The Day After Tomorrow
Firing the updraft kiln.
It was a beautiful spring day. I was off to a great start in the pots. I made my morning coffee and then unloaded the bisque kiln. I was then able to start glazing. The glaze I decided to use on the pots had iron oxide in the recipe. I have been enjoying how the pots fire out in the kiln when using this glaze. I thought the whole batch of pots should be done in this color. They all will be different due to their placement and how the flame in the kiln licks through the pots.
I worked slowly and steadily, dipping each mug and pouring over each vase with care. The warm weather let me open the studio doors, and the breeze helped the pots dry just enough between layers. Glazing days are always quieter—a different rhythm than throwing or trimming. There is something reflective about handling the bisqueware one last time before it heads into the fire, like saying goodbye before a journey. I thought a lot about how each piece will change in the kiln. Even though they are all made from the same clay, glazed in the same bucket, each one will come out different depending on its placement in the stack and the path the flame takes. That part is always a mystery I’ve come to respect.
Tomorrow, I’ll load the kiln carefully, trying to space the pieces just right. I’m still learning the best patterns for stacking when using this glaze. The whole process feels like solving a puzzle, and there’s satisfaction in hearing the shelves gently clink into place as the kiln fills. I’ll check the weather to time the firing to avoid strong wind, and then light the burners for the long climb to temperature. That first bit of flame always comes with a mix of nerves and excitement. This glaze yields beautiful results when it works well, but it’s finicky and requires just the right touch. Firing tomorrow gives me one more night to think it all through.
Even though I won’t see the final results for a few more days, I already feel good about this batch. I showed up for work today. I glazed the best I could and gave each pot the attention it needed. Firing is a partnership now between me and the kiln, and tomorrow it’ll be time to hand things over. Maybe the day after tomorrow I’ll open the lid and find something beautiful, or maybe I’ll see where I need to adjust. Either way, I’ll learn something. That’s the kind of making I like, one step at a time, building something that matters, one pot and one firing at a time.
If I were living yesterday a second time, I would have:
Wrote my dailies in the morning rather than the evening.
Things I am grateful for:
I went to a local business meeting. It was nice visiting with my neighbors who are small business owners.
30-Day Abundance Challenge by Carolina Perez Sanz, Day 24:
I have an abundance of ways to glaze the pots. Even though I did them all the same, it is impressive how they all come out so differently from the gas kiln.
If I get to live to be 86, I only have:
13078 days left.