My Studio Journal #6
Saturday, 15. November 2025
Warm Greetings from My London Studio
This week was a mix of progress, lessons, and a few inevitable growing pains. I finally took the bisque firing out of the kiln, and although some pieces survived beautifully, a few did not. I was not patient enough and I also did not preheat the kiln long enough, which meant several of the thicker pieces were still holding moisture. As a result, some cracked and a few even shattered.
I managed to repair some of them with paper clay, but a couple were too far gone, so I remade those tiles completely. It means the project is pushed back by at least two more weeks while the new pieces dry. This time I will absolutely wait longer to be sure everything is truly dry before firing again. Patience is not my strength, but clay has a way of reminding me every time.
At the Studio Table
Despite the setbacks, I did get to glaze a good portion of the garden mural. The sky tiles and most of the flowers are now glazed, and seeing the colours develop was a joy. Working in stoneware is still a challenge for me because the colours behave differently, and the test tiles can only guide me so far. It feels like painting blind, hoping the glazes will cooperate when layered together.
Not everything went as expected. I wanted some lighter streaks in the hair, but the yellow completely disappeared into the brown once fired. Still, I am not upset about it. It is part of the process, and I can try a different approach next time. The sky, however, turned out beautifully. The colours blended in a way I am genuinely proud of, and it gives the whole scene a gentle softness.
I will have to wait for the newly remade tiles to dry and be glazed before I can install the mural on the wall, but better safe than sorry.
Work in Progess
While waiting for the mural tiles to dry, I decided to return to something many of you have been asking for. I have started making more swirl bowls. They will take a little time, but I am hoping to have new pieces ready in the coming weeks, ideally in time for Christmas. I also wanted to share that my ALP Collection is now available. These pieces are very personal to me and most of them are one of a kind. Each piece is part of my ALP Collectibles, a distinguished group of one of a kind works that I shape individually from start to finish. They come with a signed Certificate of Authenticity finished with a wax seal, and include free insured worldwide shipping.
From the Kiln
This week I opened the kiln to a mix of triumph and a few lessons learned the hard way. Some of the thicker tiles were still holding moisture because I was not patient enough with the drying and I also did not preheat the kiln long enough. A few pieces cracked and a couple shattered completely. I repaired what I could with paper clay, and the ones that could not be saved have already been remade. They will take another two weeks to dry, and this time I will wait as long as it takes.
The good news is that a very large number of tiles came out beautifully. I now have most of the sky, flowers, foliage, clothing, clouds, and several major sections fully glazed and finished. Even though I do not have every tile yet, the pieces I do have already give a clear impression of how the mural will look once it is installed. Seeing them all laid out together was incredibly exciting and made the whole vision finally feel real.
Until next week,
