The Clock is Ticking!!

Firstly, I must say a huge CONGRATULATIONS to Queeny, who has not only recently had her first show, but has also been asked to exhibit in a gallery, and has been kept very busy with orders for her beautiful necklaces!! Way to go Queeny!!

I also have an exhibition coming up, which I have booked my table for, and now I have to try to fill it! The date is Sunday 22nd November, but seeing as I can only access the kiln at class once a week, I am running out of time! It doesn't help when items come out of the kiln looking... not as expected! For example, my lovely little set of bowls which I collected from class this week...


They're streaky, which is never a good look, and the smallest one is a much lighter shade than the other two. Also, they have pinholes and little red dots that shouldn't be there. So these won't be included. Very frustrating. (Ignore the green splodge on the table - I took these photos at class which is held in a school classroom where kid's flick paint around all day!)


They don't look too bad in the photo, but trust me, the camera lies!!

So all I really have ready for the exhibition right now is my polar bear and swan! I've touched up the tree fairy vase and the original small ivy vase and they are back in the kiln (the leaves on the tree fairy vase needed to be more green, and a leaf on the ivy vase broke, leaving a bare patch), and I finally decided to glaze the other two little vases instead of leaving them bare and firing them to stoneware. They are in the kiln also.

I have to say that glazing those two little vases was pure pleasure! How easy it is to forget what a difference good quality glazes make! It made me realise that, no matter how skint we are at the moment, if I want my large ivy vase to come out looking beautiful, I really have to buy my own glazes. So that's what I did today. Monday will be my very last opportunity to get that vase in the kiln if I want it to be ready in time, and the supplier has said that they will get the glazes to me by Monday! Please don't be late! The clock is ticking!


UPDATE

Damn it, damn it, damn it! I've realised I did a really stupid thing yesterday - after retouching the small ivy vase I popped it in the kiln... forgetting that it had previously been glazed on the bottom... so I didn't put any stilts under it! I've just called the tutor John, and he didn't check it because, well, he didn't expect me to do anything as stupid as that! So the vase will now be stuck to the shelf. That's another ruined piece and one less piece for the show! Not to mention a ruined shelf, which John was great about actually. Thank you John.