quality. This really looks odd, since the pieces usually look sort
of rustic and peasantlike. But they seem to hold together. I don't
like throwing, because I don't have the patience to learn the tech-
niques and skills necessary - blomp: I'm lazy. Tongue in cheek
comments by friends say my works look like glorified wedding cakes,
which is also true. But it really doesn't matter, don't you see,
because it is alive, and with that one little essence of the cosmos
or whatever going for it, it really doesn't matter if it looks like a
mid-Victorian abortion, it is still doing its thing and really great art.

Bill Fisher

IRENE PERRY'S KILN IN NORTH BURNABY

Our kiln is natural gas, and it cost approx. $600 to build. Of course,
the cost would be quite a bit more, but I was blessed with a "scroun-
ger" husband, who dees not believe in buying new pipes or couplings.
etc., unless he has to, and doing all the work himself, which again
saves on cost. However, we did use all new bricks.

It took him (with my help) about one month to build it, and another
month prior to that was spent in the library studying books on kilns.
The one he finally used was “Kilns" by Daniel Rhodes.

The kiln is 38 cu.ft. inside, and it's a downdraft. It has 6 atmos-
pheric burners in 5"x 54" portholes, and the flue is 9"x9" and

9 ft.6" high. Inside, bag walls are 32" high and it has a "corbal"
arch.

- very nice looking - curious neighbours thought it was a giant
barbeque. And they were a bit scared the first time we fired and we
developed a windstorm which made the flames spout out about six
feet high out the portholes. I was shaking at the knees myself - it
was me against the elements until husband came home and told me
it could not back-fire into the gas pipes and blow up my house,
which is six feet away. We did get a beautiful reduction fire (real
heavy for last hour).

This is only our third firing so far. It's pretty even temp. all over,

and we don't feel we would change it if we built again. ‘