This ware was fired in the "Dancing Fire" wood kiln at Solano Community College; a Japanese style kiln specifically designed and built to use wood as fuel. Preparation time for a firing can take two weeks, as the kiln is carefully stacked with the ware and the wood is split and stacked.

High temperatures of 2400 degrees farenheit are reached within 48 hours, however the stoking continues for several more days to build up a natural ash glaze on the "naked" pots. Sometimes a small amount of "liner" glaze may be used, but most of the surface color and texture are the result of melted wood ash glaze, orange flame "licks", and quiet areas which were protected from the ash and flame. Rough adn heavily textured areas were situated near a coat bed.

Due to the unpredictable nature and variations inherent in the process, the resulting pieces are completely unique and one-of-a-kind. Out of the several hundred pieces in the kiln, a few will be phenomenal, many will be acceptable, adn many more will be fit for the shard pile.

My attachment to the pieces that emerge from the wood kiln is directly related to a love of natural surfaces, and a connection to a firing method utilized by potters from previous centuries.

K.K.