I LOVE unloading a kiln! It’s like opening a present except I don’t even get to keep it! And although I like to keep pretty things, it’s much more rewarding to see the look on someone’s face when they get their piece back and are absolutely amazed at how well it turned out!
After a Paint N Fire event, I take the pieces back to my studio…people must be prepared to part with their artwork for a couple of days. Although I am sensitive to artwork attachment anxiety (yes it’s a real thing), let’s be honest, a couple of days is a pretty quick turn around. Anyway, I glaze the pottery pieces and load them into the kiln for a firing cycle that gets as hot as 1828 degrees. Holy heck, that is hot! The kiln is of course closed but let me tell you…if you were ever stranded in a freezing cold dark building waiting out a blizzard, hopefully there would be a kiln around that you could turn on to heat up the place. Obviously these high temps are magical because not only do they heat my entire garage, they also transform the paint into bright and vibrant colors (see below).
It’s kind of like the best version of a before and after scenario especially since it doesn’t require losing weight or getting braces.
Basically it looks like this…
BEFORE: you have a lot of fun painting with friends (maybe some snacks and wine too if you have a hostess that knows what’s up).
AFTER: you own a beautiful and in most cases functional (food, dishwasher and microwave safe) ceramic piece that you will have forever as long as you don’t break it.
So in bringing this full circle (if that’s even possible), now that you know some of the secrets about how Paint N Fire ceramics works, as well as it’s potential fun factor, check out some of the before and after photos from our last painting event with some very talented ladies!
