trista hudzik pottery: fake yellow ash

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

at peace with the kiln gods

if you read the blog you might know all this about me...skip to the photos. if you are just curious or don't know about my adventures.... read on.
since i opened my studio here in beaufort just over a year ago, i have had to re adjust my pottery practices. in the mountains i fired in a big gas kiln. when we moved here, i brought my little electric kiln (lovingly know as R2D2) down here to beaufort. i left the big kiln behind (for now) and set out on a mission. i taught myself to electric fire. i never knew it would be so difficult!
now, after over a year of wasted pots (exaggeration), wasted electricity (oops. another exaggeration!), wasted kiln shelves (um, NOT an exaggeration), some blood, a lot of sweat and plenty of tears, i finally have figured it out.
i have worked hard. i have made a lot of mistakes. i been so frustrated at times, i didn't want to make pots, well at least not fire them. but now i have found what i have been looking for for so long...

yellow fake ash glazed vase
decorated with underglazes and light scraffito carving
this is what i ve worked so hard for!

tumblers.
the turquoise pots in these pictures are my "back up plan". i have been fiddling around with the turquoise for awhile now. i started to use it as my "back up plan" in case the yellow just never turned out again.
i call it my "happy accident blue"!