I am dusting off the shelves in the Green Swamp Gallery, and adding a line of pendants, and ornaments to my shop this week. As I write, the wood fire is being unloaded, and I am trying to figure out how to get my shoes and coat and car keys without waking the sleeping dogs.  Yeah I know it is impossible. They can hear me thinking about getting up and going!  Here are some snap shots that I took at the kiln site. It was a very nice load. The little rabbit pitcher was made with mid fire white clay from Continental Clay, and it was fired to well over cone 10 in this firing. The vase looking pieces below, are actually lamp bases that were special ordered. 

New pots from the June firing

The photo today is a new plate from the June firing.  This is a big platter measuring 15 inches across.  This is one of  my most involved designs that requires many layers of slips and glazes before being fired in the wood kiln and glazed with salt added at the end of the firing.  

This is pretty much what today looked like in the woods around the green swamp.  Gardening and yard work has kept us busy this summer, and I am so happy with my front yard flower and herb garden.  Paul filled the two chamber kiln by himself and firing was a family deal in June.   The kiln is at our neighbors, and we are fortunate to have the opportunity to fire in it while we continue to build our own.  One chamber is for salt glaze and the other , the first chamber is just stoneware. In order to fill it faster , Paul made some large planters to fill the stoneware chamber.  I acquired a couple with small cracks and have been cruising the green house end of season sales to fill them.

I have mixed more colors into the front garden this year,  because I fell in love with these petunias.

Every flower is a different combination of  a limey yellow and a rich magenta. I have added some more yellow and red to my usual purple pallette.    There is much satisfaction when I gaze at my flowers or weed out my veggies.  Summer is so fleeting in Minnesota, and  we have to savor every minute of it!