Yunomi Invitational

 These six oribe glazed kurinuki yunomi are headed to Iowa City, Iowa for the June opening of AKAR Gallery's "Yunomi Invitational".

Progress on Wood Kilns

 I made some good progress on my kiln construction during the fall of 2021. Jamie Guggina, a potter in nearby Florence, MA, loaned me his brick saw, which was a game changer. (Thanks to Westhampton, MA potter Sam Taylor for making that happen). The primary focus has been on the small down-draft kiln and the chimney. I had to get enough of the tunnel kiln up so I could extend the chimney, which is necessary in order to fire the down-draft, once it is finished. There is still a bit of work to do, primarily bracing and putting the sprung arch on, as well as getting the chimney up through the roof. Winter has put a hold on things but I will start back up early spring. Here are a few images to show where I currently stand. 

 

This is the front of the small down-draft kiln. It’s now ready to have the arch constructed.

 

 

This shows the tunnel kiln construction which, at this point, will allow for the chimney to be completed. 

 

Once the two kiln walls and chimney base were finished at an even level, I stepped in the chimney to two brick courses thick. This shows the passive dampers that are below the damper slot.

 

This shows the ledge made to accommodate the opening and closing of the damper.

 

This shows the lintel in place to complete the damper slot. 

Kilnship: International Wood Fire III

This show idea started with Phil Rogers being a guest curator and putting together an invitation list that was wide, diverse, and filled with unbelievable talent. While wood-firing has become largely an aesthetic choice, these Makers continue to use this labor-intense firing process to create their work. Known for its ability to create luscious ash deposits, warm flashes of color, and unique surfaces, wood firing continues to draw makers to the fire. Participating makers include Troy Bungart, Joe Bruhim, Linda Christianson, Doug Fitch, Samuel Johnson, Shinsuke Iwami, Mami Kato, Osamu Inayoshi, Lucien Koonce, Ryan Smith, Ken Matsuzaki, Hannah McAndrew, Andrew Satorious, and Dexter Woods. This exhibition opens Tuesday, November 16th at Schaller Gallery, located in Baroda, Michigan, and online at www.schallergallery.com..

East Carolina University's School of Art and Design

 

I first began my journey in clay when I was attending East Carolina University's School of Art. I grew up in Greenville, and a block away from the campus, so it always had been a part of my life. My intentions were to study another discipline within the Art Department, but from the first day in Ceramics Survey, I knew that clay was to become my focus. I wasn't an "arty" person, I didn't take art classes in high school, and I didn't grow up around art. But I could identify with functional vessels, I enjoyed working with my hands, and there was "fire" involved...lol.

Long story short, it is a pleasure to have the opportunity to exhibit a piece in the School of Art and Design's Alumni Exhibition. This piece, "Fragment" (wood fired stoneware, 6.50" H x 16.00" W x 4.50" D; hand formed stoneware clay with native NC clay, and natural ash glaze; wood fired in the anagama side-stoke area for 5 days to c/12; 2018).

The alumni exhibition is at several venues, but this piece can be seen in the Janice Hardison Faulkner Gallery, Joyner Library Complex, located on East 5th Street. The show runs August 25th through September 25th.

 

 

More Oribe

 I have been tweaking my process for getting the results I am after with Oribe glaze. This piece is the epitome of my quest. It has the correct hue of green, breaks nicely over the surface, and achieves that wonderful blue.

Kurinuki sake cup from wild NC clay

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Oribe

 I have been in love with the copper green Oribe glaze since discovering the work of Shigemasa Higasheda. His Oribe pieces are spectacular and I have been on a quest to get a hue that I am pleased with, plus achieving the blue and whitish pooling. This sake cup came out of a test firing today and I am very happy with it.

Oribe kurinuki guinomi

Maiden Firing

I recently converted an old electric kiln over to one that fires with gas and wood. I fired a load of sake cups last Tuesday for the initial firing. I have given this little kiln the name "Chokkuragama". Chokkura is an adjective which translates to "little" in Japanese, and gama translates to "kiln". It was a fourteen hour firing, from start to finish, which included reduction cooling. Needless to say, it will take a few firings to figure the kiln out and have more successful pieces than I did this maiden firing. Here are a couple of images of the kiln, and the five guinomi that meet my aesthetics.

An overall view of the kiln, with gas burner at back left, and wood stoke port in front.

Flames exiting the chimney after stoking a couple pieces of pine.

 

Hikidashi * piece; Ct. River iron-rich clay slip.

Hikidashi * piece; previously had been fired in the anagama, but was under-fired.

Another previously under-fired piece; Shino glaze added.

Another previously under-fired piece; Shino glaze added.

 

This piece was fired in a saggar to protect it from the reduction atmosphere. It is an oribe glaze but came out looking like the Chinese Blue of Jugtown Pottery and Ben Owen Pottery from the second quarter of the 1900's (imo).

 

* "Hikidashi" refers to the technique of removing a ceramic piece from the kiln at peak temperature (2300 F). These two sake cups were immediately plunged into water upon their extraction, which caused the iron-rich clay slip to go black in color.