So, as you know, if you have been following my last few posts, I was getting ready for Blowing Rock last week. I had a packed kiln full of tall vases, cups, bowls, platters and pretty much a lot of big stuff. One's mind would bring up that possibly I had so many big things in the kiln because I had many little things on my shelves and needed those "high ticket items" for sales. So...keep that thought in the back of your head while I change gears to another subject......
All's well that ends well.
Do you think anyone out in TV land, besides potters would watch a sit come about a middle aged mother who is a potter and tends to have many mishaps with her equipment and life in general? Surely just my story about the 1,000 preying mantis that got loose in Quaid's bedroom last summer alone would bring some sort of ratings for the networks! As I've said before, I'm sort of the "I LOVE LUCY" of the pottery world.
Now...back to my kiln load. So I spend all week staying up late finishing up all this stuff. I hire my teenage helpers for the kids during the day. Mommy guilt usually gets me by lunch time so I spend at least the afternoon with the kids so by 4 o'clock in the afternoon they can watch a movie and I can do about 1 1/2 more of work before Joey gets home. My biggest goal for the weekend is to earn money for our family vacation next month and I am motivated! I stay on schedule all week long so I can fire my glaze kiln on Thursday and unload Friday. ( We always leave early Saturday morning so this works for me).
On Thursday the kiln gets loaded and turned on in the evening. By Friday morning when I go out to check my handy new Pyromoter, I notice that the kiln is not even to 1500 degrees. I of course think....hummmmm...how odd?!?!?! Was the kiln that packed that its taking that long? I think it over while drinking my morning coffee and come to the conclusion that maybe an element is slow and I'll just wait it out, surely the kiln will start to climb by 8 am. WRONG...by 3 in the afternoon, the kiln just barely gets to 2000 and I just say ....( well, I'm not going to write what I said) but I turned the kiln off and march inside my studio to survey my situation with knots in my stomach. What to do? What to do? Time for another cup of coffee and some deep breathing......
Long story short, I do manage to pack up what I have. I cut down my set-up ( booth) to almost half what it normally is and in the course of my day at show, manage to do pretty well with just selling mugs and bud vases.
All's well that ends well.But...I haven't yet gone out to my shed because I know an entire kiln load of crusty pots are waiting for me. Tomorrow I'll pay them a visit......
7 comments:
You said it - All's well that ends well. Sounds like you were very gracious under pressure! Glad the show did pretty well!
So what's up with that kiln?? Can you refire those pots?
darn kilns! darn kilns!
I thought you had some great pots at the show.
Good luck and be strong when you go look at the kiln.
I hope only for the best and that you can refire them.
M
GAWD: Murphy's law--kiln will crap out when there is a show on the weekend.....
I was just thinking Murphy seems to be hanging out way too much lately. So sorry about the kiln mishap, I hope they can be re-fired. I just love your booth set up, the black really makes all your beautiful pots stand out. May I ask where you obtained your taller black shelves, they are wonderful.
I have kiln sympathy, believe me! I left you a message on my blog post on July 20, check it out! I would love to do that Blowing Rock show. Such fond memories of the park there. We took Wes up there every summer when she was little, before all of the new playground stuff they have now. We would go over to the ice cream shop(gone now) and come over to the playground. Camped at Julian Price park, great times!!
Jen, my condolences on your kiln firing (or should I say misfiring). Hope you can re-fire and save the pots. The Blowing Rock show sounds like fun, please let us know the dates next year.
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