Back to a very chilly house this week..but my water still running. Often in the winter when it gets very cold, I have to wait until the afternoon for the water to start flowing. Still, I've got a glaze firing to look forward to later in the week once I have all the work glazed.
Most potters will dip, pour or spray their glazes which is a quick way of giving a good covering, but because of the many different colours and types of glazes I use I am unable to employ these methods and have to brush all mine on by hand which can be a laborious job.
When they are this size they are reasonably easy to glaze as I can turn them upsidedown and make sure that I have every surface covered, I have many different size brushes which can get into every nook and cranny. But, when they are large pieces it is me that has to get upsidedown to do the glazing, and I will often have to sit on the floor painting the sculpture above me...tough work on my shoulders.
This morning (friday) was kiln opening morning. It is always very exciting when there is a new firing to open...this never seems to change, and it is the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning. This morning was no exception, and neither were the results. There was the usual mix of pieces well glazed, some disappointing experiments and a new glaze which should have been alright at this temperature, but wasn't. Still, all is not lost as they can be re fired.
One of the good things about being a potter is that whenever you need some new mugs, you can just make them! This morning we had our tea in new mugs still hot from the kiln...and the tea was lovely.
