Lots to do and not everyone is helping

With so much to do you would hope it is all hands on deck, but she isn't exactly helping to put the clean socks away!

How did that happen? Spring Fling Open Studios is less than two weeks away and I still have a mountain to climb. Not only am I trying to get half made pots finished off and through the kilns but I suddenly realised that I really ought to have a few more of the smaller items such as mugs and jugs made. I put aside my glazing to have a last ditch throwing day on Friday, slipping and putting on handles over the weekend.

The 'grey' damp cupboard is filled and ready for some slip trailed decoration today. Will they or won't they get finished in time?

Meanwhile back to glazing - bowls with their foot rims waxed, ready to dip.

A set of gannet candle holders,. The gannets have been glazed in coloured glazes, and masked out, then the whole dipped in transparent glaze. Some of these are for Roger Lever's gannet exhibition, 'Infinite Space', opening at the Lever Gallery in Dalbeattie on Friday. Roger is a photographer and he has taken some superb shots of these magnificent birds. His studio is also open during Spring Fling, so worth a visit. 

This is a very busy and rather overcrowded glaze bench - I use wax emulsion to mask out, but of course as would happen with a deadline looming I went and ran out of it half way through.

I had forgotten the old pre-emulsion method of hot wax. It's brilliant, if a bit smelly. An old chip fryer keeps it at a constant melt and it forms a much denser resist than the emulsion.

Now to get this lot through the kiln. These trays are very greedy for space.  

This one came through last week in time for the Gannet exhibition tomorrow.

These wee fellows are to keep him company.

Other finished pots from the last glaze firing are waiting to be looked over, priced and displayed. Being Spring Fling, the latter means the annual showroom window clean, major de-spider and dust session. Later.

This year once again I have Wendy Kershaw coming down to share my studio over Spring Fling. It is lovely for me to have her company and beautiful work around and it makes for an interesting combined studio visit.

Spring Fling runs from 23rd May to 25th with an early opening preview for Wendy and I on the Friday - do come and join us if you can.