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!