For those of you who know me, you know that every few months I have the opportunity to include my beads in a wood-firing. This is a pretty rare opportunity since there are a handful of wood-fire potters out there in the world. It's even more rare to have a wood-fire kiln built right in your back yard..... and even more rare to be able to include glazed beads in every firing. Most wood-fire kilns are very large and are designed to accommodate the work of many in one firing. Bill, my husband, built his kiln a few years ago to include mostly his pottery and maybe a few others depending on whether or not he is teaching a workshop. This latest firing was almost all his, since he has a big show this weekend. He did have a few other pieces in it and, as always, my beads were in it. Here are the glazed pieces getting ready for the door to be bricked up.
And.... the firing goes well into the night. Bill stokes the kiln about every three minutes for approximately 15 hours.
Here is the opening.... my favorite part!
And the first pictures of the beads..... these pictures do not really do them justice since I had minimal lighting.....
And there you have it.... one of my favorite experiences with creating....
What are your favorite creative experiences?
As always,
Thank-you for supporting those who create handmade with handmade,
MaryAnn
11 comments:
I learned something new today. Thank you!
Wow MaryAnn...I think it must be like Christmas when you get to open the kiln and see what developed in there! And your husband must be exhausted after a day of firing! The beads are beautiful.
I like the "before" and "after" pictures. They sure do look different when they're finished - so beautiful! I bet it's a lot of work just loading and unloading the kiln.
Hope Bill has a successful show! But part of me hopes he brings home at least a few of his goodies to put in his etsy shop ;)
Now that's dedication! It's an art that I hope gets passed on, as it does have a different look than electric, doesn't it? Love the beads, toO!
Thank you for sharing more about the wood firing process. Every 3 minutes for 15 hours? That's passion! I love the pic with the logs holding up the structure. It gives a feeling of earthiness to the overall process. I would love going down there too, all warm and glowing with the anticipation of opening up a treasure!
Very awesome. Wish I'd live close by and could borrow that kiln for a bit. =D
Thanks, Everyone! It is a real dedication and I'm lucky to be able to hand over my beads and bring food out to him. It's also nice to sit out there with him for a while when it gets dark. I, personally, do not know how he does it. The show went great today. I tagged along too and actually did very well with sales. I never do shows and did not have too much, but did well, nevertheless. Bill did fabulous which he deserved. It goes on all weekend and the weather is supposed to be great. Hopefully, it will be a success. It's the first time he has done this show in years.
MaryAnn
i love these posts each and every time... i am so in love with the process and the results... how fortunate am i to have both beads and mugs from this kiln in my home?!
Wow! I'm just always so amazed at this process!!! Love all of Bills work. And so glad to hear you all did well at the show.
Thanks for sharing - very interesting to see the kiln. 15 hours of stoking? Whew! Butvwhat girgeous results!
This is not a new post, but I'm seeing it for the first time! What an interesting process! I'm grateful to have seen this and read about it. The outcome is beautiful!
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