Retirement From Teaching At Lilli Pilli Studio

This post is to announce the end of the old way of life here at Lilli Pilli studio and the start of a new way of living and working.

Classes stopped at the start of the pandemic and with various developments in my family life I have not been able to resume my teaching terms. Given the circumstances, it has been a great time to have a big project to work on and fortunately the opportunity to build my wood firing kiln came at just the right time as I wouldn't have been able to teach and work on the kiln at the same time. It has been physically challenging and mentally brain snapping at times as I have no background in building and I have done most of the build on my own. The prospect of having my dream kiln working has kept me thinking positively and it has occupied my body and mind in every spare moment over the last year in order to bring it to completion.

It is so close to being finished.

Over the last few days I did a warm up and dry out of the kiln but it is still needing a few adjustments before a full firing can go ahead.

Below are a few work in progress shots .

The pizza oven is still a few days from finished and I need to purchase a few more hard bricks in order to close the "wicket" (door of the main chamber) in a good solid heat holding way.

Tristan did a great job with all the bracing and making a very nifty stoke hole door.

I am very sad to not have regular classes in the studio. I will miss the friendship and creativity of my students as they explored the joy of clay ,chatted and drank coffee but I am sure those friendships are lasting ones and I am beyond excited to get to know my new kiln who I regard as a new friend and work colleague named "Sandy-Lucinda".

I may have stopped teaching but the ceramic adventure continues.