This station is non operational

This piece still needs a tittle. Now accepting ideas! Please post them in the comments section! 

One and a half days more of work, a night bus which promises to be far longer than I care to think on, and a good bit of line standing and I'll be ready for three days of mountains and rock my face off music.  I am headed for Fuji Rock which will  culminate with me seeing a band I have loved since I was at Hamilton Jr. High, but thought I would never have a chance to see because they broke up, BUT THEY'RE back and I can't wait to see them, and all the other bands. 

See ya'll next Thursday! 

Isogashi [busy]

This week went in a flash, and yielded no studio time. That means ceramic dreams and more photos from the last firing. Perhaps next week will be a more giving in free time. Off to English Camp for three days. Have a great weekend!

Sunrise

I had a restless night last night. Summer's heat has fully set in, and it made the tent I was sleeping in more like a sauna than I could stand. I'm not built for heat (despite my affinity for fire's creative kiss). I spent the holiday weekend wining and dining with some of the finest people I've ever had the pleasure of coming to know (Thanks for a fantastic weekend Colin and Marie!). I think a portion of my  restlessness came from having to bid farewell, for now, to some of these folks, but all of that sleeplessness was set to right by watching the sun rise.

  

How I wish I could get colors like those in my glazes. 

I'm very happy with the way this large serving bowl came out of the kiln. 

Every day should start like this, but perhaps with a touch more actual sleep beforehand. 

Hopefully I will have a little studio time this week, but if I'm being honest with myself there is little likeliness of that becoming a reality. Have a good week everyone. We'll see you on Thursday. 

All tests and no clay . . .

makes me a busy busy, and admittedly slightly grumpy, Bear. School's jumped to warp 11 until Wednesday next week when the semester ends. Here's some more work from the recent firing. See youMonday!

Spots, dots, and new color bliss.

This one's bound for California to improve a dear friend's sake consumptions. 

The kiln gods were good to me this firing! Two sake sets and some twin cups many more photos to unveil slowly. This week is really full on with finals and test writing so Thursday may not happen. . . we can only see what the week actually puts before me. Enjoy the photos and your weeks!

Mapping unknown paths

New work ready to be loaded and fired this weekend.  

Monday came and went in a flurry of meetings for orientations, planing of vacations, and extra review sessions with my best students for finals. Along with surprising business of this week (and the lack of my promised Monday postings)  I managed to squeeze about 7 pots in with last weekend's firing of student work. Since the fantastic results from my first experiment in firing cycles the school has also been using the longer down fire process. However, this firing didn't produce quite the same results.

The colors are still pleasantly deeper, but the yellow ran and pooled in very different ways that I can't say I'm particularly crazy about. The wine goblets were fun to make, and have close to the feel I was going for, but they lack the controlled blending and transitions from one glaze to the next that I was really going for. Even though these forms turned out as a fun trial of the new firing cycle the coffee bowls I made turned out quite nice and got more of the layering and blending I was after.

I could ramble on out this week's muddy dreams of futures (much like last weeks post), wow you with hypotheticals that keep me tossing at night (and unfocused in the office), or I could just say that I'm really excited for the opening of the kiln on Monday. Live for the present right! I'm also excited for an August trip to Tokyo because there will be a fantastic looking exhibit focusing on the great one, Bernard Leach. You can bet your trimming tools I'll be going to that.

Have a great weekend!