I'm a machine

What a day. I’m feeling a bit dazed after hours and hours of sanding and glazing jug after jug after jug after wall tile after wall tile after plate after cup!! Aaaagh!!! I enjoy most of the processes of making, but some of them can be quite tedious and you really have to be in the mood!! Because I haven’t had a kiln for a while I’ve got mountains of work that needs firing, and I’ve had 2 whole uninterrupted days in the studio to tackle it! It’s been a bit daunting (I normally work with much smaller amounts!) but I went in gung ho today, on a mission to get it all done. Down into the dungeon I went, a bucket of water, wet and dry sandpaper, hairdryer (keeps things moving!), glaze and brushes, radio national, pot of tea and a stash of snacks to keep me going.

It can be quite meditative sometimes, repeating the process over and over again, concentrating for such long periods of time, getting lost in the motions. When I finish these kinds of days it feels like I’ve been underwater and have just come up for air. I get that slightly dazed and disoriented feeling you get when you go to the movies during the day and come out of the dark enveloping cinema into the unexpected daylight. Anyway, big firing tomorrow and I’m excited because I’ve gone from a micro-kiln shared between 3 people, to a huge spaceship all to myself. I can fire so much work ALL IN ONE GO!!! Seems like such a luxury! Makes me a bit nervous too…so much in one kiln. Fingers crossed all goes to plan….