Roll Out the Barrel(s)

Yesterday we had our second barrel firing at Clayworks. But this time, Elaine and I were joined by five others - Minke, John, Amy, Nick and Cindy. We wrapped some pieces in copper scrubbies/copper wire/wet seaweed/newsprint soaked in water and copper carb/banana peels and I experimented with some wet clay resist.

After the pots were prepped, we prepped the barrels. Resident artist, Minke, showed her prowess at chopping wood.



Elaine & John piled in the sawdust (a special thank you to John's deceased hamsters for donating the aspen bedding materials) and the charcoal (too wet to gather cow pies this week). They loaded all the pieces into "Bentley", "Model T", and the small raku reduction bins we call "Go Carts".

Pieces were hopefully placed and generous helpings of Miracle Gro, copper carb and red iron oxide were sprinkled around all.

After the kindling and chopped wood were added, the barrels were lit.



Minke, Amy & John pay homage to the Kiln Powers that be.


Barrel firings can take a while. While Nick and Cindy had other things to tend to, the rest of us enjoyed baby sitting the barrels in our own way. Elaine pinched some forms...John & Amy made stamps.

The "Go Cart pieces" were the first to finish. while those in "Model T" took longer. We couldn't resist peeking at the pieces as they began to cool. Here, Minke's lady contemplates her surroundings whilst a flash of green on Elaine's pinch pot (from the seaweed we think) captivates us all.

While there was a disappointment here or there, we also discovered many a treasure from Barrel Firing #2. Overall, we had a lot more colour and variety this time around. And we're learning what works and what doesn't. I'll post more pics as I take them but here are three from "The Flock" that I particularly liked.

More to come once I clean, wax & photograph the rest. In the meantime, I need to get back to work for Barrel Firing #3. It's set for August 16th.