the good, the bad and the just so wrong...

Well finally Chrissy is cranking up to be a snug one 36C forecast and about time too!! it's been wet cold and rainy for too long..

The wkd was a washout and all plans for outdoor christmas events were foiled by wind, lighting and buckets of rain.. Unusually I have no market cheer photos, I looked like a drowned rat all day but thankfully Rose carries a wet weather pack and the shiny black mac got me through the day along with a lovely new scarf from our stall neighbours.. who sadly won't be joining us next year due to market policy about imported goods! boo on them!!

On an up note the tomatoes are looking red and shiny there will be a bumper crop this year, along with trees loaded with apples, apricots, plums and lemons...If the birds don't get to them this will be a great year..

So forget about all that cold and ice or even possibly snow... this is way more the way Christmas looks in Oz well maybe not coconuts or fig leaves just swimming attire and thongs...the feet kind :))

Merry Christmas Peeps here's hoping you have close friends and family to hang with this time of year :)) cheers ang

results...

Well it's my 3rd firing in a week and the best one by far...all the changes I made to my kiln were worth while and she fired beautifully...I can't ask for anything more..

So Kathy if you're reading.. the wedding bowls are all lovely all 86 of them so you have a set of spares for yourselves :))

Today was the Wheaty Christmas sale for ceramics and glass and some beautiful pieces were on display the room was crowded for the first hour as predicted and as newbie to  the room I did far better than I expected, thanks Charmain for the invite and to the Wheaty for such a great venue :))

I came home with a few treats yey!! 4 lovely pieces that will get used often!!

So here's a few picks from the unload...

All of the raw pieces held up well..

and a surprize the nuka glaze threw up purple from the copper brushwork I think it would make it to cone 10 quite stunning for such an easy recipe... the vases, small shino bowls with ash sprinkles and the pouring bowls were all raw glazed...

oooh and the pendants MFQ clay with shinos, ash and soda sprinkles all came out well with some nice crystals forming...

thrown, trimmed and glazed...

Thrown, trimmed and glazed...
Had a fun time in the studio today whipping up a few extra pieces for the kiln load on friday...I'm not sure that they'll all fit but anyway throwing a few bowls and leaving them out in the lovely sunshine to dry off before trimming then glazing the insides...I've sprinkled some ash and some soda ash for good measure inside and will glaze the outsides tomorrow.

Yep all in one afternoon I just had to check in on Alan's Blog again about raw glazing and so glad to see it's all still there!! Its been 3 years since Alan's fatal motor bike accident.. I have dropped in occasionally on his blog and so glad today when i thought about raw glazing that his blog is still up and still an amazing resource.. Just catching up on some of his antics today made me chuckle like trying to trim a branch off a tree overhanging his pottery sign and mud stomping at a music festival....anyhoo still miss him..

So a crazy week in my studio.. we fired the small gas kiln at the club on saturday, preparations to get that happening are still a challenge, as is group firing but great as a learning environment for our club members.. 7am call til 4pm on saturday followed by an amazing stage show that night with Sade on centre stage at the entertainment centre, I honestly haven't seen that kind of production in years!! so enjoyable even if my sis double booked herself and couldn't make it so I got to take one of my besties instead!!

Sunday glazed and loaded my gas kiln fired on Monday yey the gas delivery turned up!!! 9am - 1.30am at which point I turned the baby off.. I suspect my kiln is going into early reduction with flames leaping out of the bung around 700C.. so tomorrow i'll be finishing glazing the wedding commission bowls and make a few adjustments to the air intake around the burners and the exit flue.. that's the good thing about a fibre kiln, out with the exacto knife and quick alterations will be done... and firing again on friday gas willing!

 And on another note ....note to self... leave a light on at 1.30am to see where I'm going in the dark!!! I took a slide on the large pebbles next to the garden path that I was supposed to be walking on and yep went flying, as did my favourite glass which bounced nicely.. I however didn't and a wee bit sore today, why does it take aches a day to appear!!?? anyhoo enough whinging here's some pics...

the commission

raw pouring bowls

sweet spot

a couple of raw vases

some ash and soda sprinkled inside raw pourer bowl

a few small raw bowls with shino treatment