Dry

Working at 7,000 feet in the dry mountain air is so different from working at sea level 2 blocks from the SF Bay. Things happen that I'm not used to - both good and bad. I can make a cup in a day, dry it in the sun and fire it the next day. BUT... Last week I learned a painful lesson while making 3 large compote bowls. I have to REALLY SLOWLY expose complicated pieces to this unforgiving air. See what happened (thankfully this was one piece out of 3)........



One tip that has helped me tremendously up here is a tool that Christa helped me make when she came to fourth & clay. It's a damp box made from a simple plastic storage box with a tight fitting lid. You simply fill the bottom with about 2" of prepared plaster and let it cure for about a week. Put enough water in the bottom to totally soak the plaster without any puddles and VOILA you can store work in process or slowly dry finished pieces for an indefinate amount of time. I guess I should have left this piece in the box for a little longer.

Don't you just love pottery..it's so fun to guess what next can go wrong.