Fourth Firing Packed Up!

 For me, loading a kiln is like designing an exhibition. I see the pieces I have and the space I need to fit it into, and then have to figure out the spacial relationship and configuration just so in order for everything to work well. My mind works a lot in pictures, so when I was standing in the midst of all of the pots I needed to get into the kiln yesterday, I pictured the interior of the kiln and then said, "oh, crap!"

Rest assured, everything except for a few small pieces did not make it in. Lots of bigger pieces in this load. For this firing I put the larger shelf in the back with the half shelf in the front. Only by necessity did I put in another couple of shelves in the front in order to get the rest of the pots in. I'm hoping that with everything several inches from the walls and doors, and with the shelves being fairly far apart from one another, that there will still be good air flow. I am also hoping that with the larger stack in the back, that it might soak up some of the heat that comes from the front fire box and seems to escape out the chimney. 

Kiln furniture AKA flattened blobs of clay

 I'm playing with some more kiln furniture in this firing, so I will try to post something this week on my adventures in making and using kiln furniture. I'm off to bed soon for a long day tomorrow!