Fresh Air Art Celebration & Trouble in the Kiln

 

these little business card holder critters were created with the good clay, so they survived the firing just fine.

This coming Saturday, July 24, is the Fresh Air Art Celebration at Sarge Hubbard Park from 10-3. This is an outdoor art fair featuring 40 some local artists. I agreed to do this inagural outdoor art fair when I was invited in June, though being outside during the day in late July isn't always my favorite activity.

planters from the original firing (charcoal glaze)

The event should have work for sale by lots of artists in different media and activities for the kids (besides the playground, I'm guessing). So if you're looking for some handmade gifts or fun ceramics for your own house, come visit me next weekend!

citrus squeezers from earlier firings

I'm frankly starting to get worried now, since Larson Gallery and the Greenway don't appear to be promoting this event (everything I can find online seems to be aimed at artists, not visitors to the event). The event was presented to me first as a kid's art activity, then, later, as an opportunity for artists to sell their work.

COVID balls from earlier this year

Based on the kids, I thought this could be a decent opportunity to sell some of my smaller work, including fucntional items like planters and citrus squeezers and some COVID themed items. I even made some functional work earlier this summer and glazed it a few weeks ago before we left on a family road trip.

glazed bowls waiting for this ill-fated firing

I loaded the kiln before I left so I could fire immediately when I got home. But the results weren't what I was hoping for. Apparently I confused one of the glaze colors. I thought I had used a light grey (fog) glaze on my COVID planters and cups, when I had apparently used charcoal the first time I made these. The results are a little disappointing.

bubbled in the clay and light grey fog glaze

 

More tragically, I must have had some low fire clay mixed in with the mid fire porcelain reclaim that I used for basically everything in this firing. The low fire clay melted at mid range temperatures, meaning that parts of some of the bowls and cups melted in the kiln. Where they've melted, they've bubbled. Sometimes you can trace the swirls of the pottery wheel in the swirl of the bubbles, which might be interesting if it didn't ruin the pieces.

large bubble marring the interior of this bowl

This bubbled work really isn't safe for eating and drinking, especially if it might end up in a microwave, which is depressing, especially since some of my glazes worked well, especially in my bowls.  Some of the pieces appear to be fine, so that's a relief, but I am disappointed about the others--and about the rest of that reclaimed clay!

interior decoration after firing

I am also finding that my motivation has been sapped by the mistake. I don't really know what I should be working on, as I can't throw new pieces with this clay. I've ordered more, but I probably need to just get this reclaimed clay out of my studio so I can't make this mistake again. 

kiln partly loaded

I should be packing up for the show this weekend, but I'm feeling a little funny about the show given that the gallery isn't advertising it. Sitting outside in the hot in July and talking to people about my work can be fun. Sitting outside in the hot in July with no one there...

miniature pots from this last firing

Let me know if you're coming to the event this Saturday! Have you heard about it? Tell your friends!