Fire!

Today I had a disposable camera that I'd forgotten the contents of developed, more proof that I need a digital camera. Last year I went to a wonderful place called Soloway Ceramics Centre and wood-fired some pots. There was salt-glazing and ash-glazing and all forms of fun to be had.

The two kilns Ray keeps are lovely, when I'd been with the college there had been teams of people working on them, but this time, there were two of us, and the in-exhaustable Ray so lil' old Lil got to fire a wood firing kiln all by herself.

Observe, that's what inordinate amounts of pride and soot look like. It puts programming an electric kiln in perspective, who's afraid to play with fire? Not me!

In fact, this is me, kinda sorta breaking the kiln, I got overexcited and fired it too high with not enough time in between so that the embers built up too much and didn't get enough...oh, that's too much science for me. It went well then it went bad but then it made pots.

The pots I brought were beyond a bit rubbish, I think that unless I can get a job working a million hours a day as a production potter I'll never be sufficient on the wheel, but I'd love to see some babies salt-glazed and baptised with fire.