Our pots are fired in a large wood fired kiln…
which is a modification of traditional kilns from Thailand. Because we glaze and decorate almost all the pots we make, we wanted a kiln that would fire relatively quickly and not build up so much wood ash that the decorations were obscured. In our firings, subtle variations in the glazes are created by the wood ash gently combining with the glaze. Perhaps even more importantly for our pots are the atmospheric variations that are created in the wood kiln with each stoke and over broad phases of the firing when the wood is burning more clearly (oxidation), or more “smoky” (reduction).
The pots are loaded through the door in the front of the kiln, which is then bricked up for the firing. The kiln is continually stoked with wood for about twenty hours until the pots are 2350 degrees Fahrenheit and the glazes have melted (cone 9-11). After cooling for about two days we can unload the pots, which is always exciting because each firing is a little different.
