Progress towards pottery

It has been a while since I’ve made any pottery. In the spring and summer I was over at Paseo Pottery at least once a week. In my experience, community studios provide inspiration for my own work as well as opportunities to volunteer to help the community. Yet, when the studio is a 10-15 minute drive from home it’s disappointing to go in only to find the pots too wet (or dry) to trim. So, I’ve been looking forward to setting up my own pottery studio here at Chula Vista.

Although many potters have a making space at home and cart their greenware into a community studio to fire their pieces, it’s a recipe for heartbreak as dry pots are super fragile before firing. I’m staying connected to Paseo and have signed up for a Thursday evening hand-building class. But, if at all possible, I want a kiln in our workshop. By incredible good luck, our Pilates trainer Jae Hoon, informed me that his wife (Anna) had kiln she inherited from her mother. The kiln was taking up space in their garden shed. Earlier this month I offered to buy it from her, but she’s not ready to let it go. She’s letting me keep and use it in my workshop, although she has the right to use it or take it back anytime she likes. That’s a great deal from my perspective. Unfortunately, we don’t yet have an appropriate (240V) outlet. An electrician is scheduled for early February. In the meantime I’m cleaning it and checking to see what needs repair.

It will take a while for me to make enough to fill the kiln. I’ve started with something simple, garden markers. These may have no relation to what I can or will actually grow, but if I wait until I have everything figured out, nothing will happen. If you’d like some markers for your own garden, let me know.