Wood Fire Dreams

Bowl by Louise Harter - Dragon Incense Burner by Steve Murphy

This tiny bowl, by Connecticut potter Louise Harter, has become my go to bowl for my morning boiled egg. I think it cradles it perfectly. I will always have a soft spot for wood fired pottery. My work style has evolved since losing access to regular wood firings. The work I now make is created with gas firing in mind. I miss being involved in the process from start to finish, an opportunity that we frequently had in New Hampshire. Jeff and I often talk about building a wood kiln, but right now it is financially out of our reach. Jeff will get his wood fire "fix" during the the North Carolina Wood Fire Conference that is happening in late Spring. He signed up for the "Pre-Heat" portion of the conference and will be able to fire work in three different wood kilns here in Seagrove. We will probably collaborate on a couple of ginkgo leaf pots to put in one or two kilns. I am sure Jeff will spend some winter days making teapots and tea bowls as we look forward to Spring.

I made these sea fan dishes a couple of years ago, in anticipation of doing a raku firing. We never got around to that firing and I was tired of looking at them on the shelf. I had Jeff take them to a wood firing he was doing with our friend Paul. The small one on the left came out okay. Of course the underside is beautiful. The one on the right was very "dry". We re-fired it in the gas kiln last weekend and it looks much better.

I might put the small one in the next gas firing to give it a little more juice on the surface.

I have a larger one that may be a lost cause. It suffered some significant warping, which didn't surprise me. 

Here in central North Carolina we were spared any real affects from hurricane Dorian. We were thankful for some rain, we really need it. Our gardens are a little happier today. Jeff brought in this yellow watermelon the other day. The last one didn't have much flavor. This one is a little bigger and we hope a little tastier. I'll cut it open today for an afternoon snack. I'll let you know how it goes!

Face Jug Re-Fire

Jeff and our friends Paul Haigh and Rose Hardesty, fired a wood kiln in Carthage last month. Luck would have it that it was during the hottest days of July, not the best time to wood fire. Unfortunately they didn't get the reduction they wanted. It's hard to fire a wood kiln that your aren't all that familiar with. Paul had a deadline to meet so Jeff offered to re-fire his face jugs in our gas kiln. Paul came to the studio and loaded his pots in the afternoon. Jeff gave it a good pre-heat until bed time, then continued the firing the next day.

It was a lot of fun to see the door come down, revealing pots that are nothing like we make!

Paul was really happy with the results. He had some Green Man jugs that were just fabulous.

The tiki jug really looks like it was carved from wood.

I had a couple of  lackluster wood fired plates that I made two years ago and were re-fired in this recent wood kiln... they were now fired AGAIN in the gas kiln. Two of them actually look pretty good. I will get some pictures once they are sanded.  Third times a charm!

Wood Fired Mugs

 The week before Christmas, Jeff helped David Stuempfle fire his anagama wood kiln. We were both able to get a few pots into the kiln. It was a five day firing with the unloading on New Year's Eve day. It seemed it was days before I had the opportunity to spend some time with them.

 These are a throwback to my "button" cups that I was making 6+ plus years ago. They lend themselves much better to this wood kiln than the ginkgo leave carving.

 They are made with Laguna B-mix. If it was B--mix for wood, they wood be a little darker in color.

Overall, I am quite happy with the results. Clicking on the photo above will take you to my Etsy shop, where I will be listing a couple of these over the next few days.

Juggling work and moving

I spent part of this week making pots for wood firing. Since we will be leaving this Japanese Maple tree very soon, I decided I should make pots with the leaves while I still can.

 I also revisited an old form.

The clay is StarWorks "Seagrove Clay". I am really not crazy about throwing with it, but it looks great wood fired and can really take the heat. I scrapped a couple of forms because I thought they were too heavy. There is something about the grogginess of this clay that gives me poor judgement as to wall thickness. I also threw some mugs and tumblers with my favorite Laguna B-mix for wood. I really love the buttery look of B-mix when wood fired. I didn't bother with photos of them. They are simple pots that the wood kiln will kiss with it's magic (hopefully).

The bisque kiln was loaded on Friday and fired slowly on Saturday. I am really excited about the large shallow bowl at the top! I threw a few large bowls, and carved them before the New Hampshire trip. I didn't get to really look at them until I returned home. I won't take a chance with them in the wood kiln. I am probably going to spray them with ash glaze and fire them in our own gas kiln.

In between the work, we do a little packing each day. Jeff and his brother are installing new doors in the basement today. Things are slowly taking shape.

Patience is a virtue?

I am loving this new batch of spoons that came out of the wood kiln that was fired during FireFest at STARworks. I like them so much that I want to keep them... but I will be strong and put a price on them. Well, maybe I will keep one.

There is so much that needs to be done at our new house and it's making me crazy to not be there every minute! But alas, there is a studio tour this weekend and I have to prepare for that, as well as piggy bank orders to complete. It doesn't help that the house is just a mile from our current location, making it all the more tempting to sneak away. I need to be patient. We knew that the timing of our closing would be squeezed in between studio tour preparations, and Jeff's impending trip to Japan and S. Korea. Yep, he leaves in less than two weeks. It's a good thing we aren't under pressure to move out of here! Our goal is to be completely down the road by June 1st.

I am both exhausted and exhilarated, just thinking about it.

Wood Fire Love

 A couple more pots from the wood firing.  Most of the the square dishes (I think there were five) came out quite nice. A couple of the handles were buried in ash, losing their texture. I may try re-firing one of them in the gas kiln to see what happens.

I LOVE the Albany slip on the interior! 

Results

The wood kiln was unloaded yesterday...

As with most wood firings, you have to take the good with the bad. Unfortunately the majority of my pots got the bad. Only one pitcher survived and it looks great, the other got the hammer.

 The pitcher, like this vase, had the blobs all over it, as well as inside.

These were the only two spoons that were acceptable to me. The others have a so much thick, gray ash that the design was obliterated, and they are quite ugly. Most of my pots with ginkgo leaf carvings also ended up this way. There are a couple that might be saved with some grinding and maybe a re-fire in the gas kiln.

Jeff had some pots that were obliterated with ash, but he also had some really nice ones.

I have come to the conclusion that this type of long firing (4-5 days) doesn't suit me or my work. I am too disappointed when I have spent hours carving a pot, only to have it obliterated with ash. I prefer a shorter firing with just a little salt or soda. In another week we will have some pots in the wood kiln at STARworks. I am planning to put just a few small pieces in. The firing will be shorter, which means less ash. No ginkgo leaves will be sacrificed!

Through the Fire Box

Jeff was on the late night stoking shift, at the wood kiln, and snapped this awesome photo with his phone! I especially like the "hot" lady sculpture and the face jug, grinning in the heat.

While Jeff was on kiln duty, I worked in the studio, then settled in for the evening with a dinner of leftovers, while streaming "Breakfast at Tiffany's". I am not sure if I had ever seen the movie in it's entirety! I enjoyed it, but found the stereotypical portrayal of Holly Golightly's Japanese neighbor rather appalling. There is also lots of littering in the movie. Every package that's opened and cigarette put out, is tossed carelessly to the ground. Those are just some of my pet peeves and perhaps I noticed them more because of it. I just might stream some more classics when I get the time. Readers, if you have recommendations, please post in the comments!

Our "Mugs for Moving" campaign continues. Thank you to EVERYONE who has ordered a mug. Jeff and I decided to add a give away to the fun. When the campaign ends (probably late spring), we will choose one contributor at random, that will receive a collaboration pot from us. We haven't decided what it will be, but are bouncing around a few ideas.
Click on this link to place an order: "Mugs for Moving"

All mugs will be shipped by late summer 2015

Glazing for a Wood Firing

Jeff and I have the opportunity to put pots in David Stuempfle's wood kiln, and help with with the firing.  At the last minute Jeff suggested I make a few square bowls using STARwork's Seagrove Clay. I kept the decoration simple. Stamps but no underglaze or slip. I hadn't used the fish stamp in a long time. Maybe it's time for it to go back into the rotation.

Since there won't be time to bisque fire, these will go into the kiln raw. Liquid wax was applied to the rims and handles and then the interiors coated with Albany slip.

 A few weeks ago I had thrown some vases and pitchers with the Seagrove clay. I had time to slip, dot, and bisque fire those pieces.

It's hard to believe that the pots above will come out of the kiln looking (hopefully) like the mugs below!

The magic of the kiln.

NH Potter Friends

I have posted in the past about NH potter Al Jaeger. Al lives off the grid on a beautiful piece of property in Deerfield. The NH Potters Guild community wood kiln is located on his land. At one time Al constructed these amazing, wood fired, house sculptures. They are tucked into the woods along side the very long driveway to his home and studio. Al was recently featured on the show NH Chronicle. Here is link to the segment: Al Jaeger, NH Chronicle
I think you will enjoy this little peek into Al's world.

Is it still hand made?

I belong to a couple of online groups where the conversation can get rather lively. Mention the words "jigger" or "ram pressed" and the conversation gets heated! Many potters believe that those two terms and "handmade", can never be said in the same sentence. I happen to disagree. There are small production potteries that utilize these techniques for some items, and their wares can still be considered handmade.

 This is one of my all time favorite dishes. It's a ram pressed baking dish created in a production pottery that JZ had worked at. It's quite small, the perfect size for one can of refried beans, or half a dozen baked stuffed shrimp.

Typically this dish would have been slip trailed by hand, with a blue traditional design, and salt glazed. JZ acquired this one prior to the decorating, and fired it in a wood kiln. The shino glaze on the interior has some beautiful crazing which would make some say it isn't food safe. It's high-fired, the clay is vitrified, and it gets washed in hot water. I haven't gotten sick and (obviously) haven't died from using it yet. Perhaps that's an argument for another post!

Is there really any difference from ram pressing a piece or using a slump mold? Some would state that ram pressing involves a machine... but we can also argue that all potters incorporate some machinery to make the work easier on our bodies, and to save time. My little baker was ram pressed, but all the trimming and finish work was done by hand. 

Wheel thrown plate by John Zentner - pork quesadilla with re-fried beans by Meesh

I believe that there are many manufacturers that are creating some very nice products, utilizing beautiful design. Those designs started somewhere, from within someone's imagination. As long as they are produced ethically, I will continue to enjoy using them.


UPDATE!

I thought I would add a photo of what this company's pots look like when decorated and glazed in their salt kiln. This one was thrown and handled by Jz. His stamp is just underneath, where the handle attaches at the bottom of the pot. 

Whirlwind Weekend

 Jeff's trip to Mungyeong, S. Korea for the Chasabal Festival, was rescheduled and his flight left yesterday. We had so much to do before he got on that plane!

 The wood kiln at David Stuempfle's was unloaded. Aside from the big beauties, Jeff had some sweet tea bowls to take to the Chasabal festival.

I didn't have too many pots in this firing. A few mugs, a couple of pigs, and some rattles.

For some strange reason my camera wants to give the background a pink tinge. If I photograph them upright, no tinge. It must be a reflection of the peachy color. No matter how much I messed with the lighting and white boards, I couldn't get rid of it. I did some adjusting in iPhoto, but it sure didn't fix it. Jeff will have to work his photo shop magic on it if I can't get a good photo.

These are the best of the rattles. Many of them got so blasted with ash that the Japanese Maple leaf was obliterated. I had some little wall pockets that also had the leaves obliterated, to be expected when fired for 5 days.

This cup has some nice effects. I wish it had been turned a little bit to one side so that the mishima had the honey color and the side had the ash blast. That's the chance you take with wood firing, and I am still happy with the cup.

After Jeff helped with the wood kiln unloading on Saturday, we finished up some pots in progress, loaded the bisque kiln and fired it. Sunday morning we got up, glazed the pots, loaded the gas kiln and had that firing at around 3:30pm. Jeff then threw 30 pig bodies for me to assemble while he is gone. He stayed up until the wee hours of the morning firing the gas kiln, and packing for his trip. Luckily he had a 12:30 flight out of Greensboro, so he did get a couple hours of sleep and thankfully he is usually able to sleep during the long flight. I haven't talked to him yet, but did get a text early this morning that he was in Seoul and looking for his bus. He will spend a couple of days in Seoul at a guest house with his Minnesota potter friend, Lee Love, before they both head to the festival. I am hoping for some new brushes from one of those fabulous shops in the Insa-dong neighborhood of Seoul. My consolation prize for holding the fort down here.

Making it Big

 Jeff's been in the studio making big pots. We are excited to put some pots in David Stuempfle's wood kiln this week. Jeff also made a few large cache pots that I didn't get photos of before they left for the kiln. David fires slow and long and most of the pots will not be bisque fired.

I spent the weekend throwing some small bowls off the hump and then moved on to making rattle orbs. I am taking advantage of the Japanese maple tree while there are still leaves on it.
When I get the chance to wood fire, I make things for me. Not meaning that I will keep them, but rather I make things that I love to make with no worries about whether or not they will sell.
... but they usually do.

Hands in Clay

It feels so good to be at the beginning of the making cycle, seems like weeks since I have touched wet clay. We have another opportunity to put some pots in a wood firing so my mission has been to make some pots that will embrace the magic of the flame.

During the last couple of years I have only made dotted flower mugs for orders. The gray, white and blue from the gas kiln doesn't really excite me... but fired in a wood kiln is a whole different story. The blue turns a deep blue, almost black and the slip gets all toasty, marshmallow like. The last batch I put in a wood kiln had a lot cracked rims. This time I am using STARworks Michfield clay and I think I will have better results. Fingers crossed!

Here are few things that came out of Fred Johnston's wood kiln last week...

 This rattle orb is about the size of a softball. It has some nice coloring from the flames.

Remember the mermaid? She was waiting for months to be fired! She got a lot of ash over the top and I think it plays rather nicely with her oceanic hair.

Two of the porkers went into this firing. One is a little dry so he will get a second roasting either in the gas kiln or a wood firing. I am happy with this little guy. He looks like a yummy toasted marshmallow.

The morning is getting late, the sky is overcast and the air is cool. Perfect weather for studio work. Time to get out there and move some clay. Have a great day.

What I did on my summer vacation...

I warned you with the title, click away now if vacation pictures will bore you to tears!

A week ago we left my sister's home and traveled south to New Haven, CT to spend time with Danielle and Jay. Jeff's friend Louise Harter lives in nearby Bethany, and on Sunday the four of us took a drive to visit her home and  pottery studio. I thought I took a couple photos of her wood kiln but when I got home I only had the bag wall! User error, still trying to get used to the camera phone. If you would like to see the whole kiln, there are photos on Robert Compton's website, just click here. Louise makes great wood fired pots and of course we brought home a new cup. We ended the day with dinner and a burlesque show at the 9th Note in downtown New Haven.  Louise and a friend met us there. The show was Danielle's idea and we all jumped on it. It was campy and fun with great costumes and pasties. The restaurant had a speak easy vibe and the food was tasty.

We were having fabulous weather so on Monday we went to Stony Creek in Branford, CT for a cruise of the Thimble Islands.

The Thimble Islands are close to shore and most are very small, only large enough to accommodate one home. There are a couple of larger islands with a cluster of homes. The homes vary from simple structures on stilts, to very large mansions.

The perfect ending to a day at seaside in New England must include lobster!

Our feast included the lobster along with, mussels, steamers, and crab cakes. We served it up with corn on the cob and a Caprese salad. The four of us were in a food coma after the meal and waddled off to bed quite early.
Tuesday it was time to hit the road. It is so hard to say good bye to Danielle and Jay, knowing it will be many months before we see each other again. Jeff and I took our time getting home, stopping in Berkeley Springs, WV for the night. I will spare you those details...
until tomorrow.