Fatal Attractions

I guess it was bound to happen sometime...well, maybe not. But it will guarantee it never happens again.

I'm not sure if it was coincidence, or a direct result of, or just a bad omen. But last night while firing the kiln, we heard something ceramic fall to the floor. My hubby asked if something blew up in the kiln if we would hear it. I replied that Yes, we would, but it would be more of a "pop" sound WITHIN the kiln, not something dropping to the floor.

Turns out it was just one of the peep-hole plugs. So I stuck it back in, and felt very relieved, mostly. But part of me was still a tad worried about things....

Last evening we were watching a show on television called "Fatal Attractions". It featured various people who fell in love with wild large cats, such as lions or tigers, and kept them as pets, and eventually the cat either killed them, someone else, or had to be put down due to its wild nature not fitting in with the context it was living in. In many of the cases, the owner of the animal made just one mistake...but that mistake was all it took for a devastating outcome.

Turns out I was playing with fire as well. Lately I've been pushing the limits as to how thick things are that I make and decide not to carve out. I've heard an inch is a good rule of thumb. So the other night, I made about 10 little creatures about an inch thick that I planned on firing the next day if I could get them dry enough. (Mistake number one....) My daughter also happened to make a thick Christmas tree, which I really SHOULD have carved out, but due to the fact that I was very tired (I stayed up late for other last minute projects), and I had fired other stuff some-what thick, I took a risk.

It's a risk I'll never take again. I woke up, opened up the kiln, and discovered some wayward pieces of bisque-looking chunks on the top shelve where I had my glazed objects. I could figure out where they came from until I glanced down to the bottom of the kiln and saw several more fragments scattered about, and then it hit me - I finally crossed the line and blew something (or things) up in my kiln.

The tree didn't survive, nor did 4 out of my 10 little creatures. On top of that, a Christmas gift I intended didn't quite turn out as I had hoped, so I'll have to think of a way to fix that, as well.

Overall, I know it's not a huge deal. But it could have been prevented. How many times have I mentioned that you must carve out your clay? How many times have I carved out something I didn't want to because I was tired and ready to be done with clay for the day? And yet here I am. I took a chance, and I learned my lesson. No more playing with the limits in this regard again...

New Items For Sale!

I did a high-firing this weekend, with some Christmas gifts and a few Etsy items. I also did a bisque/glaze firing and experimented with some pendants. They aren't real fancy, yet, but it's a step in trying something new.

Here is the couple I was working on...I really do love this one - just like the couple in labor that I did. It's not real detailed or anything, but the FEELING really comes across for me.

I'm excited that I've gotten a few sales this month due to the holiday season. It does wonders to boost my self-esteem and urge me on to try new things, make mistakes, and get my hands dirty! I never truly give up hope, but there have been days, this past year especially, that I am too fearful to make anything at all, simply because I might fail. But with each sale, I have a source of energy and encouragement that overcomes those dark, negative thoughts. And for this, I am thankful. Even more so than for the money. The money helps pay for my clay. The affirmation keeps my drive well and thriving.

Sneak Peak!

My latest creation in the works...

What goes into a Smoke Firing?

I've been working this week on some sculptures that I intended to smoke fire, so I figured I'd show you what exactly goes into a smoke firing that makes it so special...

The first step after creating the piece is to burnish it. There are many different ways to do this, but I use a smooth rock that I found in the local creek, and burnish the clay just before it is dry, but after it is leatherhard. Here is an example of a burnished piece compared to a yet-to-be burnished piece. You can see the visible shine and smoothness of the piece on the left:

After they are fired to a low bisque temperature (cone 010 because it's what the pottery supply store had on hand in cones), I take them outdoors for the REAL fun!This time I decided to try my new trash can which I've punched holes into. Usually I use old popcorn or Christmas tins that are much smaller, but since I have five items and I DID take the time to punch all the holes in the trash can, I'll try something new.

In this case I've taken straw, salt, baking soda, coffee grounds, and miracle grow (hopefully for color) and placed it in the bottom of the can, then the pieces I'll be firing, and then more straw with colorants. Then I light it on fire, and shortly thereafter I smother it.

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It smokes for a while, but not very long. I need to learn how to get better results in color by letting it burn longer, but I never seen to be able to control what the fire does or how much it colors the pieces.

After it cools down, I remove the lid, and there are my pieces! Already you can see the variants of color the smoke has left.

After I scrub the ashes and char off the sculptures, I lightly buff them with some bee's wax/olive oil mix, to help bring out the color a bit more.

This type of firing method is very similar to how the ancients fired their pots and art, and I hope to keep experimenting with it!