you know it's right and yet.....

We are not new to the game of pottery making down here in Whynot and, yet, we feel some days as if we are babes in the woods.
We have been at this just long enough to feel that we are starting over.
Why?
Glad you asked.
In the time we have been making pottery things have changed.
Oh, I don't mean our age, the gray hair, with those things should come a little knowledge.
I say a little no one ever knows it all in this business and if they do, well, don't say it out loud unless you can take the knocks when things go wrong.
My thoughts are we have been here long enough to watch as clay bodies, chemicals for glazes, materials have changed.
And, what happens to us, the little people, is that we don't know about the change until we are knee deep in a glaze that is reacting differently, a clay body that is spitting out bits after it is bisque fired or some other surprise that the powers that be have in store for us.
This past week we ran out of wax resist and thought we would just pick some up at one of the two suppliers we have near us rather than order what we always use, and have used, for years.
We could not get the tried and true so we just grabbed some and we were using it all over the place.
It worked on many of the glazes, but, here is the but, but not on the iron red.
I had glazed a bowl in the red and did three swirls on the inside, went off for lunch and came back to find one of the swirls not only peeled away but sticking up in the air as if to say, "hey there!" look at what I can do." I was able to just lift the whole thing off.
That is when you begin to look at everything.
What was it used on and what else is waving hello?
Let us just say that after choice words, thoughts of getting a job and thoughts of smacking trees with many glazed pots we moved into plan B.
Instead of loading the kiln after lunch as we had planned we pulled  out more pots and went back to glazing and washing.
As we ran across pots with peeling glaze they went in the wash pile.
We replaced those pots and glazed many more.

Then we contact our friend and glaze Guru John Britt for a bit of advice.
Mark and John, who is the nicest most sharing person you ever want to meet, had a great chat while I looked up and read about  the difference in wax  resist.
There is great information out there on the web.
This was a good reminder, a kick in the pants, as to the old saying we have here at Whynot.
Do not make changes in the middle of anything.
When you know something works do not bring in an unknown into the mix.
It is the same with glazes, we try to have glazes mixed before we start and when we are being really smart we mix ahead to test the new batch.

Last night a glass, or two, of wine smooth some feathers.
Today is a new day, pots are glazed, we are heading out to load the kiln.
Now where is that application for Wally World?

 ( no pots were harmed in the making of this blog)

Sweet smells of summer

I'm here recovering from a busy weekend with a lot going on.
The Open House was really nice with a steady stream of folks coming down.
Even Sunday had some real highlights.
Monday we saw a few folks but mainly we were sleep walking through the studio trying to gear our brains back to glazing.
We did load up Mark's big bottles and managed a long,slow bisque. It is always a worry when you are bisque firing big boys. We did a preheat of 5 hours the day before and then programed the kiln for the long fire, about 12 hours. I did not breath until they were unloaded this morning.
Oh, yea that step is done.
Mark has the rest plus 3 big vases preheating today.
It will be another long bisque with fingers crossed.

While getting ready for the open house I was in and out of our local Slowe's store to buy some plants.
It has been awhile since I grew or bought flowers and discovering their "mark down" area was too much to pass up.I found many plants that just wanted some love, good dirt and water. They are working away in planters now.
Then I spotted a small gardenia and it was all over.I had to have this one even at the full price of 6.00, a splurge on my part but this should grow and give me many years of sweet flowers.
We dug a good hole on Sunday and put her in the ground only to find her undug the next morning....
Darn critters.
I replanted and then circled the plant with bricks to keep her safe from said critters.

I guess the sweet smell and soft dirt were too much for whoever was wandering through the yard.

I also bought this plant that was about half dead and put it in a planter. It has a sweet yellow flower but in my haste to be tidy I tossed out the tag. It has been blooming everynight and then the flower last about a day before it gives up. Now, is this a night blooming plant? Does anyone know what it is?

If not I guess it will give me an excuse to go back and buy more plants.
Really I had better get on some tomatoes plants soon.
Maybe some eggplant as well.

Those pots for glaze are calling more pictures of pots soon.
Cheers!
M