2nd Round of Raku

This is the rest of the load. I couldn't upload all of the photos in one post. This is the load that I fired almost by myself :) Most all of these raku pieces are shown raw in a previous post to give you an idea of what you're looking at! Thanks again for your comments and suggestions.

Raku Firing!

This was done yesterday... I'm pretty pumped, but there are a few things I think I will do differently next time. It was pretty sweet, I watched Jake fire the first load and then I did the second load on my own. I feel more confident now about setting up my own kiln and doing this at home. I guess I'd need a wheel first, oh well. There is a show in Fort Dodge next week and I'm going to enter about three pieces. I have one at home that I plan on putting in, but I would like some of this stuff in it. I would love you to make suggestions, please :) Mr. Schlapkohl, I would love your input, especially.

More stuff

Here's the most recent stash of stuff. The smaller two jug like vessels with textured scrapes on the sides and the manipulated bladder are made with a special clay specifically for salt firing. I'm not sure how salt fired pieces look, but it will be neat to have some! Oh wait, the jar with handles is fresh today and is also made with the special clay. Enjoy and feel free to leave feedback!

God must like me...or I'm lucky ;)

I'm currently on spring break. Saturday I got to ride a dirt bike for the first time in four years...it felt great. Yesterday, my wife and I talked about getting a small toaster/convection oven to use less energy and cook faster for small items. Today I was at a NEW Cooperative seminar and got a free lunch. My dad, uncle, and I signed up for door prizes. I turned and told them both that I was feeling lucky today. We all got something and it turned out that Dad and I both picked up $50 Menards gift cards :) We promptly went to the store and began to look for the best way to spend our awesome prizes. Nothing really stuck out to me until I got to the appliances where I found a perfect convection oven for the precise amount that I could spend. I also signed up to win a new Camaro...we'll see what happens :)

More clay

Here's some new stuff done in raku :)

handled

These are some handled pieces that I've been working on...just to give and idea of what I was trying to explain in my last post about incorporating handles into the piece. Enjoy!

pottery

Today I am going on campus to make some pottery. I have been kind of inspired by Jake Van Wyk to incorporate handles into my pieces. Instead of just 'sticking' the handles on and leaving them be, I have started sticking handles on and continuing the lines through the rest of the piece... indenting/impressing, sort of. I don't have any pictures of it yet, though later I might. I have this fascination with plants and roots: people don't normally see roots and the role they play in a plant's existence (out of sight, out of mind). I am going to start a series of pieces that incorporates plants and roots into the clay body by building plants onto the surface and texturing the surface of the piece where the roots will go...I'll show you later.