Unloading the kiln

Here it is! The magic is revealed as I unload the kiln. The end result of a month or more of hard work. This is a photo of the second shelf down. The posts  you see with the holes are called the furniture, on which the shelves rest.
My heart always beats faster at this moment. Will there be success? Are the colors what I wanted? Are there any flaws that will make it not refined enough to sell in the gallery?  I do everything my experience teaches me  to insure the best results. I like what I see here.
 However, there is always the element of chance in high fire ceramics. The clay is a large factor. Is there a hidden weakness that will result in a crack? Then there is the application of glaze. Did I put on the right consistency? Did I rub too hard at a drip and leave that spot bare? An important  question is whether or not the kiln gods are smiling that day. Yes, we  clay artists are superstitious folk.  I did have an unexpected crack. I can live with that. It is a good firing.