Grand Opening

After a few weeks of hectic holiday activity (including a *great* visit with my Austin Brother and my Philadelphia Brother) I went back to work in the studio on Sunday and made a kilnful of shard faces. When I fired late last night, it had started to rain. I worried a bit even though the kiln is under a canopy, but when I opened it this morning, everything was perfect - no breakage, no overfiring. It was grand! Now to surface-finish and sign each piece - what a good way to start the new year. Here's what I saw when I opened the kiln lid early this morning: