Here are some pieces in progress and some just newly made.
Once these pieces are created, they dry carefully under plastic wrap.
Once dry, this stage is called greenware and the pieces are extremely fragile.
I carefully clean the pieces with a damp sponge and then load them in my electric kiln for the bisque firing.
The bisque firing is a lower temperature firing that firms up the clay so the pieces can be handled easier when glazing. I do 3 different firing methods: wood, smoke and electric firing.
*Smoke fired pieces are not glazed, they are put in a campfire at this stage with ingredients that contain salts and minerals to create visual interest on the surfaces of the pieces, while the fire burns.
Pieces needing to be glazed for a wood firing or an electric firing are then glazed and put into the proper kiln.
The clay firing temperature will determine which kiln they go into.