June is promising to be a busy month with two firings scheduled. I will be down in South Dartmouth, MA with the Chris Gustin Anagama crew, as well as over in Accord, NY helping Jeff Shapiro load and fire his kiln.
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| Ready for the loading |
The bulk of my work will be fired with Chris, and there I plan to try the hikidashi technique on a guinomi (sake cup). This entails pulling the piece out of the kiln at maturity (which will be around 2300 degrees F) and quenching it in water. I have a slip, made solely from clay dug out of the CT. River, that has all indications of turning black through this process. It is the rapid cooling of the ware that can provide a rich variety of deep black in an iron rich glaze. As with the last firing, the introduction of charcoal is planned for the front firebox. This elevates the temperature quite a bit, as well as altering the kiln's atmosphere. Pieces on the front stacks in the November '10 firing were quite spectacular.
I have select pieces that I will be taking to Jeff Shapiro's kiln. Next year I will be participating in an exhibition, curated by John Dix, and I am hoping to get some of the fabulous effects that Jeff achieves in his firings. Primarily sake vessels, I am hopeful that some of these works will qualify for Seattle, where the show will be held.
