Rustic Cabin

I made this rustic cabin ten years ago. I had just finished adding one of the porch posts and it fell and broke. You can see it on the porch lower right. I was so disappointed. But I thought this is a rustic cabin and I've seen lots of cabins falling into disrepair all over the countryside. I decided to go ahead and fire the piece rather than scrap it.

If you don't know anything about pottery, you might think this is any easy task making a rustic cabin in clay. Every piece you see on this cabin has to be cut out individually from a slab of clay and attached. I make a cardboard template so I can cut out the pieces of clay accurately. Measure twice and cut once as they say. First I start with the main part of the cabin's four walls and I attach each one to the other. I cut out a floor for the cabin and attach it allowing enough extra for the porch I intend to make a bit later. I make sure to sign my name on the underside of the cabin. There is a bit of faith in signing my name because I have no idea if the piece will make it through its firings. I decide I want to cut out two holes where former windows might have been. Where do I get my inspiration for making a cabin like this? From photos in my travels and my life experiences. I took photo below in Cleveland, GA.

I cut out clay pieces for the two front doors and attach those after making door handles for the doors. Then I cut the two sections of the roof next and attach those. Notice the roof is slanted; I had to plan in advance so the two taller walls would accommodate the slanted roof sections and fit. I also had to make the roof sections larger so they would have an overhang, much like a real cabin would be constructed. Next I cut out all the batten boards and attach those to the walls. How many  batten boards? There are four walls and four battens per wall, that's 16 battens attached.

Next the porch is added with four posts holding up the slanted roof. Again I have to allow for the roof to have some overhang. At this point the clay has begun to dry and is very fragile. The slightest bump and something might go wrong and it does. One porch post falls. Having patience and being able to adapt to mishaps and anticipate potential problems is all part of making something in clay. Then there's the ability to see potential even in mishaps, and perservering when faced with obstacles. I carry on.

Next is the waiting game of two to three weeks while the clay piece dries very slowly hoping the clay piece does not develop any cracks or separations at the seams. Gingerly I carry the piece to my kiln and fire it to approximately 1920 F in my kiln. Then I wait for the kiln to cool down to see if the piece makes it through the bisque fireing without any mishaps. Again there could be cracks or separations at the seams. It's a miracle it seems to me because all is well as I open the kiln to take a look.

Now to glaze the cabin and fire it again. I try to decide what color glaze I should use. I decide a pale blue to mimic a tin roof and brown for the wood. I set about hand brushing the glazes over the piece getting in each nook and cranny. I have to brush three coats of glaze for each color. Now I load the cabin back in the kiln for its final firing at 2185 F. Again after many hours I open the kiln and see the final outcome. I see a little bit of the brown glaze has spilled onto the porch roof but it looks like rust to me, much like a tin roof would rust. This rustic cabin now sits on my mantle because, in the end, I didn't have the heart to let it go.