Feats of Clay Pottery Studio

I have a showcase display of my pottery at the Longwood Public Library for the month of March 2010.  The library is located at:  800 Middle Country Road (Route 25), Middle Island, New York 11953. (631)924-6400.

About the Images

This showcase of my pottery represents the different types of firing methods I have used.

While I enjoy making functional pieces that are food, microwave, oven and dishwasher safe, I also like to experiment with alternative firing methods like raku, naked raku, pit fire and saggar firing.  There are examples of all of the mentioned methods of firing in this show at the Longwood Public Library.

Raku is a specialized firing. Raku is a low fire method of finishing bisque pieces of pottery.  Raku is fired to about 1850 degrees for about 1 & 1/2 hours. When the pots are glowing red hot, they are transferred from the gas kiln, one piece at a time  with special raku tongs. This is done very quickly so the pots don't cool down. The pieces are placed in a fire proof area, like a tin garbage can that has been filled with about 2-3 inches of sawdust or wood shavings. The can is then covered with a lid. The pieces are left to "cook" and cool down. When the pieces are done, they are uncovered, washed off and then admired for the beauty that is raku.

Naked raku is a low fired method where there is no glaze left on the pot. First I dip a bisque pot into a slip (liquid clay). The slip is used as a barrier between the pot and the glaze. I want to be able to peel the glaze off the pot. Then I dip the pot in 50/50 crackle glaze. The kiln is heated to about 1450 degrees. The pot doesn't glow red hot like in a regular raku fire. The outside of the pot has an "orange peel" type of surface when it is ready. I take the pot out fast and put it into a reduction pit, the tin garbage pails filled with 2-3 inches of wood chips and a sheet of newspaper. Cover with a lid. When I can handle the piece, I dunk it in water to have the slip/glaze pop off. I peel it like a hard boiled egg. The smoke in the can makes the piece. The black lines on the pot is where the slip/glaze cracked and the wood chips "smoked" the pot.

Pit fire is a primitive firing where the temperatures are lower and glazes are not used. The color on the pots are from the chemicals added to the "kiln" which may only consist of a whole in the ground (a pit). My pit fire in my back yard was made from recycled every thing, cinder blocks, paving stones and sand. I have one layer of red bricks on the ground. I then have a layer of paving stones. I brushed in sand over all the opening/spaces surrounding the paving stones and bricks. I then built the "pit" three cinder bricks high and two cinder bricks wide. I reclaimed some slabs of sheet metal for the top of my "pit". When I am ready to "fire" I load the area with a 5 inch layer of wood shavings, twigs and pots. I then fill the pit with more twigs, wood, logs etc. I sprinkle the layers as I build it with chemicals, kosher salt, more wood, sawdust/wood shavings etc until it is full. I light it up, cover and let it burn and burn. I might add more wood as the day goes on. I keep it covered and hopefully it burns all night long. Then the pit is empty a day or two later when every thing has cooled down. You never know what you are going to get.

Saggar firing is another alternative firing for pottery. The easiest was to describe a saggar fire is a kiln within a kiln. You can also place a pot inside another pot to fire it.  The outside pot that is holding the smaller pot is considered to be a saggar. Saggars are filled with combustible materials like sawdust, wood chips, organic materials, salts and chemcials. These materials are ignited and fume during firing, leaving the pot buried in layers of ash. 

Functional ware is a piece of pottery that is fired at about 2,200 degrees for hours at a time with a food safe glaze. All my functional ware is food safe, oven safe, microwave safe and dishwasher safe. It is, however, not kid proof. It does not bounce.