku firings and finished off three possible lids for one of my crackle pots.

Becky and Elaine loaded the barrel and started that firing before I arrived. By the time I got there it was smoking nicely and the pieces inside were at the mercy of laws of physics.

We did saggar firing in the raku kiln. We brought it up to ~1150 F like Andy Smith taught us at his workshop and the results were tremendous. Becky was thrilled with her birds and I think Nick nailed it when he called them "stunning".

Next up was the raku firing. We brought the kiln up to ~1750 F while we watched the glazes get juicy and then lay down. Becky and Nick were happy with their pieces but unfortunately all but one of Amy's slab pieces cracked. I think the earthen red she used could be part of the problem since it has no grog, and couldn't survive the thermal shock, but I will check with Greg Scott on that theory.

Becky also did some horse hair work on some of her birds and Cindy's cats. They came out nice, but we should have let them cool a bit more before removing them from the kiln.

In between the firings I worked on my lids for one of my crackle pots. I ended up making three very different lids to compare. I like all three of them for different reasons so I don't know which one I will pick.

2009-05-02 Saturday Barrel/Raku/Saggar Firing

Saturday was a big firing day at Clayworks. We did a barrel firing, a raku firing and a saggar firing --all in one day! It was an ambitious schedule, but we Clayworkers are a hardy bunch.

The barrel didn't want to start and after several attempts, and Minke buying more lighter fluid it finally went. The results of the barrel were a mixed bag as usual.

The saggar firing was interesting. We brought the kiln up very slowly, but the bottom pan for the saggar broke into several pieces. The pieces that were saggar fired came out nicely, despite the fractured vessel. We had to let the kiln cool down to about 300 degrees so we could sweep out the sawdust before firing the next raku load.

The first raku load needed to ramp up slowly again since the kiln was so cool. Amy had some plaques to fire and I remembered reading that flat raku pieces have less chance of cracking if they are fired on edge. I'm pleased to say it worked like a charm and her plaques came through the fire fine.

We brought the kiln up more quickly for the second load since it was already at 500-600 degrees and the pots started getting juicy just about the time the heavens let loose. We covered the vent holes with kiln shelf pieces on bricks to keep the rain out of the kiln, but we couldn't chance taking the pots out with all that cold water falling on them. We turned the kiln down and waited. Luckily the storm took a break for about 10 minutes while we took out the pots. They came out of the extra ordeal without any ill effects. I say "extra ordeal" since raku firing is normally an ordeal for the materials involved.

After all the firing was done I glazed a ^10 craggy crunch pot and cleaned up my shelf supports from the other night and finally left the studio at 7:30 pm. A long day indeed.

Amy, Cindy, and Becky readying the barrel pieces.

Elaine builds one of her great coiled pots.

Pete was there throwing another of his great forms.

Minke brought a feast of wines and
cheeses to keep us all fortified.

Everyone is enjoying the repast.

The rest of the crew.

Becky was determined to get the
barrel burning and making "tunnels" to the pots.

Quite the spread, eh?

Even more food.

The first raku load.

The second load when the sky opened.

Rain on the kiln shelves.

Red lustre with flaming moondrops
and a pour of clear.

Turqouise on neck and burgundy matte on body.

Birds and frogs and pots, oh my!

Barrel Firing # 7 - The results

Some people want to see the barrel firing results. I apologize that I posted the BF#7 video way late. The firing was on January 9th ("I will post no video before it's time...") and I just got around to posting it. (See It's a killer to understand why.)

You can see the results here

Claydog

and here

Barrel Firing # 7 - The next day


Note to self: Stop procrastinating...


tomorrow.

Barrel Firing # 7 video

I finally got around to downloading the video from the last barrel firing.

Barrel Firing # 7 - The Next Day...

Saturday, January 10, 2009 we returned to the studio to check on the results of BF#7. The usual (read: hardcore) crew showed up for the retrieval. I arrived late and thought the barrel would be empty already but apparently I was right on time.

I think there were a few standouts, but the general consensus was bit of a yawn. Several people said they were going to re-bisque their pieces and try them again. At least we had fun during the firing.

After the unloading and the yawning were finished some of us headed inside to make some pots.

Becky doing her famous barrel-diving act.

The goods.

Max, Becky, Amy, Cindy, Kim, and Elaine
during the unload.

Becky was looking for Ron in the cardboard dumpster.
From barrel-diving to dumpster-diving, Becky is very versatile.

Max's ingenious homemade bead firer.
Cool, eh?

My latest orangestone pot.

Amy and Becky eating licorice pigs.
Don't you just love candid photography?

Said licorice pigs.
Yum.

All in all, a good Saturday afternoon.

Barrel Firing # 7

Barrel firing # 7 took place on Friday, January 9, 2009 and it was a great way to start the new year.

We got together at Clayworks and lit the highest fire yet. I was planning on throwing some pots and was having such a good time around the barrel that I never got to the wheel.

I helped "split" some wood for the firing. I used quotes because except for a few logs with knots in them, the wood was so worm-eaten that it pretty much crumbled to dust when I connected with it.

Since this was our holiday barrel, there was a lot of Christmas wrapping paper used for kindling this time. Along with the wrapping paper, we had the usual ingredients such as sawdust, wood shavings, copper carbonate, copper sulfate, epson salt, Chore Boys, seaweed, charcoal briquettes, etc. It really is quite a conglomeration of combustibles.

The pile of wood I helped "split".

Elaine loves barrel firing.

Nice fire.

That's a tall fire.
I like the little licks at the top.

During the burn.
Notice that little snake of green flame
on the right. It stayed there
for most of the firing.
Green flame usually means
there is copper present.

Becky, Elaine, and Kim
looking at some of Elaine's
old family photos after the barrel
was covered to start reduction.

2008 in the rear view mirror

Looking back on 2008 I feel truly blessed. Not only do I have a wonderful and loving family, but our health is good, we have a roof over our heads and food on our table. Those last two things mean even more than usual given the state of the economy in 2008.

I made many new friends this year. I made a lot of acquaintances too, but I'm talking friends here. These are the people that make a difference in your life. 2008 has been a banner year for making friends. You know who you are.

It has also been an amazing year for keeping in touch with old and new friends. Between this blog (thanks again, Becky!) and facebook (thanks Elaine!) I have kept in touch with many friends and reconnected with several 'lost' ones.

2008 has been a big year for me in clay. I have completed my 100 pots journey (thanks again, Elaine!), which you might have heard about. If you asked me six months ago if I thought I could throw one hundred pots in ten weeks, well you know...

I have worked with stoneware and earthenware. Made terra sigillata from the parking lot at Clayworks, and made yellow spotted shino. I have pinched and thrown pots, decorated pots with slips, glazes, and stains. Worked out a new (for me) type of hollow, flanged lid that is thrown right-side up off the hump. I have fired cone 10 reduction, cone 5 oxidation, raku, saggar, and fired in a barrel. I have thrown some small pots, some large pots, and all the sizes in between. I have attended my first three workshops (Peter Rose, Peter Lenzo, and Tomoo Kitamura) and they were wonderful.

One of the biggest accomplishments I made this year in clay was to get serious about it. After sixteen years I have started really paying attention to what I am doing and why I am doing it. I have looked at more great pottery online and in person in 2008 than I have probably seen in the last decade. The blogosphere has made a huge impact on that. If you'd like to know where I get a lot of my inspiration, check out the blog roll on the right. These folks are for lack of a better, more dramatic term, amazing.

A lot of thanks go to my good friend and teacher, Greg. He has shared some of his wonderful insights on the nature of art and pottery that have kick-started my journey of discovery. I am seeing lines and forms and gestures in a way I never realized was possible. I am thinking about things around me in a whole different light. I'm noticing things.

It has truly been an inspiring year. In 2009 I am looking forward to pushing my pottery to new and different places. I am hoping to do more raku, concentrate on form and decorating more, and even slip a couple of pieces into a salt kiln. I'm hoping that 2009 will take my journey ever onward and upward to new heights I currently don't even know exist.

Here's hoping that 2008 was good to you and 2009 challenges you and takes you to places you never thought possible. May we all continue to live in interesting times.

Barrel Firing # 6

I'm running a bit late on this post, but we had another barrel firing on November 28th (the Thanksgiving edition, or as I like to call it, the blackened Friday edition). All the usual suspects were there plus Stephanie and Meredith came down to help.

Minke and Becky readying the fuel.

Elaine looks over the wares.

Amy, Cindy, and Elaine make some
serious material decisions.

Some of the magic coppers and iron.

A bowl wrapped in a Chore Boy copper scrubber.

Placement is everything.

Populating the barrel.

Light it up!

Becky readies one of the smaller cans.
(I believe it's the CindaMotte can.)

More pictures here, here, and here.

Barrel Firing # 5 - The Halloween Edition

Barrel firing number 5 was held on Friday, October 31 -- Halloween so we just had to celebrate. Many people attended the lighting of the barrel but the numbers dwindled quickly until there was just the core group left. We stayed way too late, but it was fun.

On Saturday morning we met at the studio and took the light rail to the convention center for the American Craft Council Show. The ACC show never disappoints and we saw a lot of inspirational work. The artists are always so friendly and love to discuss their technique so there is a lot to absorb and I wish I had taken some notes on the spot. Ahhh... more things to try.

Lighting the barrel.

Yup, it worked.

Some of the "regulars".

Pete treated us to some songs he's written.

We had several pumpkins, carved and uncarved.

Nice, blue flame.

Elaine and Becky inspecting after
we put the sleeve around the barrel
and "tucked it in" for the night.

You can find more pictures on Amy's, Becky's (one), Becky's (two), and Elaine's blogs.