Internal Fire

This one week workshop will allow participants the opportunity to engage deeply with the firing process, exploring their own desire to understand this element of the ceramic process. We will focus on the details and choices to consider when using a soda kiln as a primary tool for finishing your work. Participants will bring bisque ware to be glazed and fired, and will participate in the entire process including loading, firing, and especially unloading of the kiln.

Discussions around the kiln may cover a range of topics: kiln firing theories, kiln design and building considerations, and thoughts on the lessons drawn from 20 years of watching the flame and riding out the studio work cycle. This experience is ideal for those who want to gain a firsthand experience of the intricacies involved in a successful firing.

While the kiln cools we will spend time in the adjacent studio with demonstrations of simple wheel throwing and handbuilding techniques that will lead participants towards developing their own sense of form, through an exploration of their personal creative path and the threads that create it. Our primary tools are often no more than a sketchbook, a curious eye, our hands, and our intuition.