Unloading

With a week of temperatures in the high 80s, it made sense to wait an extra half-day to unload the kiln. Thursday morning was much cooler than Wednesday night, even if the kiln was still potholder-hot on top. I'd tinkered a little with the fuel and air, this firing, hoping to have less over-reduction on top. The result was slightly better--fewer pots to re-fire--but a lot that were, if not oxidized, not terribly reduced either. Aggressively neutral? I've decided not to care so much.

Here's a sample of the results. A pair of pie plates, the one on the right a little paler than I'd like (most noticeable on the rim, though if the image included iron or rutile, you'd see the bleaching).

One of two full ware boards of tall mugs; hoping this means I can stay ahead of demand for a bit. Also a rather nice cephalo-cream pitcher.

A pair of pasta bowls. They haven't been selling, necessarily, but they're easy to throw and fun to paint. And they help fill up the kiln.

An aerial view of a really nice batch of dessert plates.

And of course, the return of Spider Plate! Now in dinner size! (And thank the kiln gods, it matches the first one.)

Lonely

 
The kiln always looks so lonely after we've finished unloading it.

Breakneck pace

After two weeks of glazing, firing, and repeated repairs, it will almost be restful to go down to Saturday Market tomorrow and just sit down for a bit.