Fire is Happiness

At last the sun shone on us today. A complete contrast to last Friday, the wind was a mere breeze. In order to catch up on the backlog created by the lack of firing last week, we started bright and early. It was such a productive day, we managed to fire all of the pieces waiting from our impromptu glazing only session last Friday, and put through a few more. There are a few pieces waiting for the volunteers raku session with the barbie next Friday afternoon, but not as many as we had feared.

I took my camera, and even remembered to get it out. Here is a short photo essay about our raku firing...

The Kiln Setup

Loading the Kiln

Glazed Pieces to the Reduction Bins

Fire!

Covering the Reduction Bins

Cooling and Cleaning

My Test Pieces

(the two in the foreground)

Laura's Cat

And now I need to go and wash off the smell of woodsmoke before I cook tea.

Photos of Iceland up next time...

Wind Stopped Play

We were supposed to be having a raku firing last Friday morning as part of the Angels and Acrobats course. The weather was not playing. I've done raku sessions in the rain, and I've heard of firings being done in the snow, but wind is a show stopper. On Friday morning it was gusting up to 24 miles an hour. We had to cancel the firing. To speed things up for this week, we glazed some test pieces. Hopefully, this Friday will be better, although it means we still have a two hour firing to fit in somewhere.

Typically, the next day dawned warm, sunny and hardly a breath of wind. We made the most of the bank holiday, getting out every day. We explored a few of the nearby interesting places, like Kirkstall Abbey and Temple Newsam, and did some walking in the local bluebell woods. And I even got some sketching done.

Here a few recent sketches...

A Conversation in Costa Coffee

John has a dinghy up at Doe Park Reservoir in Denholme. He needed to change the wheels on the trolley, so I did some sketching while he was working.

In the Boatyard at Doe Park

John Reading

Yet Another Day in Costa

In The Fighting Cock

At Kirkstall Abbey

In the Teashop at Temple Newsam

Temple Newsam From the Avenue

I'm hoping to put up some of my photos from Iceland in my next post.

And Now May Is Running Away From Me

My holiday to Iceland was fantastic, but the catching up on life since I've been home means I've been neglecting the blog. Time to put that right.

I haven't been neglecting my sketching. I even managed to fit in a sketch every day even when I was away, which is a first. My sketching usually falls by the wayside when I'm travelling. I made a point of getting the sketchbook out and drawing even when the subject matter wasn't stunning, or that interesting. When I do this the advice of my life drawing tutor, Jake Attree, always comes to mind. Jake taught me that observational drawing is an end in its own right. In order to improve your drawing you should try to do at least 15 minutes observational drawing a day. Anything, including whatever is in front of you, can be your subject matter.

First up are some sketches I did before my holiday. And as usual, most of them have been drawn in Costa Coffee in Shipley...

John Reading and Back in Costa

Mayday in Costa

Mayday in Costa Completes the Sketchbook

This last drawing completed my small moleskin sketchbook, meaning I could start a new one in Iceland.

The next few images are a selection of my Icelandic sketches.

Reykjavik Water Pumping Station

Thingvellir

View From the Window, Guesthouse Gardakot

Birch Tree at Skalafell

Chunky Jumper at Kaffi Hornid, Hofn

Lava Formations at Lake Myvatn

In the Guest Kitchen at Akureyri

Hvitserkur - Rock Formation Off Coast

Kaffi Kofin, Reykjavik

If you love dramatic and unusual landscape, or are into outdoorsy pursuits like cycling, kayaking, pony riding or walking, I would recommend Iceland as a place to check out.