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Tomo Ingalls

@tomospots

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A potter, a contemporary clay artist, a performance artist

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Two days ago was my birthday. At 7 a.m. I received the delivery of bouquet and a cake from my children who live across the country and the continent. I had lunch with my dear friends in community. It was an amazing day.

The support and encouragement from the family and friends are the reasons I am still standing tall. As I tie loose ends here, I cherish what I have accomplished last year and I am excited with what will come next. by @tomospots

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21 days ago

Day 17 of Salt and Soda Kiln Building @medaltaartists The build part is complete!

After 17 days of building, welding, insulating, and putting all the pieces together, our new salt and soda kilns are finally complete.

A huge thank you to all of our donors, administrators, builders, welders, and the gas and electrical companies who contributed to making this project possible. It truly took a team to bring these kilns to life.

Next step: a very slow firing schedule to cure the castable. Then we’ll be ready for the first firing!

We can’t wait to see these kilns in action. taken in Medicine Hat, Alberta by @tomospots

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2 months ago

Day 16.5 Salt & Soda Kiln Building

We are finally here! The last bit of the chimney is done, and we are soooo close.

It took Dee @funktionalpottery and Jayden @tuli_arts a few days to prep the bricks. Each one had to be scraped, cleaned, and cut. The top section of the chimney is slightly smaller than the bottom to accommodate the size of the bricks we had available.

Rob @robfroeseceramicart laid the bricks, and Terry, our long-time facilities guy @medalta, came in to help us out as well.

All in all, we are almost there! Now we’re just waiting for the last burner to be finished. 🔥

#Medalta #SaltKiln #SodaKiln #KilnBuilding #Ceramics Pottery CeramicCommunity taken in Medalta International Artists in Residence by @tomospots

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2 months ago

Day 16? We have a bit more to go!

Have you met Jayden? @tuli_arts

Jayden is our summer student assistant at @medaltaartists. She took down the salt and soda kilns with our tech Dee, @funktionalpottery, and Rob, @robfroeseceramicart, in just three days.

It was heavy, dirty work, lifting, grinding, sorting bricks, and carrying them away.

And today, she’s at it again, working alongside Dee and Rob to keep the kiln build moving forward. I really appreciate the positive attitude and their resilience of this team.

We couldn’t do this without the extra hands and hard work of our crew. by @tomospots

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2 months ago

Day 12 of the salt and soda kiln build @medaltaartists

I want to introduce the crew: @mtagseth, @robindupontceramics, and the students from @ksa_clay. Please check out their account and support the great work they are doing!

Tomorrow I want to introduce the other crews who prepped the ground. by @tomospots

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2 months ago

Day 11 of the salt and soda kiln build @medaltaartists

One of today’s highlights was receiving the thermocouple sheaths. We’ll now have a permanent location for them on the back wall, which will make firing and monitoring much more convenient.

Meanwhile, the second door was hung from the beam and bricked up. The kiln is really starting to come together, one step at a time. by @tomospots

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2 months ago

Day 10!! Today was a lot more welding, fixing, and upgrading the burners with new parts to bring them up to current standards. With the refurbished burners, the kiln is going to be much safer and more efficient to fire. It feels good to see all these improvements coming together. taken in Medalta International Artists in Residence by @tomospots

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2 months ago

Day 9: chimney day. The damper is positioned a little higher than before to encourage a bigger combustion zone. We are also adding a passive damper for suble control.
It will be a new learning curve to get to know these kilns. taken in Medalta International Artists in Residence by @tomospots

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2 months ago

Day 8 of the salt and soda kiln building at @medaltaartists

Yes—the crews are working right through the weekends.

Today we focused on the kiln doors. The inside of the doors will be built with IFB 26, while the outside will use IFB 23 for improved insulation. The exception is the soldier course, which will also be IFB 26.

We are hoping this combination will provide better insulation while helping the doors resist the harsh salt and soda atmosphere and avoid being eaten away too quickly.

Great progress continues, thanks to a dedicated crew and many thoughtful technical decisions along the way. taken in Medalta International Artists in Residence by @tomospots

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2 months ago

Day 7: I couldn’t catch the right moment to film while everyone was working today. But would you look at this beauty. The precision of the arch, the wall, and the angle irons is incredible—everything is as straight as a rule. It is deeply satisfying to see so much skill, care, and attention to detail coming together in this kiln. taken in Medalta International Artists in Residence by @tomospots

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Day 6 salt and soda kiln building @medaltaartists, We are installing wider and thicker angle iron to hold the kiln together more securely. It has been exciting to see so many good ideas come together. When thoughtful design is combined with skilled hands, great kilns are built. taken in Medalta by @tomospots

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Day 5! Salt and soda kiln building @medaltaartists

Today was all about problem-solving. We're on the phone with the steel company, hoping to get the steel delivered ASAP, while tracking down all the components needed to hold the kiln together.

Our welder and technician worked incredibly hard cutting heavy-gauge steel to create a strong framework that keeps the bricks secure, even under the intense heat of firing. The base of the I-beam will also be reinforced for extra strength.

So much of today was spontaneous, with everyone involved collaborating, adapting, and figuring things out together. It's amazing to see a project like this come together through teamwork, skill, and determination. taken in Medalta by @tomospots

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2 months ago