Wood fired pots

[GavinG]

There's been some discussion about wood-fired bonsai pots - I think that there's a lot of potential there for someone mad enough to take it on.

A local potter, Ian Jones, has just had an exhibition of his (non-bonsai) pots - here are some bits that provoked thought for me.

P1020128.jpg

If you look closely, you'll see that there are at least five layers of work going on here - the clay being ripped and shaped, the surface being scarred, the ash glaze applied on the right, rubbed off, and then allowed to melt and run, and oxide or flashing compound (the red stuff) being applied in the upper left. Plus the flying ash. What makes it masterful to me is that it all looks organic, as if it just grew - you're not aware of the different processes. (Unless you are a cold-blooded old ex-potter...)

P1020130.jpg

Similar. Subtle and organic interplay between clay, surface texture, glaze/ash and flashing.

P1020129.jpg

I'm not sure how this glaze has been put on and modified, but the range of colours and textures within it are quite magical to me.

P1020138.jpg

Once again, subtle interplay between clay surface, oxides, applied glaze and flying ash from the fire.

P1020136.jpg

Less subtle glaze/surface relationship, but the glaze itself, with ?grit insertions and complex colours and textures is wonderful. A lot of the wood-fired magic happens with flying fire ash, but a lot is also applied and manipulated beforehand.

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Simple, sculptural organic shapes with complex surface textures, glazes, oxides and additions - very finely done, so you don't lose sight of the powerful form.

The point I think I'm making, to myself as much as to anyone else, is that high-standard wood-firing takes a large amount of experience, knowledge and creative inspiration to become subtle, rich and organic - it's not just putting your usual pot shapes into a wood-firing and hoping something magical will happen. Potters also need to be insanely resilient - the success rate can be quite low.

Just stuff to think about.

Gavin

[MadPotter]

Gavin - you are so right. The last woodfiring we did took three days of firing. We had to work in shifts to cover the time spent at the kiln site.
There were some major casualties, some warping and some cracking. The prices of woodfired pots have to reflect not only the possible high failure rate, and the extended firing times, but all the preparation beforehand too. A weekend grinding and batt-washing the shelves, a couple of weekends chopping and stacking wood - even some time for routine kiln maintenance. Even after the firing is done, pots need more cleaning up than pots fired in the clinical atmosphere of the electric kiln... it adds up!

[LLK]

Thanks, Gavin, for showing us this wood-fired pottery work. I wish I could see it better, but with attachments only allowed less than 500 KB I am missing too much. Ian Jones, if you have a website of your own that shows your work at a higher resolution, I'd love to hear about it.
All the best,

Lisa

[melbrackstone]

I'm a big fan of wood fired pots, I have to say, but yes, it's a labour of love to anyone who wants to try it, from what I've seen. Videos from various potters around the world can be found, showing how intense the job is, keeping the fires burning for a start, without all the preparation and clean up afterwards that Tracey mentioned. Then there's the fact that you need to be somewhere where you can light a fire! (Not recommended at this time of year!)

Of course successful results can be the reward! Here's to finding more obsessives who are prepared to give it a go.

[GavinG]

Best of luck, MadPotter, and more strength to your arm!

Gavin

[MJL]

You may need a different business model for these Tracey.

Given the time and effort - and that your income (indeed, the income of all potters) depends on people/customers putting their hard-earned on the table - it makes sense that you stick with an electric kiln for efficiency. Unless... you make a pot or pots on commission or even crowd source the firing. The commission is self-explanatory but perhaps the crowd sourcing needs further explanation.

My thinking is something like, xx people put up xx $ upfront (guaranteeing your income for your effort and skills) and in return, the funds guarantee the individual who contributed a pot from the firing session... of course, all pots would be unique, one offs and ya take what ya get. The risk moves to the buyer but the buyer gets a special pot that will never be replicated. The pots could be marked by the firing session; each firing session may have different contributors ...even pot makers could collaborate and run a session together ... a Hachinoki-Murrumbung collaboration, as an example.

If it helps, I'd be interested in something different like that ... I guess the amount that each person puts in would need to be equal and capped by how many pots would be made in the session.

An idea with exploring perhaps Or not...

[melbrackstone]

In yer spare time like....

[MJL]

Yeah .... it’s a good point! I’ve got too much time at present and folk trying to run a business don’t have enough....

[melbrackstone]

No offence Mark, I just had to have a chuckle, knowing how busy Tracey is.

[Padawan]

Gavin,
Thanks for sharing, I took your advice and slipped out there on Saturday before the Ian's exhibition concluded. And Ian, thank you for creating inspiring pieces of ceramic art.

I have been taken by the work of the US ceramicist Jonathan Cross, who creates wood fired ceramics including bonsai containers near Joshua Tree in California. To able see word fired ceramics in Canberra is something special.


Sisto

[MadPotter]

My thinking is something like, xx people put up xx $ upfront (guaranteeing your income for your effort and skills) and in return, the funds guarantee the individual who contributed a pot from the firing session... of course, all pots would be unique, one offs and ya take what ya get. The risk moves to the buyer but the buyer gets a special pot that will never be replicated. The pots could be marked by the firing session; each firing session may have different contributors ...even pot makers could collaborate and run a session together ... a Hachinoki-Murrumbung collaboration, as an example.

Thanks MJL for expending all that mental energy on my behalf. I would have replied earlier but have spent the last 2 days woodfiring a small bourrie box kiln - funnily enough...

Whilst your plan has merit, I have a number of issues that I can see with it. Say I get 10 people to put up xx$. I put 14 pots in the kiln. I get 8 pots out that are good, 2 fell into the fire box and smashed and 2 cracked beyond use. Who gets a pot? What happens to the others who put money in, up front, in good faith? What if they all come out of the kiln and I am not happy with them? They've warped - missed out on fly ash - just look dog ugly - not up to my standard for a saleable pot??? I do not want my customers to have a pot I am not happy with.
Also, most of the more successful pots tend to be quite small. As you go up in size the risks are huge. If I capped the price, everyone has to be happy with a small pot. Small pots are a pain to load into the kiln and extend the loading time. Unlike in a gas or electric kiln where pots sit directly onto a kiln shelf with batt wash on it to stop them sticking and protect the shelf; the pots in the wood fired kiln have to be raised off the shelf on wads (rolled balls of fire clay glued to the underside and removed after firing). Each pot gets glazed and wadded with, on average, 5 - 6 wads. This takes AGES, Lots of small pots takes sooooo much longer.... This small kiln we just fired took nearly all day Tuesday to glaze, wad and load. I load my electric kilns in a couple of hours, including glazing.
What happens after an unsuccessful firing? We had issues with getting the kiln to temperature this time - due to wet wood, weather etc. We managed in the end but what do I tell folk who paid in advance if their pots come out underfired? I can say that their pot will go into the next firing, certainly, but we only woodfire two, maybe three times a year. That's a long wait to pay for upfront.
The 2 wood fired kilns I use are on someone else's property, they are not my own kilns - and are used communally by a closed group of about 10 people. Our firing dates are shared in the group and people put their hands up if they have work to go in. I can only put in as much work as there is room for - and depending on the work everyone has to go in I may get 18 pots in or I might get 6. I cannot bank on having the same number of pots per firing.
Finally I already have waiting lists of existing customers keen for woodfired pots. They have to come first - they have been very patient while I get the arrangement of sharing the wood fired kilns sorted out.
So, like I said Thanks for thinking of me but.... If, however you come up with an idea where people give me money and not be guaranteed anything in return.... we can talk!

[TimS]

Madpotter your comments about the difficulty of firing larger pots has given me a new appreciation fo a large, shallow oval tray I have by Tokoname kiln Koyo I was lucky enough to add to my collection that measures approx 70cm L/45cm W/3.5cm H, which has virtually no distortion and absolutely no cracking in the base or walls.

I’ve no idea how it was fired without damaging the clay or the glaze, but occasionally I take it out of its safe storage where it’s all wrapped in microfibre cloths and marvel at it. I will marvel even more now.

I would love to add more Australian pots to my collection at some point too, they have a look and feel so different to Japanese pots and I love it.

[MJL]

Hi Tracey,

Your good sense, sensibility and knowledge quickly putt my whacky skull into perspective. It's fantastic is that you and possibly other potters have a waiting list of clients waiting for wood-fired pots (or even standard pots) and as such, you have a ready-made market. Cool. I had assumed there might be a derth of people - and the left-field idea was to create a way to surface buyers and share risk. Alas... a little daft and somewhat unnecessary ; pretty reflective of many of my thoughts but hey, I somehow enjoy laughing at the mirror.

All good, catch you next Tuesday at the YVBS meeting if your'e about.