Autumn with a vengeance

Where have the last weeks gone? The last thing I remember is enjoying our long late summer and the wonderful expansive East Anglian September skies, then the clocks went back and now dusk is beginning in the afternoon. It rained heavily all day today and the water butts are full.

As I write this the dark is rising and my feet are icy. It could be somewhat depressing but I find I have a workshop full of pots that are trying to dry and I am well on the way to having my first kiln load. My aim is to make enough pots for two firings in the large kiln, back to back, so that I have a good selection for Ceramic Art London and an exhibition I have in France next year.

 These are made with a couple of different very coarse clays, for the front of the kiln. They will be partially glazed at most. I have one more batch of grog to fire (all prepared and seived and in the gas kiln) for my final large pieces. The largest, at the front, is about 60cm long.

I've also been making a variety of new forms and building up textured layers od slips, from some of the many interesting clays that I have collected. these are for further back in the kiln, where they will be more protected.

I'm making the platters at the moment and then after that the final clay body - a kaolin based almost-porcelain. I'm currently ball milling quartz to go into it (nice and fine - around 120 -200 mesh), then next week it's the other igneous rock additions.
It's a slow slow process, so I'm hoping to fire early next year.