Stoking the Oki Doki Anagama, Clermont, NY

I CAME TO CERAMICS BY TAKING A COURSE AFTER WORK. ELEVEN WEEKS TURNED INTO ONE YEAR AND ONE YEAR TURNED INTO TWO DECADES. WITHIN THAT TIME I HAVE BEEN IMMERSED IN A WIDE VARIETY OF CERAMICS. FROM THE UNPREDICTABLY OF REDUCTION FIRING IN AN ANAGAMA KILN TO THE STABILITY OF ELECTRIC OXIDATION FIRING, I EMBRACE THE PROCESS REGARDLESS OF THE OUTCOME.

20 YEARS ON AND I AM ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY FIRING WITH WOOD. MY WORKED HAS EVOLVED AS A RESULT OF THE UNFORGIVING ATMOSPHERE WITHIN THE KILN. THE HIGH TEMPERATURE AND LONG FIRING SCHEDULES THAT ACCOMPANY WOOD FIRING HAVE CAUSED ME TO EXPLORE NEW CLAY BODIES. COARSE STONEWARE WITH SAND AND GROG WEDGED IN ALLOWS MORE FLEXIBILITY AGAINST THERMAL SHOCK.

MUCH OF THE WORK IS AN AMALGAM OF TEXTURED, SLAB-BUILT, CYLINDERS JOINED AND THROWN ON THE POTTERS WHEEL. THE COMBINATION OF THE COARSE CLAY AND WHEEL THROWING ALLOWS THE SURFACE OF THE POT TO STRETCH AND OPEN UP CREATING AREAS TO CATCH FLY-ASH AND ABSORB GLAZES.

THROUGH THESE PROCESSES AN ORGANIC FLUIDITY TO THE WORK HAS EVOLVED. COMBINED WITH THE UNPREDICTABILITY OF THE INTERACTION BETWEEN FLAME AND ASH, AN UNLIMITED DIRECTION HAS EVOLVED.

EXPERIMENTATION WITH FORMS, TEXTURES AND FIRING TECHNIQUES REMAINS THE HIGHEST PRIORITY IN MY JOURNEY THROUGH CERAMICS. I CONTINUE TO LEARN FROM TEACHERS, MASTERS, COLLEAGUES AND MY OWN MISTAKES.