I have been mooching around the kiln the last couple of days, taking care of a variety of odd jobs as I fill time before Wednesday evenings ignition. I often struggle with the timing of my firings…it’s the one part of my working life that I can’t do alone and juggling the schedule of my own needs, those of my helpers and life in general stresse me out. And I’m never sure how long it will take me to glaze and load. And I hate to be rushed, so this feels luxurious…so luxurious in fact that I am going to D.C. in the evening to see a production of Henry IV pt. 1 while Beth and Christina start the fire! Never before have I been so cavalier! The last firing was less than wonderful, but as always, I have high hopes and great expectations. I know that the kiln is full of some very good work…now wood and fire and salt and ash and air all have a chance to have their way with my efforts. It’s a powerful thing.
I think that this is the first time I’ve fired this kiln (#16) without an assistant or two. When I sold the Art Center and returned to full-time studio work I decided that I wanted to also return to working solo…at least for a while. So mixing wadding, stacking wood, cleaning shelves and fireboxes, sieving glazes and bricking up the doors (that’s wicket for my British friends) were part of this load. So was Michael putting shelves into the kiln for me and building a little addition to my studio in the meantime.
I must remember to buy salt…I’ve forgotten more than once!
