Detach with Love…

Detach with Love…

Hi there

Thanks for popping in. It has been a pottery morning. In fact it‘s been a pottery weekend, and I am rRight out of my comfort zone here!

Decided to figure out how to use oxides and oxide washes. Good God! Glad I wore rubber gloves! What a long way that stuff goes!! If you were thinking that pulling a print on the Gelpress plate with acrylic paint is way too messy, then you’ll probably want to give Copper Oxide washes a miss!

THIS IS NOT FOR THE FAINT-HEARTED!! Lovely Linda Williams – she who spent more time at the Clarity Gelpress Retreat washing her hands, wiping down the table and everyone else at the table! – she would have flipped here!

So after two days of stretching my pottery skills to the absolute max, I just closed the door on the kiln – and detached with love.

Everything in there is an adventure. Every single piece is glazed or treated using oxides or stains or slip or underglazes. I have been putting off the experimental session on finishing until I had a couple of days off.

I have been learning, watching youtubes, making notes for months. I’ve been getting better and better at building, throwingm, turning and so on, but I have avoided the glazing and finishing because I really don’t know for sure what I’m doing.

But in the end, you have to JFDI. Just Do it.

I have let go of every single piece in the kiln. To me they are specimens, pots and bowls used to try things out on. I have accepted that every single piece could be rubbish. I do hope nothing runs and sticks to the shelves, because they aren’t cheap, and I hope nothing explodes and takes out the rest of the pieces on the same shelf. But hey. If it does, if the whole lot blows, then I will have learnt more than I could in a year of lessons.

It’s quite exciting actually. Why always play it safe, and do what you already know works. Nah. This feels good.

Once we turn her on, it will be 12 hours to maximum firing heat, then at least 24 hours to come back down again. Patience also a requirement.

Have a great Sunday.

Love and Hugs

Barb xxx

23 thoughts on “Detach with Love…

  1. It sounds amazing and yes, frightening too – but you never know it might just work! Sending positive pottery vibes, plus love and hugs, Gilly x

  2. Well done and good luck sometimes we have to learn to let it go and more often than not it turns out fine xx hope you will show us the results once you have them xx enjoy the weekend xx

  3. Looks like a lot of experimental pieces. Will be interesting to see all the results. Everything crossed

  4. Exciting times ahead, its good to step out of our comfort zone occasionally otherwise we wouldn’t learn anything new. I think we all stick to what we know wary of doing something different in case it goes wrong. That’s why I have enjoyed the SHAC Shack & Groovi Shack so much over the last 15 months – trying new things that at first appear daunting but once broken down into bite site projects it is achievable.
    Look forward to seeing the contents of the kiln when you open it, fingers crossed it will be all ok

  5. Looking forward to seeing the finished products. My daughter went to her first pottery class and threw 4 bowls. She is now wanting to to an 8 week course. She just needs to have some weekends free of work and she’ll be there boots and all. She loved it.

  6. Lovely pote. Hope all goes well with the firing.
    Beautiful day today, sounds like the whole world is out mowing their lawns. Did ours yesterday before it got too hot.
    Love Linda’s paisley project but you’d need someone very special to send it to.
    Enjoy the rest of this long weekend, I intend to!!!
    Stay safe.

  7. Glad you had a good weekend , pots look good looking forward to seeing them later.
    we’re picking our grandson in the car now Happy 😊😀😄 days

  8. I’m sure the results will be fantastic and if not then as you say it’s a learning process just write everything down that you did and don’t do the same again (unless it works of course)!
    The main thing is you had fun creating them.
    Have a great weekend xx

  9. How exciting to see what is happening!!
    You have had fun and a relaxing time to create this.
    Have a great bank holiday!
    Lots of love,Trijntje Huppel

  10. As most of my craft stash is in storage still, I’ve had to be creative just to create rather than produce something over the last 8 months or so. It’s actually been quite liberating, having little choice of what to use and to use that in different ways. Fingers crossed your experiments will be beautiful and inspirational x

  11. They look great – nay…amazing!!!
    Hope you are well.
    Love
    Maggie (Bendy Yorkite)
    PS – I keep meaning to ask, have Grace and Mark been vaccinated yet?

  12. Hi Barbara it sounds like you have been busy this weekend. I can’t wait to see the results of all your hard work. What a lovely hobby to have . Enjoy the rest of the weekend. Take care. Hugs xxx

  13. Hi Barbara
    Jackie always waits for me when she opens the kiln. I like to choose some of the glazes which are colourful. We always says it’s like Christmas morning opening up the kiln and like you we have things crossed 🤞 that everything is in one piece but it is always a surprise as to the colours. Enjoy opening the kiln tomorrow. Glad to hear both Grace and Mark are fully vaccinated a trip to England soon !!
    Love
    Ruth & Jackie xx

  14. Looking forward to seeing the results from the kiln. I’m sure it will e a lovely surprise. Enjoy the rest of your break xx

  15. Wow! That’s a kiln full. So long to wait to see if it’s all worked out. Bet you can’t wait? Fingers crossed for you xx

  16. Hope they turn out as you want them too. You will be having a market stall soon to sell all you pots…. You must have quite a collection now. I bet you are counting how many ‘sleeps’ until you see Grace….. You must be so excited. X

  17. I did pottery at secondary school. We used tiny trivet things (can’t remember the name) to stand glazed pots on, so they didn’t touch the shelves if the glaze ran. Also if (heaven forbid) you break a shelf, it can work as a half shelf – allowing you to fire a tall pot one side of the kiln and put smaller pots on the other side. It was always like a game of tetris, trying to fit as many pots into the kiln as possible.
    But the magical bit comes when you finally open the kiln and see the what wonders you’ve got.

  18. Wowsers Barbara, it’s been a while since I’ve seen any of your pottery pieces, you certainly have come a long way in the throwing moulding dept, they look fab. As for JFDI, I think that’s become my new mantra, life is too short to worry about whether my next attempt at stamping is gonna be precise, or my next bit of painting is gonna stay between the lines, it’s only a bit of card…… So JFDI Nanette and don’t look back. Cheers Barbara, and thanks. Looking forward to seeing you in person whenever the next open day comes around xxx😘

  19. Hello Barb, playing catch-up this morning. My word you have been busy, cannot wait to see how they turn out. Bx

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