As one cycle ends...

Yesterday was a very frustrating day; well, at least yesterday morning. It was one of those mornings where nothing seemed to go right. Things were broken, both accidentally and intentionally. As an example of the difficulties I ran up against, here is the large canister I had been working on for a while.

I threw it using coils, got the lid thrown and trimmed, and even got some decent looking lugs and a handle on top. Yesterday, when the handle had finally set up enough to remove the lid without breaking it, I popped the top only to find this.

Apparently when I cut this guy off the bat I cut through the bottom. Shit! And since I could not see this until I took the lid off, I finished the whole thing not knowing that it was all for naught. Oh well. We'll just call that one practice, I guess.

Things finally did settle down, though. As my shelves were filling up with green ware it came time to leave off the throwing and start up the decorating cycle. Thus I got things set up and applied slip to all the green work I had. While most people dip their work or pour slip on, I prefer to use a spray gun as it allows me to blend different colors on each piece. I will have to take a picture of my current spray booth set up some time. It is different from my original booth as that one developed a crack and spilled over-spray everywhere. This one does double duty as a trimming catcher.

Here are a couple of the results from yesterday's efforts. I actually meant to take pictures of these oil lamps earlier, but alas it did not happen. So here they are in all their slipped glory. I guess oil lamps could be pretty simple, but I tend to complicate things. Instead of just a simple bottle I added a lid/snuffer, which necessitated stops to hold it in place. I also added a separate fuel hole so you do not have to remove the wick to refuel. And last but not least, a handle is always...handy.

And finally, here is slug #8. It kind of looks like he was shot out of a cannon and missed the landing mat. He is dealing with it pretty well, though.
Ok, now I must tend to the chickens and garden before I find my sketch book, sgraffito tool and a comfy chair and set to decorating. Maybe I can get some stuff finished up before I have to make hay this afternoon.

-Rob