Monday, February 14, 2011

IX

I fired off the kiln today, firing IX. This is the last firing before we head off to Baltimore. I woke up at 3:30am to get the kiln started, I teach a class at 1:30 so that left me a little wiggle room. I was firing on about 4 hours of sleep, these last few weeks have been some of the most insane of my life. I would like to drop from exhaustion but I just don't have the time. When one has to wake up in the middle of the night and go out in the cold to get the kiln going knowing that the firing is just the beginnning of the day(it's now 11pm and I'm still at the studio) it is amazing the places your mind will go. It is amazing the will power needed to fight the temptations of exhaustion.

I don't like rushed firings, I don't mean that I rush the firing along but rather that I don't like knowing that I have to be somewhere doing something else immediately after the firing. The firing and post firing are a time for contemplation and small celebration and heaven forbid maybe even a few moments of relaxation. All the same though I do enjoy the time with the kiln, especially early on when you can sit close and soak in the warmth before it begins to belch heat. I miss my nightime firings, it somehow becomes a more introspective experience when you're firing late at night.

Well anyways, enough of this blither. I am in desperate need of a shower so I shall retire so I can be back here at 7am.

Cheers!

2 comments:

Sue Pariseau Pottery said...

Hope the firing went well and you get some much needed rest in the near future. Be well.

Dan Finnegan said...

I hope to visit Baltimore this year, Brandon and look forward to meeting you..and your lovely pots!