The
dramatic effects of wood-firing complete my work and tie it
together. In the kiln, flame and ash directly and strongly interact
with the clay. Flame colors the work, and ash forms a natural
glaze. At temperatures above the roughly 2250 degrees Fahrenheit
that the ash melts, the color palette is reduced to earth tones
and some greens and blues that will withstand the strong bleaching
action of the firing. The payoff is a soft, naturally varying
blush reminiscent of moss on rocks or the patina of long-buried
artifacts.
About
My Kiln
Noting
the figure to the left, we see that there is no impediment to
flame and ash striking the work as air moves through and out
of the kiln. (For the technically minded, the kiln is a blend
of an anagama and a groundhog kiln.) Early in the firing, the
flame is too short to reach the work, but fly ash settles throughout.
The length of the flame grows until it stretches through the
kiln as the amount of wood is slowly increased.
As
the flame plays over the pieces it pulls oxygen from the clay
and glazes in a process called reduction, producing darker and
lighter browns and red-browns to cream and gray. The color patterns
shift as the flame constantly moves, following the stoking pattern
in both location and pace. Late in the firing, ash melts, forming
a natural glaze ranging in color form yellow-green to dark green,
depending on the wood used. If the kiln gets hot enough the
ash can have a high gloss. If cooler, ash won't fully melt and
a sugary surface results. In addition, the ash changes the behavior
of other glazes, causing them to run, crackle and fade.
About
one-and-a-half to two cords of dead wood collected from fence
lines and fields are used for a firing. Three people need about
two days to load the kiln. A firing takes three days during
which the kiln needs constant monitoring. After cooling at least
a week, the kiln is unloaded. Several days may be needed to
clean the shelves for the next firing and to prepare the finished
work for sale.
Click
here to see our woodfired cup show Functional Fire in
the Exhibit Archive.
Simon
Levin
