“TriCity Potters have been preparing for our group soda firing at Shadbolt Centre for the Arts for a few months. Last Wednesday twenty potters brought our pots to the Vault kiln for liner glaze, flashing slips and wadding. Some members helped to load the kiln the next day and learn about spraying soda into the kiln at its hottest on the third day. We had to wait all weekend for the kiln to cool and today was the unloading day!

The technicians have done this many times and we were thrilled with the quality of surfaces on our work, once again. My photos show the front row of shelves and the pots after we’ve examined them while passing them along a line. Cheryl Stapleton gave a lesson on how the shelves must be cleaned of glass before new kiln wash is applied. Yes, we wear eye, lung and ear protection. Listen to the scraping!

As we unloaded the back pots a fierce squall came in and two tents were erected for the cleaning of the other shelves, but we were soaked! Never mind, pots don’t melt!

Special thanks to the technical team at Shadbolt. Days like today feed my soul.”

 

I wrote this two weeks ago and posted it on facebook and instagram but I think of this blog as some sort of a journal that records clay activities in my life. Sharing the experience right away seemed important but now I want to have a more permanent record. Shortly after I’d brought my pots home Alan and I left for our first flight to Edmonton to visit Steve and his family there in their new home. So I’ll add a few photos of the soda firing here and then I’ll put together another blog to tell you all about Edmonton!