This exhibition of collected images, texts and objects is an effort to offer a unique insight into the character of each included artist. Through the combination of written reflection, photographs and representative objects from each of these artist’s unique kilns, a portrait is created. Not a biography or history, but an active and current lens through which we can maybe take a closer look into the inner workings of the artist.

A kiln, to a potter, is like a period to a sentence: it punctuates and defines all of the work that comes before its role is called. The decision that each artist makes, or is afforded, to engage with a kiln can be a personal and deeply defining part of their identity as it relates to their process, work and person.

The writings in this collection allow each artist to speak to that, their images lend a visual to that narrative, and the artworks are a celebration of their respective efforts and individual approaches to living a life in clay.

The sharing of stories and the exchange of ideas is central to family, community and growth. It is a human mechanism for teaching, inspiring, remembering and developing and it is my hope that the insights, images and objects provided by each of these artists can serve to be a small part of that tradition.

FEATURED ARTISTS:

Austin Lindsey

Newnan, Georgia

Anagama

What is a kiln? I think of it as a test or a trial where flaws and weaknesses are revealed. On the other hand, the clay is transformed from an impermanent state to an enduring one. It transcends and becomes eternal- very similar to our lives here. We have always had the pottery of ancient civilisations to understand who we are and what makes us human! If everything goes well, some of the work is favored with something special that is unlikely to happen again. Some clay is destined for common usage and some for noble purposes.

Historically, Anagamas were first used in Japan around the 6th century. Originally they were merely tunnels dug in the base of a clay hill with an exit at the top of the hill for a chimney. Later, they were lined with hand-formed bricks so they would endure longer. In modern times they tend to be only half submerged, however the bricks used are far more insulative and refractory. All of the draft is one directional and affects the ware accordingly. One side tends to be covered by ash glaze and the other side is dryer and with the effects of localized areas of reduction and oxidation, called flashing. Patinas that look metallic can be created in areas where the coals have been built up against the ware, and cooled slowly. While you won't know exactly what a piece will look like, you can gauge what effects happen in various locations in the kiln. Over the course of several days the kiln is fed the wood fuel. It is like a living entity that requires constant attention and sensitivity to its needs. You use all of your senses to fire it, even a psychic sense.

I built my 1st kiln when I was 24 years old in Oviedo, Florida. My first teacher told me, “building kilns is what potter’s do.” My current kiln is the 3rd personal kiln that I have built. I have used all kinds of kilns, but the anagama is the most satisfying. It’s a huge undertaking that requires a community. It connects you to history as far back as the caveman. It is a cave! My introduction to this method of firing was in helping Hadi Abbas, Professor of ceramics at UCF, build and fire his anagama. Helping him landed me a one year apprenticeship with Peter Callas, who built the first anagama in the US in 1976. The year I spent at Callas’s was routinely filled with trips to NY City museums and galleries, and conversations about Muromachi and Momoyama storage jars, Japanese aesthetics in general, as well as gardening. That was 25 years ago now and I am still intrigued by these things.

Over 30 years I have made tens of thousands of decorated functional pottery using gas and electric kilns. I made some very successful work, and I got to see what I am capable of. However, I have found what interests me more is that my spiritual life of faith be married to my making. And part of that is trusting in the creator to show up when you need the most. It means that I want my work to have His influence and less of mine. By restricting some of my intentions for the work and giving it up to the Mystery and the science inside the kiln there is room for Him to move. My first firing in this kiln was actually disastrous. It was gut wrenching for months afterward however, I have come to learn some very foundational things about clay and high temperature atmospheres. I have also learned how to endure the failure of a major undertaking and move forward. The anagama requires blood, sweat, tears, and time. You might only get a few good pieces and all your other ideas get trashed. It is helpful to always know that you are doing something because you love it.

Trevor Dunn

Jacksonville, Florida

Train Kiln

I am drawn to wood fired ceramics because of the color palette, variety of textures, and sense of recorded history inherent in the process. Also, the physicality of the process offers a unique firing experience that allows the firing crew to directly influence the outcome of the firing. Through careful manipulation of the kiln environment during the firing, ceramic artists can harness the energy of the sun that is stored within the wood to transform clay into stone. Wood firing not only expresses the power of natural phenomena to transform clay into stone, but it also offers artists an inimitable canvas for creative expression.

Aesthetic nuances are encouraged through careful placement of pieces in the kiln and a concentrated effort to control the firing process. With thoughtful loading of the kiln, artists can manipulate the path of the flame and influence the distribution of ash onto the surfaces of the pieces. This intentional arrangement of pieces in the kiln results in a wide range of dynamic effects, ranging from subtle variations in color to dramatic patterns and textures. The different types of wood that are used to heat the kiln can offer distinctive differences in the natural ash glaze color and texture. The natural patinas that emerge during wood firing add depth and character to the finished pieces. Flame patterns, formed as the fire moves through the kiln, leave unique patterns on the pieces. Additionally, the volatilization of salts emitted from the burning wood can create mesmerizing glazes and surface finishes, further enhancing the visual appeal of the artworks. All of these variables combined imbue the pieces with a distinct beauty that celebrates the inherent connection between wood, clay, and fire.

My work in ceramics encompasses four different genres of the medium; utilitarian ware, ceremonial objects, large vessels, and sculptural forms. A range of concepts inform the work that I make and a variety of firing techniques are used to compliment the style of individual bodies of work. Each of the genre pursuits are informed by different conceptual motives. Chasing the formal aspects of line and form inspires the aesthetic direction of my studio practice.

My personal aesthetic originates both from a fondness for natural objects and a fascination with tools. Rocks and pieces of wood found in nature reveal their history and tell a story when observed closely. I have had a fascination with tools since childhood, particularly tools that have developed a patina from continued usage. These wear patterns reflect the tool’s usage. When looking at my work, I see markings that allude to the history of the piece.

Firing my work in a wood-burning kiln allows the atmosphere of the kiln to react with the surface of my pots. The firings usually take two or more days in which the kiln is continuously stoked with wood. Wood ash is deposited on the pieces in the kiln and eventually melts to create a glaze on the surface of the pieces. It is the distribution of ash and the patterns of flame-work that provide evidence of the making process. Loading the kiln is an integral part of my decorating process which enables me to initiate a composition of flamework and ash deposition on the pieces. While making a piece, consideration of its placement in the kiln drives some of my aesthetic decisions.

With Impeller, I reference an imagined part from a piece of equipment. I am interested in how mechanical objects imply a relationship between components in a system:

‘This solitary machine part appears to be a relic of some mechanism? But from what machine? What was its purpose? Why is it no longer in use?’

I hope that my pieces will generate a point of reflection for viewers, to ask themselves about how they affect their friends, family, community, and the environment. The concept of reflecting upon a relic alludes to the idea of a legacy, and will hopefully give viewers a chance to consider their own legacy.

The process used to create my sculptural pieces employs wood firing an iron-bearing clay to a temperature of 2300 degrees Fahrenheit, and then maintaining that temperature for a minimum of six hours to build up ash deposits. During this six-hour time frame, the kiln is continually over-stoked with wood to build huge coal beds that engulf some of the pieces. These beds are then allowed to burn back down at regular intervals, which adds more layering of ash and color to the surface. The pieces develop dramatic markings of sintered ash that reference the low point of the ember building

and burning cycle. After the temperature is maintained and sufficient surface development has occurred, the cooling happens in an active process where too much wood is introduced into the kiln to create a reduction atmosphere, similar to the black smoke of a big diesel truck that is not running efficiently. This reduction is maintained with rhythmic stoking of the kiln until the temperature falls to 1500 degrees. The surfaces created by the use of this technique look like objects that have been unearthed at an archaeological dig.

To learn more, visit:

www.trevortdunn.com

Jesus Minguez III

Christmas, Florida

Dimensions Variable

Jesus Minguez began his relationship with wood fired and atmospheric kilns during his time at Dr.Phillips high school in Orlando, Florida. Under the tutelage of the ceramics instructor at the time, Mike Lalone, Minguez not only developed skills in making objects from clay, but entrenched himself in the process of firing the catenary arch wood/salt kiln and a Minnesota flat top fast-fire kiln that Lalone had somehow managed to build and fire for over a decade at a high school in the city of Orlando under the auspices of the Orange County Public School system.

His relationship with fire and clay brought him to meet and fire alongside a number of local and regional potters and eventually exercise some of his own ideas and ambitions through the building, altering and rebuilding of a series of small kilns from 2007-2013.

Since then, Minguez has focused primarily on smaller scale, unique kiln builds that are guided by what he needs or imagines them to do in the time he wants, or has available, for those needs to be met. His approach to building is fueled by curiosity and seeking of answers. Ceramic materials can be hugely affected by the manner in which they are fired: atmosphere, placement in the kiln, time and duration of each firing and cooling cycle. These variables, alongside the requirement to build and operate a kiln within the boundaries of working in the city and firing between employment/s and engagements and responsibilities have led his current working designs to be small, efficient, accessible and simple builds that can be built, broken down or modified with more more ease that traditional approaches to masonry and refractory construction.

Echoing the non-descript tag in the name & location text above, Jesus’ approach to kiln building could be summed up in this simple rhyme: “Soup of the Day, Flavor of the Month, Jesus Builds Kilns However He Wants.”

John Link

Orlando/Cocoa Beach, Florida

Woodfired Kiln

I think the saying goes “when life gives you lemons, build a kiln”. No, I'm kidding, but there are really only two reasons why this kiln was built: I was given a ton of free bricks and I like torturous physical activity. If I didn't come by the free bricks by chance I would most likely not have built a kiln to this day. Secondly, I built the kiln out of curiosity and wanting to figure things out for myself. We have so much access to information and so many opinions on how to do things “correctly”, but at the end of the day I just wanted to explore what it was to build a kiln and then fire it without any external input.

Aside from chance and the curiosity to try building a kiln, I will admit the results were not grandiose but I did at least achieve getting the fire department called on me and learned I cannot stay awake for more than two and a half days straight. Through the experiences of building this kiln and figuring things out the long way I can say that these experiences have opened doors to many more reasons why I will continue to explore and build kilns, no matter how torturous it may be.

Richard Munster

Winter Park, Florida

Modified Train Kiln, Borry Box

I have realized over the course of the last several years that my love for hand built kilns very much echoes the same feelings that I had when I first discovered the surfaces of the objects that emerge from them: They are steeped in Story. Every object that comes from this kiln has a story to tell. The traces of each mark left in the clay by its maker's hand are highlighted by the flame and ash that pass over and settle upon its surface. The character and constitution of clay are revealed by heatwork, time and atmosphere. In some sense, the act of building & firing a kiln has a very similar narrative built into its framework. The acts of building and firing, solo or in teams, can make memories and teach lessons. It has potential to build or reveal character, forge friendships and lend a form of identity to the maker/s, firing crew and each ceramic object that is produced by the labor and human investment that is involved in actively tending to the cycle of heat, time and intention that are required to get the job done.

The history of each kiln out there, down to the very bricks that make up its walls have a bounty of stories baked into the facets of their becoming. The desire each artist has to embark upon the journey of building, maintaining and being responsible for their particular fashion of kiln will invariably reveal some history of their life and often projections for their future. The story of how each kiln Came to Be can reveal and echo histories, ambitions and intentions of its respective builder/s. Rarely does a kiln just drop out of the sky and have someone decide to dedicate their lives to it. Each build requires a deep investment of planning, consideration, consultation and communication and lastly, the sourcing of material and the labor of the build. This is not a sterile engagement. It is a lifestyle and a choice and a labor of love.

My decision to build my own kiln brought me to realize all of these things. It also came from a desire to work and learn at my own pace, in my own way, on my own clock and last but not least, limited only by my own faculty, decisions or circumstances. I have felt this way about my approach to making work for a long time so it seemed that the building and firing of a kiln which echoed that sentiment in the final stages of object production was appropriate, if not inevitable.

The pursuit of all of the required steps it would take to complete this task only further reinforced and revealed the waking realization I was coming to know: That at the core of each kiln I encountered or studied, each brick I acquired and every person I spoke to during the research & development phase of the build either revealed or generated a story. This has not only remained true over the course of my time firing this kiln, but it has been amplified as I have gotten to know others who have pursued their life in clay and brought the past back into focus as I reflected upon the early days of my relationship with building and firing kilns.

From my humble first encounters with a beautifully ramshackle wood fired kiln and a motley crew of warm and welcoming humans in the rolling suburban hills of Apopka, Florida to email threads and Instagram messages with folks from Australia to Spain; from the Copus Compound and the bevy of kilns dotting the mountains of western Carolina to following a story about a great & transformative migration of canadian refractories in the wilds of Ontario, I found the same deeply rooted story of each maker come to life through the lens of their proverbial partner in clay. A Portrait of each Person, and their Kiln.

My kiln’s design is referred to as a Train Kiln. Mine is slightly modified from the standard build plans, but it is a train kiln at heart. It is fueled with wood, fired from Friday through Sunday and consuming approximately 2 cords of split wood during this cycle. The design of a train kiln is rooted in the research of the American potter John Neely. It is the result of an attempt to replicate the surfaces of work from anagama kilns in a shorter and more condensed time frame than is customary for such kilns. Can objects be produced in three days that resemble those which have endured the flame and ash of ten days?

At the heart of the train kiln is the design of the firebox. Where the wood goes in. This design is referred to in texts as either a ‘downdraft firebox’ or more frequently, a Bourry box.

As many Englismen are want to do, a fellow by the name of Emile Bourry ‘discovered’ this design being used by potters in the LaBourne region of France to hard fire porcelain to temperatures above or at least equivalent to the required temperatures for english stoneware. Albeit more efficiently and with considerably less fuss.

This design employs a grate system, whereby the wood rests above the coalbed, rather than directly on it, thus allowing for air to pass over and fuel the ignition of a much greater surface area of the solid wood fuel as well as the embering coals. This efficiency produced a hotter and cleaner burning fire.

Additionally, this design produced considerably more fly ash. These are ashes from burning wood that ‘fly’ through the kiln, carried by the air that passes over the logs and coal bed, into the ware chamber where the pots are set. This ash eventually melts, forming a bond with the claybody, to produce a glass. This is an aesthetic that has been pursued by many cultures and potters over the years, but traditionally required many many days and an enormous supply of wood to achieve the desired depth and nuance sought after by practitioners of this particular style.

Two notable potters who set out to investigate and utilize and build upon this historically recorded firebox design were Steve Harrison (AUS) and John Neely (USA). Each of them sought different aesthetic and practical desires, but each stood upon the shoulders of the basic principles of this design to create a wood-fired kiln that could be managed and employed to their respective end goals using less fuel and less time than most traditional wood-fired kiln designs.

That brings us back to my pile of bricks. Situated within the city limits and a suburban landscape brimming with neighbors and schools and traffic (and trees), I decided that size, wood storage and the footprint of the kiln I would build needed to be guided first and foremost by consideration of its location and environment. I had no experience building or firing a train/bourry box kiln, but my research led me to conclude that this design, if any, would perhaps allow me to operate my studio in the suburbs in a sustainable and considerate fashion.

I completed construction of the kiln in January of 2018 after a two year period of research and material acquisition. I have been firing two to three times a year since then with the help of my partner and a small group of trusted and capable friends. I look forward to each making and firing cycle and look forward to the future of every other kiln I will build or encounter, bearing the knowledge that in some definable way each of those kilns contain, create and echo the stories of their time & place: Through the hands and minds of each person involved, these stacks of brick & steel paint a portrait of their place and time through the lens of their becoming and the people at their helm.

Osa Atoe

Sarasota, Florida

Rocket Kiln

I was introduced to the rocket kiln by Lisa Orr, a ceramicist and permaculturist who lives just outside of Boston, Massachusetts in a town called Northborough. I had been trying to barrel fire terracotta pottery with limited success since 2015. I wanted to make pots that looked ancient; brick-red vessels marked black with smoke, a phenomenon called fire clouding. No matter how much I read about barrel firing and no matter how many YouTube videos I watched of other people doing it, my results were mostly disappointing.

I started working with Lisa through a program called Clay Cohorts last year, and when she learned about my barrel firing woes, she immediately suggested that I build a rocket kiln. To understand this kiln, we must return to its predecessor, the rocket stove. Developed in 1980 by Larry Winiarski, the technical director of Aprovecho Research, the stove was meant to eliminate injuries and reduce health risks associated with cooking on open fires by replacing them with experimental wood burning stoves that were more efficient and smokeless. The design of the rocket stove, based on ancient technology such as Roman hypocaust heating systems, is simple and was easily adopted by those in countries such as Guatemala where cooking food over open fire is common.

Lisa got the idea for the rocket kiln when she attended a workshop on rocket mass heaters, a system that uses a similar design as the rocket stove, but instead of cooking food, the generated heat is used to warm indoor spaces. The wondrous thing about rocket stoves and heaters is how little wood it takes to reach high temperatures. In fact, this efficiency, and the speed at which it occurs, creates a potential problem for the firing of ceramics, which I will discuss later. But that rocket mass heater workshop set off a light bulb in Lisa’s head. She knew that this simple, primitive technology could be used to fire pottery while diverting scrap wood from the waste stream. The rocket kiln works best when fed garbage wood such as old, broken pallets or scraps from furniture makers.When I was experimenting with barrel firing, smoke inhalation was a huge problem for me and made the entire process even more discouraging. Building a rocket kiln was an accessible and inexpensive way for me to have an outdoor kiln that eliminated the problem of smoke inhalation altogether.

Meanwhile, I had been collecting clay samples I came across in different locations since 2016. Gray clay from off the beach in Cape Cod that turns a shiny, vitrified brown at cone 5. Yellowish-brown clay from the woods in Louisiana that turns brick red. Greenish clay from Lake Eerie that melts into a puddle of glass when fired mid-range. Early last year, one of my husband’s co-workers brought me a five gallon bucket of clay from a construction site. It was the first time I had more than a handful of foraged clay to work with. It was also around the same time I’d built my new rocket kiln. All of these elements coming together created a new body of work for me, one in which no commercial ceramic products are used.

I dig the clay, dry it in the sun, slake it down in water and push it through a sieve with my hands. I collect the scrap wood, the sawdust, the seaweed, the Spanish moss. I build each pot by hand with coils. The resulting fired pieces, marked with smoke, are sealed with beeswax. The entire firing process takes anywhere from an hour and a half to three, depending on conditions.

I got all of the elements to build this kiln from Facebook marketplace for cheap including the kiln shell and the fire brick. If you’re patient and lucky enough, you might be able to collect all of the elements you need for free. I am using the kiln to saggar fire my pots, but the possibilities are numerous. Lisa has done cone 10 soda firings in the rocket kiln and I hope to experiment with low-fire soda in the future.

Right now, I still bisque fire my pots in an electric kiln before I saggar fire them in the rocket kiln. That is because of the speed at which rocket kilns increase in temperature. Clay likes to be fired slowly to avoid cracking and explosions from any water that has not fully dried from the pot. Lisa has successfully bisque fired in a rocket kiln, although all of her pieces were small and thin-walled. I think that for this kiln to be used in place of electric kilns, the issue of being able to safely bisque fire must be addressed. This is why we need more people to build and use rocket kilns: the idea is so new that everyone who uses one helps aid in its advancement. The design plans have already evolved since I built mine last year.

At a time when ceramic equipment is increasingly expensive and many of us are looking for ways to decrease our reliance on fossil fuels, this kiln presents a welcome solution. My hope is that the rocket kiln can create economic accessibility to ceramics and be an environmentally sound firing option for ceramicists everywhere.

For more information visit potterybyosa.com

May Wong

Stuart, Fl

Gas / Wood / Soda Kiln

Kiln, Boat, Piano

A new KILN imagined, sketched, calculated.

Wood measured, cut and joined.

Brick stacked and skin coated.

It seems very much like building a BOAT or a PIANO.

A big piece of functional sculpture.

The intention of the craft is the same;

to build an instrument that offers service and journey and escape.

The act of firing a kiln seems to relate to sailing and to making music too;

A voyage conducted by wind (very hot wind in this case), with slow, steady passage, or gusty allegro.

Each journey has it's distinct tempo and challenge,

Listen carefully and it will bring you closer to perfect harmony.

(Partly borrowed from "Playing Piano for Pleasure" - Charles Cooke)

I have been playing with “clay” since very young, but “flame" much later. It was a trip to the hometown of porcelain, Jingdezhen, China; visiting some ancient old wood kiln, that helped me to realize, “Atmospheric Firings”* are not something new; people have been manipulating firing atmospheres for a thousand years.

However, Hybrid kiln (gas + wood + soda) firing is relatively new in the history of atmospheric firing, which is introducing Soda ** and wood into the kiln, at white hot temperature. Sodium vapor glaze and wood ash creates unique, unpredictable distinct color variations and texture on different clay surfaces.

Atmospheric firing is a dynamic process; there’re many variables such as kiln temperature, air intake, timing and amount of wood/soda introduction, the specific composition of clay and glaze used, even weather will have a great effect on the result.

Since there are so many factors in the firing that are beyond my control, I was thinking “kiln design and building” is the one variable I could have some degree of control: by building my own kiln, in my backyard, by myself. So, I built a kiln which I can physically fit inside to stack and clean, but not too big that is overwhelming with work loads.

As a sailor, I see myself sail out with a whole vessel of pots, through different long passages, and always land in some strange lands least expected.

* I found this google definition very poetic; "Atmospheric firings show the path of heat, flame, ash and vapor traveling through the kiln, much like water down a river, moving over, around and under the clay, finding the path of least resistance with occasional meanderings.”

** Mix of Soda; Soda ash Na2CO3 and/or Baking Soda - Sodium bicarbonate; NaHCO3, in dry or wet form.

Chad Steve

Tequesta FL, Lighthouse ArtCenter

Gas / Soda Catenary Arch

Cut and Dry:

Kiln built: Summer of 2019

Kiln Construction: Catenary Arch, hard brick, approximately 20 cu ft.

Fuel Source: Gas/Propane with wood option

Builder: Live Oak Pottery, Justin Lambert and LAC crew

Firings: over 50

Pure Process:

Clay body used is a fine porcelain. Each piece is either wheel thrown or hand built, with alterations to form and addition of slip and gathered sand on exterior surfaces. A traditional celadon glaze for interior and copper or ashen glaze for exterior are used. Soda fired to cone 10 (roughly 2350 F) in a reduction atmosphere.

Definitions:

Soda firing is a ceramic firing technique where soda ash (sodium Carbonate) or baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is introduced to the kiln at a high temperature. The soda then evaporates and flame carries the vapor within the kiln, landing on the hot pots. When the soda vapor comes in contact with the pot’s surfaces, it binds to the silica molecules to create a variated glaze coverage, commonly called flashing.

Reduction atmosphere is firing process where there is a deficiency of oxygen inside the kiln. The firing is then forced to find oxygen with the clay bodies, glazes and outside the kiln. In my case, creating a very carbon reach/sooty atmosphere.

The Romance within the Juice:

Visually I want my work to speak of nature or the natural world, a line somewhere between land and water. Curator at the Charlie Cummings Gallery, Gainesville FL says it best:

“Chad Steve's soda-fired porcelain is a sensuous exploration of form and surface that evokes the wild places in our world and in our spirits. His forms seem shaped by elemental forces the way sand dunes are pushed by wind, ice flows transformed by freeze and thaw cycles, or barrier islands are worn and rebuilt by the relentlessness of pressure of the ocean. The surfaces proceed by his glazing and firing method beautifully highlight these forms and add a layer of character the way the forces of nature do to anything in their grip. Glaze pools, iron speckles like pebbles, and occasionally pink blush suggests the warmth of the sunset as the sun melts away out of view. Here and there a delightful chuck suggests a boulder made of harder rock that resists these movements as the softer substrate around it is worn away. This sublime pottery evokes the places the artist has been and the unknown places he has yet to go.

-CCG-

To learn more, visit:

www.ceramicchadsteve.com

Instagram: @ceramicchadsteve

The opening reception for this exhibition was held on March 1st in Orlando, Florida at the Favo Motel Studios.

Thank you to all of the artists involved in the show, as well the attendees, the board of directors and Will Benton, our director at Favo Motel Studios. An extra big thank you to Hector Soto Molina, Karina Jimenez, Michael Luis Diaz and my friend Beautiful Sam for their help with printing, formatting, photography and web design.