Final Firing of the Year

I just unloaded my kiln for the last time this year.  All of my special orders for the holidays are done and will be shipped out on Monday.  I will be in the studio this week in case anyone would like to stop by to finish up their holiday shopping.  I still have a good inventory available with this last firing.  I will also have my Etsy shop open until next Thursday the 19th.

I am posting a picture of the one and only fermentation crock that I have available for sale.  It is $100 and holds a little less than a gallon.  I made weights to go along with it that are not pictured.  The first one to contact me at lkindler@gmail.com will get it.  I can ship it to you, or you can stop by my studio to pick it up.  If you are one of my loyal Texas followers, you are in luck.  I will be in both the Austin and Dallas areas over the holidays.  I will gladly bring it with me to save you the shipping charges if you let me know by Thursday.  As far as that goes, I'll bring you anything that I have available on my shelves.  Just let me know what you are looking for and I can send you some pictures to consider.

Reflections on The Tour

Once a year I wipe down all of my pottery and put it out on display.  It garnishes every suitable open workspace that I have in my studio.  There is that moment when I have finished the last bit of cleaning and I take a moment to simply admire the work that I have done.  I don't linger long, but it is important to take it all in collectively and feel pride.  Back in my days of training as a classical singer, I had an opera coach that encouraged us to look at a performance as simply stepping out of our linear progression to say this is where I am and where I have come from.   It is not the end product, but the place where my progression has led me, and I will continue from here.  I have always liked this idea, so this is where I am in my journey.

I would like to offer my gratitude to all of the many people that ventured up my dirt road to visit my studio this past weekend on The Dixon Studio Tour.  I enjoyed the support of many Dixon locals, as well as those that came from near and far.  It is a special time for our community when we put on display our talents as artists, organizers, and volunteers.  It is a great undertaking to put on such an event in a tiny village, and one that we couldn't do without the many members of our community that donate their time to helping out the artists in various ways.  Many of us have the support of friends and family that help out by baking, wrapping our goods, directing traffic, and in my case, watching over the kids.  No small task goes unnoticed.  This year the weather was beautiful and the shoppers were out, both are essential elements to a successful tour.  Yes, I would consider it a great success this year.

I took a few special orders this weekend for items that were either sold out or just not in the glaze you wanted.  I will have one more round of firings before Christmas, and then close up the studio for the cold month of January.  If you are interested in a specific item, please let me know soon so that I can get it into the next firing.  There was a great deal of interest in the fermentation crocks and I will be making more for this firing, but it is best to get your name down for one because they will go quickly.   I will not be at the Espresso Gallery this year, but I am always available for you to come by my studio.  Just drop me a line at lkindler@gmail.com to let me know when you will be here.  I am also in the process of replenishing my inventory in my Etsy shop if you are not nearby.  Please keep in mind that I have a lot of inventory that is not on my Etsy shop, so feel free to contact me directly and I will send you pictures of anything you might be interested in.

New Items

We sent out over 6,000 maps for the Dixon Studio Tour a week ago, so I imagine many of you are seeing my blog for the first time.  Welcome.  I am in the midst of a fierce firing schedule in order to get ready for the tour and I'll be posting more pictures as I unload the kiln.  Last year I had a few customers ask me to make yarn bowls and honey jars, so I will have both available this year.  I have made them in an assortment of colors and they've all turned out quite lovely.   I will also have many of the same items as last year from mugs to bowls, serving dishes, vases, and of course the french butter dishes.  I will have one and only one fermentation crock as all of the others are spoken for.  There will be garlic keepers, platters, soap dispensers, and more.  The raku kiln got a bit of use last week and I'll fire it up again shortly.  If there is something specific that you are looking for, please  don't hesitate to ask.

Loaded kiln awaiting the glaze firing

Lori Kindler Pottery in Action

Back in Business

     After what seemed like an excruciating wait, my new kiln arrived a few weeks ago.  Since then I have been firing every imperfect piece of bisqueware that I could find on my dusty shelves trying to get my glazes to look just right.  It took a little more tweaking than I had expected, but I think I am finally there.  The new kiln is much fancier than the old kiln.  The manual itself is a beautiful piece of work--only something you can appreciate when you've sat scratching your head over a total lack of instruction.  Let's just say that this kiln is a major step up from the old one.  The most noticeable difference is just how much longer I have to wait to unload the kiln because it retains the heat so much better.  I realize that is a feature that I wanted, but the waiting is always so hard.

      Now that I have figured it all out, I am firing the good stuff again.  My shelves have been full of these beautifully glazed pieces that I tried to fire in my old kiln on that fateful day.  Now they are out and ready for someone to enjoy.  I have posted the pictures a few of my favorites.  I love these new button mugs and cups.  I anticipate making several more sets of these in the upcoming weeks.  I am listing these pieces in my Etsy store, but they are also available in my studio.

Farewell, My Kiln

I headed down to the studio first thing yesterday morning to load my kiln.  I have worked very hard this past month catching up on a number of commissions and the last of them was to go in this final firing before I head out on vacation.  One piece in particular was to be a birthday gift, so the timing was essential.  However, my kiln had other plans.  It would not be firing on this ill-fated day.  A rather crucial piece was broken.  I immediately got out the manual which was handed down to me when I bought this used kiln three years ago.  The manual told me only the general name for the piece, not the part number or specifics.  It did not tell me how to replace it, only to have a qualified repair person look at it.  After further searching, I discovered that the kiln had been discontinued long ago.  It was a bleak day indeed.

Aside from my handmade raku kiln, this is the only kiln that I have ever solely operated myself.  It is the kiln that I developed all of my glazes in through much trial and error.  I will not say that I have been completely happy with it, but it has served its purpose and was a good way to start out.  It is rather inefficient and struggles to get to the top temperatures that I need.  I have longed for a kiln with the thicker 3" fire brick for better insulation.  I have struggled with warping plates and blamed part of the problem on the kiln because it cools down too quickly.  In the past, I have done a little research into a new kiln with this one feature in mind.  I would also like a kiln with a name brand that one would recognize for the simple ease of replacement parts and servicing.  I was quickly coming to the realization that now is the time for that new kiln.  I continued my research yesterday afternoon and decided upon my desired kiln.  It was a long shot, but I called up the local kiln supplier to see if they had any in stock.  They did not.  A new kiln will need to be ordered.  My firing will not happen before my family vacation.

Those of you that know me will understand my level of punctuality and realize that this was a big blow to the core of who I am.  I am someone who always believes in being prepared and I will go to great lengths to see that it happens.  However, some things are out of our hands, so I made the call to my client who happens to be a dear friend.  Of course, she let me off the hook gently.  I had one other commission that was to go in this firing, but there is no hard and fast deadline.  Luckily all of my commissions that I am hand delivering on our trip are already boxed up and ready to go.

So, stay tuned for pictures of my shiny new kiln....

Cups of Many Colors

I love this photo at the top.  It displays all but one of my glazes.  I got a commission to make these tall cups and she requested that I use a variety of glazes of my own choosing.  There is something incredibly fun about them.  She has a large family with lots of kids.  I can imagine each kid choosing a cup and always knowing which one belongs to them because of the distinct glaze.  I've had a few other mothers come into my studio to choose different cups for each one of their children.  It is the same in my house with no two cups being the same.

The photo below is the large fermentation crock that I pulled out of the kiln this morning.  I had two in this firing and they are both spoken for.  The bad news is that I had one crack before it even made it into the first firing.  That was heartbreaking because a lot of work went into it, but this is the way the clay crumbles.  I'm excited about these crocks and I plan on making many more.  Every time I tell someone about them, they hand me a new idea for marketing them.  I'm hoping to find the time to run with all of these ideas that people are throwing at me.

Although the cups and crocks are already spoken for, I did unload a number of items that will simply be for sale in my studio and on Etsy.  I have french butter dishes back in stock.  I also have this beautiful raku wall pocket to the left available.  I love this piece, and I am very happy that I managed to get it out of the kiln with my tongs before breaking it.  It was a little dicey there for a minute, but well worth the struggle.

Fermentation Crock

Moat

Crock base

Lid

Many months ago I was asked by a local friend and farmer to make a German fermentation crock.  I had no idea what she was talking about.  She started describing a large gallon-sized crock with a moat around the top for water to make a seal that would keep out the mold and bacteria.  She sent me some pictures to clarify my fuzzy understanding.  It wasn't entirely clear to me how I would make this work, so it went on the back burner.  The holidays came and went, personal grief entered my life, and I wasn't in the studio much.  As I was getting back to work after all of this, I had a second person ask me to make one.  I gave it some more thought, and the solution finally hit me.  I'm not sure why it took so long, but it did and I've finally taken on both commissions.  I made the moat separately and adhered it to the top of the large crock with some coils once it was leather-hard.  I am very pleased with the final result. Considering they are made in three pieces, you have to add a knob, and they are quite large, it is a lot of work to make these. However, I do plan on making many more of these to sell out of my studio and possibly online.  I personally find them interesting, and I believe there is a market for them.

Fermented foods are certainly recognized as healthy.  Several years ago I read the book Wild Fermentation and was intrigued.  My husband went right after the sauerkraut, but I remember feeling like I wish that we had a good vessel for making it in.  I am making inserts to go along with these crocks so that will weigh down the vegetables to submerge them in the liquid.  I think that is one of the places where we went wrong, but it is the water seal that I believe will make the biggest difference.  Eventually I will make one of these that is sub-par, and it will find its way into my own kitchen alongside all of the other mediocre things that I've made that aren't fit for selling.  It's sad but true; however, I do look forward to giving this fermentation thing a go in a proper crock.

Urns

     Perhaps I should warn you that this may be a rather morbid post, but you probably guessed that from the title.  Anyone reading this that knows me personally will know that I have recently had a death in my family.  A very aggressive cancer took my step-father a few weeks ago, exactly ten weeks from his diagnosis.  I was with him a couple of weeks before he passed, giving me the opportunity to say good-bye.  When I returned home, I went to work in my studio and dealt with the situation in my own quiet way.  Knowing he wished to be cremated, I made an urn.  I made the one in the middle and carved it, but I am not quite sure that it is big enough.  Since making it, I have held the surprisingly heavy box that holds his remains and done a little reading about the capacity needed.  He was a big man, therefore we will need a big urn.  I returned home a little less than a week ago after his memorial and made a few more urns which are a little bigger.  The one on the right is the largest and will probably be big enough, but I will make one more a little larger just to be on the safe side.  Clay shrinks.  A lot.  It shrinks initially as it dries, then again in each firing.  I sometimes feel as if it is a cruel joke to see the miniature finished product knowing how I struggled with the initial large form.  I am becoming stronger, but it is still a stretch for me to throw very large pieces.
     This process has been good for me in many ways.  We all have our own way of dealing with things.  I am not one to show a lot of outward emotion and I don't always have a lot to say, but my mind is constantly moving.  In the studio I work out these thoughts with the flow of my work.  The turn of the wheel calms and balance is found.  At times it quiets my thoughts into mediation, while other times they stream forward.  I always find it interesting to make a piece for a specific person.  They are always there in my mind.  Sometimes I do not know the person well and it is like a shadow hovering in the corner.  When it is someone I am more familiar with, they are entirely present throughout the process.  It is an amazing way of clarifying someone's significance in my life.

My First Teapot

I have been intimidated by the teapot form, so before today I hadn't attempted it.  There are a lot of steps to it.  First you make what could just be a canister, then you make the spout on the wheel.  You start with a bottomless column and taper it.  Once it is close to being leather-hard, you cut off part of the  bottom of the column at a diagonal so that it can be attached to the canister.  This took me a number of tries, but in the end it worked out.  I cut a number of holes in the side of the canister before adhering the spout. Next I attached the handle, then turned my attention to the lid.  The knob is attached to the lid once it is also close to being leather-hard.  I also put a small hole in the lid to allow air to enter the teapot as the tea is being poured.  Sound like a lot of work?  It is, but I'm happy with my first attempt.  I can't say that for many of the things I've made on a first try.

Back to Work

White stoneware clay from NM Clay

I headed down to the studio last weekend with hopes of working, but it was just too cold.  I tried again this weekend and finally made a few things, in spite of the cold weather.  Cold weather does not make for inviting working conditions in a potter's studio.  Your hands are constantly submerged in water, and even when it starts out as warm water it will never last long.  You'll laugh at this, but there is actually a little wind that comes off of the rotation of the wheel.  You put that together with cold clay and you have some miserable working conditions.  I do a number of things to combat these factors, such as storing a few bags of clay in the warmest room of my house.  This means that I am constantly hauling 25 pound bags of clay up and down my driveway, but it helps.  I'll spare you with the specifics of trying to get my side of the studio warm enough from the wood stove that lives in the other room of our studio.  Let's just say that it is a trial.

So, I made a few pieces with some new clay that I am trying out.  I am trying a white clay body from New Mexico Clay.  I have steered clear of white clays in the past because I haven't liked the way some glazes look on them.  I am curious how this clay will work on my current palette of colors.  I am always experimenting, but I'm also looking for a clay that warps a little less.  Some clays warp more than others.  I have stopped using a particular clay that feels so good to work with, yet warps terribly.  I am finishing up a commission of large plates and that has led me to this experiment.

Now that the plates are complete, I will finish up another small commission next week.  Then I will turn my attention to all of the many items I sold out of in the past few months.  I will be making more butter dishes, pie plates, casserole dishes, and plates of assorted sizes.  I currently have none of these items available in my studio, but I do have lots of other items.  You can still find mugs, bowls of all sizes, platters, vases, pitchers, cups, lidded jars, salt pigs, masks, raku pieces, and various other items that I am sure I left out.  I am around most days, just let me know before you head over my way.  If you can't make it, I can always ship it to you.

Pottery in Use

Someone bought this soup bowl set from me and presented it as a gift to their parents this past holiday season. They took a picture of it and sent it along.  I love to see my pottery in use  along with the fact that someone is enjoying it enough to take a picture.

My studio is closed right now, but I will return to my work in February.  The clay is awfully cold in January and I need a break after the holidays. Please check back in and I'll post some of my new work when it starts happening.