Continuing the story of Lydia & Me
I set fire to my sawdust kiln this morning, having repositioned it away from the passionflower vine that is spreading from the back trellis.
Lydia has gone into kennels for three nights, so she won’t be adversely affected by the smoke from the kiln and I don’t have to worry about her getting too close to the hot bricks. I’ll pick her up on Monday morning after the Aldborough & Boroughbridge Show on Sunday.
The kiln contains the 28 small pots that I threw on the wheel a few months ago.
I’ve experimented by wrapping some of them with copper wire and placing banana skin, wire wool, rice grains, and wood veneer inside in various combinations. I’ve also popped in a bit of Lydia’s fur that I’ve kept from grooming sessions. It will be interesting to see the different effects that these added materials make.
I’ll be using the pots as my version of a business card for the Show. Inside I’ll place curled up slips of paper with my Instagram address and my blog address printed on them. That way I hope to promote my work in words as well as in clay.
I like the idea of having pots to give away. I’ve done it before and found that people are very surprised and pleased to be able to take away a pot that they haven’t had to pay for, however small.
I haven’t got much more preparation left to do now, but like to work at my own pace, with no pressure.
All I have to do now, as far as the firing is concerned, is wait until tomorrow morning, by which time there should be no more smoke emerging from the kiln and the bricks should be cool enough to touch.
I get very impatient when I have a kiln firing on the go. Can’t wait to see the results, although – of course – that’s exactly what I have to do!
Glad About 