: Idaho Potter - Viewing Profile

There's also a book "Alternative Kilns and Firing Techniques" by James C. Watkins & Paul Andrew Wandless. It's a Lark Ceramics book. It might help. A raku kiln (there's directions on building them) might be your best bet as you can tumble bisque your pots and can easily watch the sight cones mature to cone 06 or 05. Some of the other types of firings make it difficult to even find the cones.

Maybe there is a place in your area where you could get your pots bisqued? Ask around, many potters don't mind letting a bisque load go through, but show reluctance for glaze firings. Welcome to our world.

Shirley

Back in the day when I'd set up a booth and tote everything in, I had a hard time talking about my own work. Partly because I figured someone would declare me a fraud. I never have had problems talking with strangers, but about my own work?

A friend, a fine painter, felt that way about her work. We ended up trading booths--I sold her work (being an oil painter in a previous life gave me the background of how the paintings were done), she sold mine. We always said we were helping out a friend, but I really loved her work, and she was a collector of pottery so had the knowledge to sell mine. We did this for two years, until we both relaxed enough to become friends to ourselves.

Would you be able to do a raku firing in front of people? It's hard to describe especially going into post-firing reduction (their eyes glaze over). I wish we'd had the opportunity of making videos back then, 'cause that's what I would have done. Get a couple of friends to help you do a raku firing, have one of them video it, and make sure the video includes you taking the pots from the kiln and putting them on the combustibles. Everyone loves a good fire, that's wny some of the raku "parties" are done around sundown.

Hang in there, you'll bring everything together successfully.

Shirley

Mea, I found a pic of me that I'd like to post in my profile, but it's too big. There's that info that says it will resize, but it didn't. I am lost can you help?

Shirley


Doggone computers! I was on my profile page and was trying to exit and voila! The picture magically appeared. It is very late, and it's done. If I knew how to remove my initial question, I would have done it . . . sorry.

The first time I worked with clay (other than mud pies when very young) was when my daughter (7yrs.) wanted to take ceramics and the only class available said that children under tem must be accompanied by an adult. At the time, I was a woodcarver, so--except for one pot--I produced sculptures. Didn't touch clay again for 13 years when I had a time period between classes (at BSU) that I either had to fill with a class or find a soft place to nap. It was easier taking a class--ceramics 101.

Shirley

Water protection is at its best when clay reaches vitrification. So if you are working with mid-fire clays, that means firing to the cone (5 or 6) for that clay. I have several cups I've purchased from other potters that are glazed inside and on the lip, but no glaze on the outside. They don't leak.

Shirley