It Just Had to be Done!!!

How can you resist these stunning little flowers, the first colour to be seen in the garden for such a long time.....and it was a gloriously sunny warm day...i think spring might have sprung here on Cape Breton Island! It's defintely time to get those seeds in the soil! i'm way behind this year, but what with Cuba trip and being sick...and a bit of a kiln deadline...i just couldn't get to it! next week!

It's been a busy sunday here! I've been on a glaze testing binge! I aquired the glaze recipes for some pretty wonderful looking glazes awhile back....a very well known American Potter
Steven Hill has made a pretty huge leap and turned his gas (reduction) fired glazes into oxidation (electric) fired glazes....gibberish probably to most - short explanation, i fire in an oxidation atmosphere so his glazes were always out of reach.....now he has produced a DVD explaining his research and giving his recipes. i have long drooled over his surfaces, so rich and deep and juicy.....and so the other day i prepared 15 glazes to test! Given the fact that he then layers the glazes.....my potential for new surfaces is ENORMOUS!!! and of course, very time consuming! but i love it....i love the anticipation of what might be....of the complete (well not exactly!) unknown quantity of the possibilities! We got the first batch out of the kiln yesterday...wow, that was just so exciting.....i could hardly wait to let the pieces cool down....pulled them out of the kiln while they were still around 400 degrees C!!! then came the deciphering of the information and the figuring out of the next step!

Today i spent the morning making larger batches of 5 of the new glazes....with the intention of trying some of them out on the Whirling Dervish Teapots which will be glazes tomorrow and fired.....tuesday i'll be able to open the kiln and ..... well, we will see !

A lovely quiet evening ahead....still trying to be kind to my poor old stomach so something a little light. but hey, i've had a beer...so things are on the mend i'd say!