HOT HOT HOT

Up to our eyeballs in that old 'dry heat' here in the Valley of the Sun.  (Or not-so-dry as we locals see it, with the Monsoons now here through September.)  I do get my share of it with my studio in the garage.  Westward facing, I get out there early before it warms up too much.  If you happen to pop in later in the day, you will most likely find me sopping wet.  Every so often I jump in the pool, then drag my soggy self back to the studio, and enjoy the swamp cooler effect for an hour or so til I dry off and it's time for another dip.  This keeps me going for hours, along w/ a little Ray LaMontagne on Pandora & a healthy jug of ice water.  When the kiln is going or cooling, all bets are off.

There are several factors that make pottery 'food safe'.  One critical piece is that the clay be fired to maturity.  Every clay has a 'cone', referring to the temp or 'heat absorption' that it needs to be fired to before it is no longer porous.   In theory, clay is allowed to first air dry (in pottery world: 'bone dry'), then bisque fired to begin the curing process.  Upon cooling, these pieces are glazed with what looks like various shades of blue or green or brown muddy water, then fired once again to complete the process.  Pictured below: these pinkish wine glass bottoms and olive oil jugs are fresh out of the bisque load.  When complete, the clay turns into a buff color with speckles, hence the name: Speckled Buff.