In my last blog, I spoke about my kiln and how I have a love hate relationship with it. It turned out to be an electrical problem and also that my kiln was firing too hot on the top and the bottom. So, off it went to be modified so that it fires better and more evenly and of course, these modifications always set one back a few bucks. So for now I will keep working and looking forward to my kiln’s return and hopefully we will have a new start.

On a completely different note, yesterday I decided that I would try a new clay body from Pottery Supply House in Oakville, Ontario. It is a different porcelain that I discovered when I went to Haliburton School for the Arts in the spring.  Jessica Steinhauser of Stonehouse Pottery in Guelph was teaching the course that I was taking and recommended that I give it a try. It is a bit stiffer than the other clay that I have been used to and I am able to push it a bit more without it collapsing which I like. The real test will be if my glazes are a match for it or not. 

Here are some photos that my 3 1/2 year old budding photographer took yesterday. We Canadians are celebrating Thanksgiving this weekend. It is great time to recharge, relax and reconnect with family and friends. Happy Thanksgiving Canada!

Lately I have been having a lot of firing nightmares. Sometimes my kiln fires too hot in some spots and sometimes too cool. At least when it is too cool, I can re-fire some pieces even though I don’t like to because it tends to make the clay weak.  I am constantly reassessing what I potentially did wrong because sometimes it is something that I indeed am responsible for.

The kiln that I have was custom built on specks that my husband who is an electrical technologist. Turns out, 6 years later, it was not a great design for an oval kiln. The first piece used to be square. Maybe I can come up with a new shape for this or maybe one already exists?

Sometimes I wish I worked in another media where what you see is what you get. Sure you can screw that stuff up too but with clay you are relying on heat to give you great results and for the most part that is what happens. 

These days, I am getting ready for the upcoming holiday season because anyone who works in clay knows that you need to plan way ahead.  I know that this situation with my hot and cool kiln must be resolved because I cannot stand to lose any more work.  It is challenging to face the loss of another load of work.

When I arrive at a crossroad such as this with clay, I question why I and many others do work with clay and the answer is because we love it.  When I am away from it, I want to be near it.  I have been enraptured with it for a long time now and I suspect even after this last bad firing that we are going to kiss and make up once again.

I have been thinking a lot lately about how fortunate I am to live in Canada. I truly feel blessed to have open space, a roof over my head, a wonderful family, and a full belly everyday.  So many in other parts of the world don’t have all of the necessities that we take for granted, like clean water, a comfortable place to live, and enough money to send their children to school.

Where I live, I am blessed to be part of a community that values all that we have and still looks to help others whenever they can, whether by lending an ear, sharing a meal, or raising funds for a good cause.

I have been thinking about how blessed I feel to do the work that I do. I have a plan for the upcoming holiday season. It is to donate $5.00 from a series of mugs that I am developing to a good cause, whether it is our foster family in India, a soup kitchen, or a food bank.  They are intended to create a pause in our lives, as they will each have something written on them.  So far, I have come up with Joy, Love, Peace, Faith and Hope.  If you have any words that you would like to add I would love to hear them. 

The inside of the mug is glazed red and the outside is glazed in a light yellow. Both glazes are food safe as well as microwave and dishwasher safe. If there any other colour combinations that you would like to see, please let me know.

I love this time of year. It hasn’t been an incredibly warm summer this year. This week we have been blessed with sunny, hot weather and wildflowers seem to love that.  A few years ago, I began pressing flowers in clay. Some worked well and others didn’t. One of the ones that did was Queen Anne’s Lace. It was hardy enough to be pressed and pulled out without coming apart while others either did not leave enough of an impression because they are too delicate. Some of the hardier ones like Scotch Thistle are too deep and go right through the clay.  Queen Anne’s Lace leaves amazing detail and during our past few crazy winters, I have often picked up a tile and was left remembering what summer felt like.

Yesterday I decided that I would press some before summer is gone and the flowers would dry up and wither.

I have documented through photos the process of pressing them. At the end, I will show you a completed one.

The first image shows the tile that I have cut for placement on the tile. I have already cut the piece of clay and I will put it through the slabroller again with the flower laid on top.
The second image shows what tile looks like once the flower has been embedded into the clay. The excess clay with be trimmed off.
The third image shows how the flower can be removed without disturbing the clay or the flower. If there is any part of the flower that is left in the clay, I just let it burn out in the firing.
Once I have bisque fired the tiles, I glaze them with a clear glaze and then usually sprayed a couple of other colours on top. I have a number of different tiles in my etsy shop if you would like to see more of the possibilites.  They make the most amazing backsplash images for a bathroom or kitchen. They can also be used as coasters. They remind those of us who experience long snowy winters what summer felt like.

I love to read books on Ceramics. Recently, I completed another book by one of my favourite potters, Robin Hopper. There is always so much to explore. So many clay bodies, types of firings, a huge range of surface decoration options and the list goes on. One of the wonderful things about working in clay is that the options for exploration seem to be limitless.

When I was in school, I was all about glazes and decorating with. When I left school and began a studio of my own in a big city, I had no choice but to work with an electric kiln.
I believe that it is true that when one works with an electric kiln, that we have to work harder to make the surface more interesting. I think that when you have a strong form to begin with, it makes a bigger difference.
Lately, I have been examining where I am with forms that I make and concentrating on making the ones that speak to make. Periodically, I feel the need to reassess where I am with my work. Every potter develops their own style and I came to realize that the forms that I made 15 years ago, still speak to me today. They have changed in a number of ways because we change as we evolve with our work.  When I look at the work of others, I find that I can become transfixed on either strong glazing applications or strong lines within the form.
When I moved away from Toronto 5 years ago, I found that all of my work underwent a big transformation. I made a lot of functional pieces from slabs (flat pieces of clay) laid into templates that my husband made for me. I decorated with slip and then sprayed layers of glazes.  I loved that work and still do today. These days I am working on a new dinnerware line which I have decided to throw on my wheel. I haven’t made the big plates or finished the mugs yet. This is my work in progress.  I would feedback if anyone is willing to share it. Tell me what you like and what you don’t like. I would appreciate. It makes me a better potter.