I should have knocked on wood.....

Recently I was reading about someone's problem with their kiln and thinking that I was lucky. After four years of firing the kiln regularly (probably on average 4x week) I have had no problems with relays or elements. Well I shouldn't have had that thought because now I have to amend the above to say that I had had no problems with relays or elements. Friday night, after taking almost a week to assemble a pair of panels on meditation, I put them in Old Faithful, set the schedule on the controller and turned her on. I expected the glass would be annealing when I got up in the morning. Saturday morning when I went downstairs to check on the firing I could hear the alarm going off and the controller was flashing some unfamiliar letters. The kiln was at 1175 and the elements appeared to be glowing. I had to find the controller handbook, which only took me three minutes (a miracle since I haven't needed it since 2002), to interpreted the message -- Failure to Heat. Argh. So when I take a second look at the kiln what I realise is that the top elements in the lid aren't glowing, only the side elements. I guess this means I have to replace the elements or the relays. And I guess that means I need to give a call to the JenKen on Tuesday (Monday is too busy a day for me unfortunately) to order whatever I need to replace in there. Time for me to draw on my engineer/tinker genes from my dad....

The panel is tack fused at 1175. Whoever thinks the process is all about the temperature is at least partly wrong. What I wonder is what is the lowest temperature at which you may be able to achieve a process. Now I just have to hope the panels don't crack because of lack of annealing until I get them back in the kiln and re-fired....

Yet Another Rejection

I didn't make it into Emerge again this year. Two years ago I thought there was some work in there that was not nearly as good as mine, but there was plenty that was good, and plenty of good work that didn't make it. I am guessing that I will feel the same way about this year's show. I am a bit on pins and needles about Pilchuck now. Will they accept my piece for the show? I have pretty much decided not to go, even if they do accept the piece.

Still don't know whether or not I will continue doing the figure work. I need to evaluate whether or not the figures are essential to the piece. Taking a design class this fall will be helpful, especially combined with some artist critiques I intend to participate in.

The disappointment of Emerge was not unexpected, but it was still there. Right after I learned that I was rejected, I felt like such a loser. I look at other people's work and ask myself if it is that I am not working hard enough or if I just don't get it? Maybe my work is meant to just pile up in the basement budled together like Emily's packets of poems. Some folks seem to get there so fast, others never do....

Within two days I was sketching the next piece, but I can't say I didn't feel down. I had hoped that this time.... I still feel a bit like a loser, deep down. It isn't helping that work is such a downer right now. One thing I am working on with someone else is so not going well and it makes me feel angry and frustrated and resentful and a bit like I have failed. And it's not my fault I know.