Pottery Making Illustrated Article
Hikarigama - October 2015
With my graduate education coming to a close in May 2015, I returned to Oregon to work with friends at the kiln where I have learned and shared much in ceramics as well in life, Hikarigama: the Illuminated kiln. As we prepared for the firing, Jayme Allen and I planned on making larger volumed work to capture the variety of effects that Hikarigama produces. Jokingly we talked how ironic it would be if other crew members brought larger ceramic work as well and coincidentally most of what people brought was larger than usual in volume and quantity; we all laughed. Looking at all the work spread out on the table ready to be loaded into the anagama chamber, we questioned if everything could be loaded. With our heads on a swivel we looked into the empty kiln and then the work, then from the work to the kiln; again, we all laughed. Sam Hoffman started us on loading in the patient and intent manner that adheres best to a successful wood firing bearing in mind the variables of how each piece might affect the five day firing: flame path, shelf configuration, size of work and placement in relation to the surroundings. Patiently and intently we chipped away at the crew members' inventory and by the end of the first loading day we look into the kiln, then to the work remaining and still question if all can be loaded; yet again, we laugh. Day two of loading: we begin with the same intent as the previous day, placing work specifically that will fit best in the open loading area in regards to flame path and surroundings. With increasingly less space available to load we are also presented with less inventory and as we look over the table of wares to be fired, with the exception of three smaller pieces, our goal to load all the work is realized; and then, we all laugh.
Day Crew: Hiroshi Ogawa (Oregon Art Beat Video), Ellie Miller, Penelope Dews, Jack Walsh, Jayme Allen
Night Crew: Sam Hoffman, Jan Rentenaar, Thomas Fossier, Josh Whitelightening, Zachary Wollert
Day Crew: Hiroshi Ogawa (Oregon Art Beat Video), Ellie Miller, Penelope Dews, Jack Walsh, Jayme Allen
Night Crew: Sam Hoffman, Jan Rentenaar, Thomas Fossier, Josh Whitelightening, Zachary Wollert
Fired in Freedom
From a found pile of firebrick along with the tenacious resolve of Megan Tuttle, John Klassen, and Brinsley Tyrrell a wood fired catenary-arch tube kiln was built on Tyrrell's property in Freedom Township, Ohio. I don't believe that this kiln has truly been given an exact name or title, which is fitting because we call it what we want to at that moment in time: "the kiln that Megan, John, and Brinsley built" or "Brinsley's Kiln" are some examples. I'm most fond of "The Freedom Kiln" because of denoting it's location, Freedom Township, as well as the connection to group exhibitions titled Fired in Freedom, which rolls right off the tongue nicely. Freedom also embodies the spirit of this kiln: a free space to create and collaborate. Brinsley keeps this space on his property to be a collaboration of effort and work between himself, invited students and professionals. When I transitioned from graduating at Kent State University to not knowing where I may travel next, Brinsley kindly offered space to work over the summer and as a crew we were able to fire the Freedom Kiln a couple times that summer of 2015 with great results. I consider this experience as an owed debt that can only be repaid by carrying the generosity to others; to pay it forward as it were.
The Crew: Brinsley Tyrrell, Megan Tuttle, John Klassen, Jun Shin, John Miyazawa, Kabir Syed, Ryan Thomas Osborne, Janet Varner,
Adam Klein, Billy Ritter, Todd Leech, Jonathan Schwarz, Angela Biederman, Andy Thomas, Nicolin Haines, Derek Thomas, Zachary Wollert
The Crew: Brinsley Tyrrell, Megan Tuttle, John Klassen, Jun Shin, John Miyazawa, Kabir Syed, Ryan Thomas Osborne, Janet Varner,
Adam Klein, Billy Ritter, Todd Leech, Jonathan Schwarz, Angela Biederman, Andy Thomas, Nicolin Haines, Derek Thomas, Zachary Wollert
Kirkagama
This is the anagama kiln built by Kirk Mangus and Eva Kwong at Kent State University in Ohio. The kiln's foundation and walls are factory-made refractory brick but the arch is made of hand-formed round clay bricks known as tatami. Every several years the arch was taken down and replaced by new bricks made by the students. The kiln has a wide range of results and because of that variety the Kirkagama was one of the best kilns to teach wood firing with. These images are of the very last firing this kiln will ever have. I certainly learned much from Kirk's and Eva's tutelage, especially the accomplishments that followed their ingenuity, critical thought, and risk taking in the ceramic arts.
Frozen Lapse
This video started my exploration into The Promise of Time series. Filmed in the empty space of our anagama at Kent State, this follows the intent to express that nothing is permanent. Of course with the background, colors, and surface variation of the Kirkagama in view, the footage of the frozen vessel melting is contrasted in a beautiful light.