John Oles Ceramics: New Pots for the New Year


....fresh pots drying for next week's woodfiring.

Happy January 2014!

Here's just a quick shout out to the beginning of a new year in the (same ol') Studio with some shots of work that's being prepared for next week's wood kiln. Usually, I fire with my buddy, Jeff Brown, down at Nichols State University in Southern Louisiana twice a year, with the winter firing being held the first week in December.

After what was a crazy- long fall filled with two major exhibitions and teaching, I new that I had neither the work nor the stamina for a firing this year (technically, last year, I guess..)
So, I was pleasantly surprised to hear that the kiln had been pushed back to January 31st, 2014- plenty of time to recoup and make some woodfire pots!


*...this is the cleanest this studio has ever been!*

In preparation for the next year, I decided to undertake the rather hefty endeavor to begin 2014 with a thorough studio clean- up. I figure it's better to do it now, before I get distracted with making pots and leave it half- finished, (per usual) which ends up being messier than it was to begin with....


	...whiskey cups, teabowls, bottles and a few covered jars.

I'd also like to take a quick second to welcome our newest studio member, Sarah House, to the Loft! I'm sure she'll make a fine addition to the group and will not be deterred by the heat, come May!....(at least things dry really quick up here!). This is also my first experiment with a new porcelain clay body, as the Grolleg- based recipe I've been accustom to can get rather expensive when there's no longer a University picking up the cost of materials for personal research/practice. We'll have to wait and see how it works but, for now, it throws well and has exhibited minimal cracking. I'm hoping it flashes well in the wood firing, being Helmar kaolin, which could lead to an interesting compliment to the usual celadon and white porcelain work......