A lifetime of work

Well, it turns out the Professor was truly a professor. He taught himself how to make pottery when he found some clay on the banks of a river when he was in the service. Turns out he was a natural and he wound up teaching pottery on the wheel and sculptural pottery at BYU and at the University of Utah. Clay became his life's work even though he had a degree in engineering. I was thrilled to get a chance to see his work and was awestruck when I saw how much there was. At this point he needs his own gallery! Many, many moons ago, I studied illustration in school but never took a clay class...not a one. So I am pleased by the irony of the situation.... that I have come to the center to teach but I am learning so much.

Utah clay

I made a mini (2 1/4 tall") and a micro mini pot ( 3/4") to test some Utah clay. A gentleman, who I shall call the Professor, brought some to the center for me to try. The clay starts out a light brown, but fires to a very attractive warm tone. He's testing a bisqueware piece with some cone 5/6  glazes to see what happens. He has fired his clay up to cone 3 but not past that. I hope it makes it.

Bisqued it

I know this is not a very exciting photo but this is a documentation of my first bisque firing at the Draper Senior Center. It's all digital and so amazingly easy. It is even set-up with an Enviro vent and shutters that mysteriously opened to the outdoors when the temperature climbed over 1000 degrees.

Here are the finished pieces. The bowls have a nice ring to them when tapped and nothing crumbled. I definitely have to make some large notes to impress upon people who may find themselves wanting to open the kiln at the wrong time, how dangerous that could be for the pots....and them too. Those numbers flashing on the digital display are not the time of day....ie: 1230!!!