I haven’t posted much about my firing last week because I’ve been struggling with the results.
here’s my math…5 firings x 2 chambers = 10 chambers fired. I’d rate the salt chamber this time in the top two and the wood chamber in the bottom two. I missed reduction in the wood and I’m still troubled by that…I thought it looked right and without it a lot of the work in that chamber is pale and looks underfired. I don’t think that temperature is at fault here…cone 12 was down in most spots. I added bentonite to some of the glazes to make them stick on the raw pots but I don’t think that’s a factor. I feel a bit like I’ve fallen off a horse and I’m reluctant to climb back on. It is discouraging to produce so many mediocre pots. Hard to sell…hard to even look at.
I am excited by several slips in the salt; I’ve been searching for a surface that is more ‘satin’ than orange peel and glass and I think I’ve got a couple now. I’ve always known what I want from the salt…the wood is the challenge that I laid out for myself. I always knew that if wood alone didn’t seem interesting that I’d salt both chambers. I’m not sure if this is the moment to make that change. Rudi thinks I should switch, but he’s an engineer….and I’m an artist. Eventually he’s right, but I usually take a different route to that same conclusion. I’m not sure if that’s creativity or stubborness.
here’s my math…5 firings x 2 chambers = 10 chambers fired. I’d rate the salt chamber this time in the top two and the wood chamber in the bottom two. I missed reduction in the wood and I’m still troubled by that…I thought it looked right and without it a lot of the work in that chamber is pale and looks underfired. I don’t think that temperature is at fault here…cone 12 was down in most spots. I added bentonite to some of the glazes to make them stick on the raw pots but I don’t think that’s a factor. I feel a bit like I’ve fallen off a horse and I’m reluctant to climb back on. It is discouraging to produce so many mediocre pots. Hard to sell…hard to even look at.
I am excited by several slips in the salt; I’ve been searching for a surface that is more ‘satin’ than orange peel and glass and I think I’ve got a couple now. I’ve always known what I want from the salt…the wood is the challenge that I laid out for myself. I always knew that if wood alone didn’t seem interesting that I’d salt both chambers. I’m not sure if this is the moment to make that change. Rudi thinks I should switch, but he’s an engineer….and I’m an artist. Eventually he’s right, but I usually take a different route to that same conclusion. I’m not sure if that’s creativity or stubborness.
