Note: The iTunes link requires iTunes to be installed on your computer. If you do not have iTunes, use the “direct” link — it is probably most convenient to right click the link, choose “save as” from the context menu, and then listen to the file in your preferred player after it has downloaded.

In her Artist’s Statement, Davie explains how the farmland of Kentucky is imbued with a female character — it is a softly curving, undulating environment that has influenced her ceramic forms. When looking at the forms she creates though, it is clear that a term such as “womanly” does not infer only a life of ease. Quite the contrary, Davie’s youthful experiences with farm labor and her life as a wood-firing potter have instilled in her a respect for hard work, something which shows through in the pieces she creates.

Davie Reneau’s Photogallery.

For example, this teapot’s full and curvaceous form is accented with patterns evoking patchwork fields at sunset, the evening colors imparted by wood-flames. It is without doubt, a comforting shape bringing to mind pastoral images of farm life — perhaps resting in a comfortable chair as evening hues fire the sky. I think though, that there is more to it and that nostalgia is but half the picture. The subtle part, that the end of the day comes with worn out muscles and tired bones, is still there to be sensed. This teapot is soft on casual inspection, but underneath is to be discovered a fundamental strength supporting the comfortable surface.

In her other works, Davie finds ways to evoke a sense of generosity with a subcurrent of a harder existence, complete with the cuts, scrapes, bruises and burns familiar only to those who really know what work means. She doesn’t club one over the head though — her efforts appear effortless, leaving just a trace left for those who will look deeper. Davie revels in hard work, and I doubt she would have it any other way. Difficult as it may be to toil under the hot sun or in front of a blazing firemouth, when the job is done there is a sense of accomplishment that cannot otherwise be obtained, and evening is all the more comfortable for the hardships of the day.

Note: The iTunes link requires iTunes to be installed on your computer. If you do not have iTunes, use the “direct” link — it is probably most convenient to right click the link, choose “save as” from the context menu, and then listen to the file in your preferred player after it has downloaded.

Gas’ quest for a touch of his home country led him to acquire broad knowledge about medieval Japanese wood fired ceramics. Wanting to understand the pottery he loves on its innermost levels, Gas delved far beyond simply studying pieces and identifying techniques — he began building his own wood fired kilns and making pottery to fire in them.

Gas’ expertise has been of use to collectors and museums, as well as to himself in his work as an art dealer. His next project will be assisting the Fitzwilliam Museum (Cambridge England) in cataloging about 200 Japanese wood fired wares it has had in storage for some time, but which have not been appropriately identified for display. Gas has also been building a comprehensive website over the years. Take a peek at his kiln building, his pots, and a very informative section on identifying various wood fired effects. (I want to emphasize this last link — it is very helpful)

As for his “hands on side”, Gas is a prolific kiln builder. In the last dozen years, he has built thirteen kilns — six of which have been anagamas. He prefers to build his kilns following traditional yet simple designs — for example, his kilns have no ash pits or complicated damper systems. His designs were influenced by his visits to archeological kiln sites in Japan as well as his discussions with Japanese potters practicing the ancient wood fired arts in our modern times. I was surprised to learn during the interview that Gas discussed kiln building with Furutani Michio, a potter whom I greatly admire (about Furutani: reference 1, reference 2, reference 3). Gas has also experimented with mini-anagama designs which were influenced by the side-draft wood kilns of Thailand.

Photogallery

During our interview, Gas brought up an idea that I had not considered before, but left me quite intrigued. Ask yourself this question: should a bowl or cup weigh an amount that is similar to how much it looks like it would weigh, more than its appearance suggests, or less than one would guess by looking at it? Gas’ insight into this question is that if the cup or bowl is lighter than one expects, it will be pleasurable because a functional piece is completed only when it contains food or drink, substances which add weight. Thus a perfectly formed bowl or cup will weigh less than one might guess, and feel just right only when in use.

Stop and think about that for a while. It’s a fascinating idea and very different from what I was taught in college. I’m going to put this idea into practice, though I imagine it is nearly a feat of true magic to make a cup feel lighter than it looks. I sense much hard work and many failures in my future.

As a final note, receiving email from Gas is a pleasant experience — he always includes a lovely image that can somehow make one simply stop for a moment, and let the hectic world pass by.

Photogallery

If you haven’t already, listen to Malcolm’s interview, look at the photogallery of his art and studio, and of course, check out the pieces for sale in the Oten Gallery. In the meantime, a treat for the eye:

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Note: The iTunes link requires iTunes to be installed on your computer. If you do not have iTunes, use the “direct” link — it is probably most convenient to right click the link, choose “save as” from the context menu, and then listen to the file in your preferred player after it has downloaded.

UPDATE (Aug 23, 2007): Malcolm’s woodfired ceramic art is now available for sale in the Oten Gallery, detailed photogallery here.

Malcolm Greenwood entered adult life with a responsible education and the type of work any mother would wish for he son. After serving an apprenticeship as a fitter and machinist, completing a certificate course in Mechanical Engineering, and earning a degree in Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts in 1976, he was involved with and managed factories engaged in the manufacture of sanitary napkins, surgical instruments, robots, and fasteners. While this work took him to interesting places, including Nigeria, Africa, he never lost the interest in pottery he developed while studying with Mokoto Yabe after completing college (also see this Ceramics Monthly article about Mokoto Yabe, pdf).

In a life changing experience, Malcolm lost his real job and decided to turn his pottery hobby into a livelihood. The year was 1989 and he has been working hard at what he loves ever since. Gas fired glaze ware pays his bills and it is easy to see why it has found favor with chefs and food magazines throughout Australia. When you look at a teapot such the following, thrown off the hump, you are first struck with its lovely shape, and then impressed with the skill it took to throw something so wide without it collapsing:

View Malcolm’s photogallery album.

While his gas fired ware encompasses the majority of his business, Malcolm has been firing with wood for ages. He built a wood fired raku kiln in his college days, and a side-draft kiln while in Nigeria. When he returned to Australia, he participated in the construction and firing of both an anagama and a noborigama which sadly, do not survive to this day (their demise was due to a rent issue, not a technical failure). Malcolm presently woodfires at Sturt, and has achieved some great results:

View Malcolm’s photogallery album.

View Malcolm’s photogallery album.

What interested me most about talking with Malcolm, was the way in which he was able to switch gears and pursue the work he loves. It’s stories like his that encourage me to think that someday, I too could abandon my “day job” and survive as a potter. If you have similar dreams, sit back and listen to Malcolm’s wisdom — he is proof that it is possible.

Some tangents relating to African pottery:

• Article by Ron du Bois, of Oklahoma State University, discussing his experiences when creating a documentary about potters in Nigeria. Includes a number of pictures of the process and the results. Note that the pictures in the article are thumbnails for larger size shots and the article is two pages long — link to second page at the bottom.
• Professor Christopher Roy (University of Iowa) has an interesting site purporting to have video clips of various African pottery techniques. Based on other content from the site, these clips may be from Burkina Faso, a country a little to the NW of Nigeria. I haven’t been able to actually get the clips to download, but hopefully that is just a temporary issue.

Download the episode directly or through iTunes (mp3, 60:00, 55mb).

Note: The iTunes link requires iTunes to be installed on your computer. If you do not have iTunes, use the “direct” link — it is probably most convenient to right click the link, choose “save as” from the context menu, and then listen to the file in your preferred player after it has downloaded.

Update: Simon now has work available for sale in the Oten Gallery Shop.

Simon was consumed by wood fire pottery to such an extent, it overwhelmed his original aspirations for a legal career. Choosing instead to become an artist devoted to capturing the imprint of flame in his work, Simon has had remarkable success.

Photo gallery of Simon’s work.

Simon’s pottery is beautiful, and springs from his deep understanding of wood fired kilns and his thoughtful technique with clay. The years he has spent learning to build and fire wood kilns has clearly paid off in his work as can be seen in the photo gallery related to this podcast, and at his online shop. There is more to Simon however, then the pottery he produces. There is an intellect and understanding behind the work which takes his skill to strange and wonderful places.

Simon built a wood fired kiln in East Timor in order to enable local production of water filtration equipment. In essence, he turned his knowledge of wood fired ceramic art, and pointed it toward the production of potable water for an entire village. There is a social beauty in the fact that Simon’s understanding of wood firing has directly and fundamentally improved living conditions for many people.

In addition to the East Timor kiln, Simon has built anagamas at Mill Creek, Southern Illinois University (Edwardsville), Corning Community College (see the entry on Fred Herbst), and Syracuse University.

Simon has published a number of articles, many of which deal with developing a philosophy toward ceramic art. During the podcast, he discusses how philosophy and metaphor can be helpful in guiding one’s work, and suggests methods for sparking new ideas or refining old ones.

In truth, there was barely enough time in the allotted hour and some topics were necessarily left out. For example:

• Simon has an online store showcasing his ceramic art.
• Simon is hosting a wood fire workshop with Linda Christianson (additional info) in Kentucky from March 8-13, 2007.
• And of course, there is Adobe who provides kiln dog balance to the kiln’s cats here.

As for the “Oten Gallery”, my plan is simple and I wonder why I had not thought of it earlier. After doing a couple podcasts it suddenly occurred to me that it would be nice to run an online gallery. I would get to handle many pots made by many potters, and potters who might find it difficult to trade their wood fired wares could have an outlet which reaches a broader audience (presuming of course it works out in the long run).

Setting up shop has been a real learning experience. Some fun and some not so much.  Figuring out new software packages was hard and often frustrating.  Learning how to use a light tent to take pictures of the pieces I received has been much more fun. In any event, the dreary part is over and I’m looking forward to the chance to see many fine pieces of wood fired pottery in the future.

Fred Herbst is a ceramics professor at Corning Community College in upstate New York. Interestingly, google satellite data for Corning is quite good although the kiln had not yet been built in this shot: aerial view of Fred’s anagama site. Check out Fred’s online gallery for a closer view.

Fred Herbst and daughter Emma.

During our discussion, we spoke about Fred’s anagama and one of the more unusual ways in which an anagama may be used: as a furnace for glass blowing. We then move into his experiences with reduction cooling experiments and how this technique benefits iron rich stonewares, but how a more oxidizing atmosphere tends to favor porcelain and white stoneware.

In the photo gallery accompanying this podcast, you will find pictures of Fred’s kiln, its construction, firing, and examples of the finished work. Fred has also graciously provided a set of clay and glaze recipes. Pay particular note to Fred’s Porcelaineous which fires beautifully — much like a Shigaraki clay.

If you wish to fire with Fred, you’re in luck. He is hosting a summer workshop, July 10-16, 2007, with Jody Johnstone. The cost is $200 and if you are interested, contact Fred (email below). If you can’t make the firing but find you are interested in having a piece fired in Fred’s anagama, contact him directly: herbstNO@JUNKcorning-cc.edu (remove “NO” and “JUNK” for correct email).

Last, some links related to topics brought up in our discussion:

• Dick Lehman’s article: A New Approach to Long-fire Results.
• Fred’s kiln was designed by Simon Levin.
• Some history about Roman Glass, the type of glass that was recreated in the anagama glass blowing experiment.

Image courtesy of Arthur Rosser.

Steve Harrison is a potter from Australia with decades of woodfire experience under his belt, plus an obvious love and ability for the geological sciences as applied to ceramics. To understand the breadth of his experience, take a peek at his CV, or consider that he is currently firing work in a kiln he built himself out of bricks that he made from local materials; the pottery fired in the kiln is made of clay he collects locally, glazed with materials he collects locally, and fired with wood grown locally.

photo gallery of Steve Harrison’s work, bricks, and kilns. Photo courtesy Michael Bradfield.

His work is shown (and available for sale) at the Legge Gallery in Sydney Australia. During the course of the podcast, Steve discusses his current show “Dirty Little Secrets” and how he developed the clay body used to create these examples of black-bodied ware (as well the white porcelain work represented in a prior show “From the Ground Up“). His recent work is influenced by the way “perfection” has been devalued by modern manufacturing techniques. You can read more in an article he wrote entitled: Perfect Is the New Junk (pdf, © Steve Harrison, used here with permission).

Steve’s kiln building/rock glaze books are available directly from him. Additional photos of his studio, kilns, and work can be seen on his Sidestoke page. Lastly after talking with Steve, I had much to google. Here are some of the more interesting things I picked up:

• Steve has an article in Ceramic Review, Issue #222, entitled: From the Ground Up.
• Porcelain Spy: Père d’Entrecolles. Read translations of his actual letters or a summary written by the NBH (Hungarian Spies) entitled: Pioneers of Industrial Espionage. (as an aside, the entire NBH site is rather interesting, even if a bit chilling).
• Porcelain requires Baitunze (also spelled petuntse, petunse, baidunzi, and likely more).
• Picture of “treacherous” bauxite pebbles (scroll down for a picture of a hand full of them).

I think you will find that Steve’s interview, aside from being interesting and entertaining (Steve has a great sense of humor), will foment a storm of ideas. Enjoy.

So without further ado, although you may wish to view the photos of Mike, his kiln, and his pottery below, here is the first (rough around the edges) podcast:

Direct link to file: Kiln Chat — Michael R. Morris (mp3, 36:24, 26mb). Alternatively, you may use this iTunes link to the same file.
Notes:
Michael R. Morris was kind enough to play guinea pig while I figured out how to actually record a podcast, patient while I fumbled about and muttered expletives at my equipment, and a good sport when I informed him that a particularly interesting discussion hadn’t been recorded. Of greater note, although Mike has a Masters in Photography, he has been seriously and irreversibly infected with the pottery bug to such an extent, he built his own anagama in Nescopeck, E. Central Pennsylvania. His work was very recently accepted for display and sale at the Langman Gallery in Willowgrove PA.

Mike is planning to fire again in April of 2007, but he is a bit short handed at present. If you would like to contact him, his email is drippy22ash22pots@yahoo.com (the address is obfuscated to cut back on spam — remove all the numerals “2″ and you’ll have his correct address). This map should help you figure out if you are in his neighborhood. The last thing to note however, is that his computer was recently killed by lightning so it may take him a few days to respond to you.

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Frank is a character. He is an attorney from British Columbia, Canada, and a very good potter to boot. The piece Frank gave me from the last firing is a lovely thrown and altered porcelain bowl, light and balanced without feeling like it would break if hit by sunlight.

Here are some pictures of the bowl I’m speaking about (clicking any picture opens a medium sized copy (1024×768) in a separate window):

I believe the brown stripes are due to glaze dripping off the ceiling. Oddly though, there is one inside the bowl and outside under the rim. I know Frank glazed some of pieces with a shino, but I’m pretty confident the brown stripes are unrelated. It takes no explanation to understand how the drip inside the bowl could have appeared there. The glaze drip under the rim mystified me for a time — glaze drips don’t fall sideways (and if they did, one might wish to consider dampering the draft a bit to prevent inordinate heat loss).

Although this is one of the few pieces that survived the firing, it did not pass through unscathed. There is a contact scar on the rim coupled with a large area on the foot that was bonded to the kiln shelf quite well. The orientation of the rim scar corresponds perfectly with the large foot scar. Plainly, one drip fell into the bowl. Then the shelf failure occured, the bowl tipped onto its side, and a second drip fell on the top side of the pot in its new position.

This bowl, besides being a wonderful piece in its own right, is telling me an important story. It is telling me that the kiln was hot enough and sticky enough to drip glaze over an extended period of time. It’s telling me to shorten the duration I keep the kiln at its peak temperature. This doesn’t necessarily mean I should shorten the firing, it just means I need to hold off on turning the inside of the kiln into a demons’ playground. That should help keep more glaze on the pieces and allow less to drool off onto the shelves.

I’m very happy to have this bowl, not only for what it is, but for the lessons fused with its form.

Enough about that though, this is supposed to be about Frank. First, here is another piece he gave me (click pics for larger view):

This little tea bowl is from a gas kiln Frank built and fires to cone 10 with a weed burner. He says it roars like a jet plane at the peak of firing — having some experience with weed burners, I don’t doubt him at all. I love that he built his own kiln rather than having simply bought one. That kind of self-sufficiency is something I admire. Nor is Frank afraid to get dirty — he’s delving into the geology of pottery, digging up local rocks and clays and compounding his own clays, slips, and glazes. This isn’t to say he doesn’t use commercial mineral products, but having myself spent a fair amount of time digging — I respect the labor involved.

One last little tidbit. Frank has met or is familiar with the work of many many potters. I started to get embarrassed at my lack of knowledge about practically anybody. I tend to be reclusive, but I also realize I need to get out and meet people and see other works — without that exposure, I’m limiting myself.

I hope the last disastrous firing doesn’t keep Frank from stoking again — he’s a welcome addition to the stoking crew.