Low Rent Renaissance

  The pieces shown here were painted with exterior acrylics after firing in my charcoal kiln. I only recently started working and playing with ceramic clay, and I wanted a way to fire my experiments without access to an electric kiln. I wouldn't have known where to start without a great video on Youtube by Tony Soares, a Native American potter. My three pots were bone dry. It was chilly outside where they sat, so they were cold to the touch,  I preheated them in our kitchen oven, starting at 175 degrees and working up to 500 degrees. The process took about an hour.  I had the idea of building the kiln inside our fire ring for safety, but as it burned I saw it wasn't necessary and, thinking the ring might impede air flow, I eventually removed it. To build my kiln, I first placed a piece of sheet metal on the ground and made the base on top of it. I happened to have these bricks with holes in them, and thought they would enhance air flow. I placed a small metal grate on bricks. C

This is a large piece. The figures are about 11.5 inches tall and made of Super Sculpey over steel and aluminum wire. The bricks are of foam board, the floor of craft sticks, and rest are of bits and pieces. All are painted with acrylics.