Firing clay is the most critical part of the ceramics process because it is the one thing that makes clay durable, hence ceramic.
Wood-fired pottery is fired outdoors using wood as a fuel.
Relatively few working potters use wood-firing as the process is very demanding and requires a great deal of time. Wood kilns are also considerably more expensive and time consuming to construct and more difficult to design than most other types of kilns. Depending on the stage of the firing, stoking may take place as frequently as every 3 minutes and most firings last from 14-30 hrs, they often going on for many days or weeks.
The process of burning such a huge amount of wood creates large volumes of ash, When glazes are applied they interact with the melted ash creating very exciting surfaces.
Placement of pieces within the kiln also greatly affects the pottery’s final appearance, pieces closer to the fire may become immersed in embers and ash, while those further from the flame may only be lightly touched by ash effects and salt.
If you'd like to learn more about ceramics and the processes involved book onto one of my workshops and explore the exciting world of clay!
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