Kiln Issues

Today I had a great friend, Lauren Rogers, over to the house. She has worked on kilns in the past and I figured I could use her expert advice to see if I could fire my kiln. I already knew the Low and Medium levels were not working but figured we could do some maintenance and see where it got us. When looking in the panel, we found a mess.

Turns out, I may need to re-wire the entire switch box. This is a pretty big setback. I am going to spend the next day or two pricing parts and equipment and deciding if it is worth fixing the older kiln or looking for a newer used kiln. 

This weekend I traveled to New Bern, NC and paid for a year's membership at the Farmer's Market. My sister Amanda and I will be selling our goods in the coming weeks. She makes handmade dog collars out of paracord. Check out a few she's made below.

In the mean times, I'll continue throwing new pots! I've got some pretty good orders for Christmas I'm working on. 

Come check us out November 23rd and 30th at the New Bern Farmer's Market!!

Picture this.

Here are a few images so you get the picture.

Where the magic happens, told you it was a wonderland!

The studio at the beginning.

Jake about to tear down a wall to make the display room larger.

Bowls looking out my side door.

Throwing.

Getting ready for construction.

The before look, getting ready for construction.

And it begins...

Today is my first day as a Full Time Potter. I quit my job and decided to actually use this art degree. A blog seems like the perfect way to let people know what I'm up to and share the struggles and rewards of the 'starving artist.'

I'm 26 years old and in the prime of my life. I have an amazingly supportive fiance who is pushes me daily to do what I love. We purchased our first home a year ago and have been slowly making it ours. We live a small city, in a cute 1940's brick bungalow. I have a backyard studio wonderland. There are two rooms: one for creating and one for displaying and storage. Both rooms need structural work. They both have sunlight showing through the boarded walls and need to be insulated. I also have a restroom and an outdoor utility sink.

My work space is approximately 15'X15'. I throw on a used Thomas Stuart Kick Wheel and fire with an old Paragon Electric Kiln. That's basically my set up! As I am just starting out with the home studio, I am busy purchasing kiln equipment, glazes and whatever else I find out I need. Or course, I'm on a serious budget so I only hope I don't need too much more.

I have about 100 pieces of pottery left over from college. I'm slowly selling these items to make way for new work to come. I've been throwing bowls and mugs to get my skills back up to snuff. I have orders for Christmas, which is less than two months away, so I'm working hard and hoping all goes well.

I plan to follow my progress with this blog on a technical and personal level. I'm scared as hell but really think I can make these dreams come true. We'll see...