Almost ready to fire.............

Well the last few weeks have be full of pottery-making. I've accumulated around 250-300 pots and there are still more to be made. I am planning on firing my gas kiln on Tuesday and then the woodkiln in about a week and a half. I am going to be firing the wood kiln with my friend Elmer Taylor, so only about 100-125 pots in that kiln. I am really excited about it though, because the wood salt always does great things for my ash glazes. Other than that I have been doing alot of research on Punch'ong ware from Korea 15th-16th century. Punch'ong ware is beautiful and has always influenced me. I will try to get some pictures of the pots in progress in the next couple days, but for now here are some from the last firing. All for now...............

Some new pots!!!!!!!

Here are some new guys out of the last firing. More to come...............Kent

Just back to making today! Telluride and Keystone were awesome. So now I've got to get some pots made! Pictures and words in a couple days. Kent

Firing finished.....4:32 am...........gotta love it

morning coffee break..........

Tenmoku/Birch Ash Faceted Bowl
Large Tenmoku/Pine Ash Jug

Shino Bowl

Yunomi/left=birch ash/right=cedar ash

Probably my favorite of the last firing

Bottle

The Garlic jar that Megan has been asking for now for a couple of years. Check... it is off the list!

Pine ash glaze

Big Tenmoku Jug

Salt and Pepper Shakers

So it is morning coffee break time. I figured it was time to put up a new post about what has been going on here in Texas. First of all it has been hot, somedays well over 100.....that is when I wonder why anyone would live here.....but then the storms come and cool it off in the late afternoon. I have for the most part been working non-stop since my last show in June. I had taken up some orders and commissions so I kept on with it. I fired that load off about a week and a half ago. These are some pots from the firing. I have to keep this short, I am firing again tonight.....so more loading this AM. More words tommorrow. Kent

Finishing up the weeks pots....and off to Llano Wine and Clay Festival in Lubbock, TX

Well, I'm all packed up and ready to hit the road down to Lubbock, TX for the annual Llano Wine and Clay Festival. I have my booth packing down to a science now. In the past taken me days to pack for a show but yesterday I was done in about 4 hours. I think bubble wrap is always the key.....and the pedestals that are packable. Anyways enough of that.........The show this weekend is always a lot of fun, usually about 40 potters there so if you like pottery you know where you need to go! Brandon Phillips (www.supportyourlocalpotter.com) will be there so it will definitely be a good time.

I have talked my friend Lance into going down to Lubbock with me for the weekend to help out. Lance is a Firefighter here in Amarillo. I talked with him around midnight last night to make sure we were still on for the trip....and he had just returned to the station from an apartment fire.....so he probably didn't sleep much last night.

Some of the pots I finished yesterday morning...............Ocher, and White Slipped Tankards.....I love the way the slip looks when it is soaking in to the clay.

Tall Foot Bowls

Chattered Slip Platter Bowl

See you in Lubbock............Kent

Moving along........

The pots are moving long and starting to fill up the racks in the studio. I had a really good finish to last week and I felt good about the progress around the pottery. Here are some bowls from Saturday that I have made for a dinnerware commission. I left more clay to trim near the base in hopes to cut a more robust foot. I feel like it worked out really well.

These are some big platter bowls that I made at the beginning of the week. I am feeling some shino with marshall green trailing on these guys. I also made a strong line just underneath the rim to stop the eye from flying off the pot.....after all it is the curve that makes it beautiful.

Mugs......need I say more....

I've been working on my faceting for some time now. I have found that for me, if I cut them at medium leather hard it works the best. When I used to make them I cut them on the wheel wet, but I always had to make them a little to robust for what I was really after.

Hakeme, Pine Ash, Ame rim, on this bowl....I also really like the way the ash glazes worked over the swags near the rim.

Porcelain Yunomi, Birch Ash Glaze

Oak Ash Nuka Yunomi

Ame Glaze applied over an ocher slip

All for now, I have pots to make today! Kent