Art and functionality

While I'm waiting for the anagama kiln to cool, check this link out on Pete Pinnell's take on cups. As an artist who works primarily but not exclusively in clay, I create simultaneously in functional pottery and sculpture. Sculpture satisfies one need but being able to make something that you can also use, is also gratifying. Anyway, Pete discusses the continuum of art, craft, aesthetics, and experience in a simple everyday functional piece of work that we all use in one form or another.

Anagama: Last shift

8 am Saturday morning.

The kiln has been very responsive. So responsive that yesterday's crew and the overnight crew had to work NOT to knock down cone 11. (For anyone reading who doesn't get this "cone business," it's a way of measuring temperature in the kiln more accurately. This link to Orton's site - maker of ceramic cones - explains it in more detail.)

Bill Lennox, Joe Molinaro of EKU and Seth Green of Morehead State University consult the final push.

Apparently there was a large group for the overnight revelry which became three hard core stokers after the shift change. I've also heard that one pot was actually removed from the firebox, no word on it's condition. By 6 am, cone 10 was down and cone 11 was beginning to make it's move so they stalled the temperature for the early morning hours. By 10 am, though, they went ahead and dropped cone 11 and maintained temperature for about an hour, I think, before bricking up. I had to leave before the actual bricking up and missed the nice old WWII vet that comes by with his sweet wife at the kiln closings and brings soup for the crew. I'll have to get the whole story on that. So here are a few pictures until the opening next week.

Working hard

Stoking to drop cone 11

Cone 11 dropped.

Anagama: Day 2 firing

Overnight shift

Mmmm... red...firey...

There is a term in ceramics when you fire called "tumbled stacking" where you wad the pots so that they sit on one another in a random pattern. It's often used in wood and atmospheric firings for flashing effects. We tumble stacked pots in this anagama firing and the kiln, well, it loved it so much it decided to tumble stack some extra pots for us. Yes, something shifted on a top shelf and the kiln, she don't look like she used to. Unfortunately, when the kiln is 2100°F there's not much you can do but ride it out and make plans for the new sculpture that's sure to await you upon opening. So we'll see what we get. Most of it seems to be okay... so far.

Evening crew, students from Morehead and Shift Boss Bill

Sunrise on the new shift crew

Always food. Always. Always full of ash. Always.

I made breakfast this time. 6am, bacon, eggs, orange juice. And brownies. We started at 2145°F and bounced between 2030°F and 2200°F. Cone 9 finally dropped on both sides with a little movement of cone 10 but not much. The plan is to hover here for the next 20 hours and possibly shut the kiln down near noon tomorrow. There is plenty of ash on the pots up front and they looked shiny and slick so it'll be interesting to see how things turn out. We'll wait about a week to open the kiln.

Jeff Enge of Tater Knob Pottery contemplating his next move.

Stoke that flame!

We drifted from here to a little above 2200°F according to the pyrometer

Overlapping shift crews. It was cold in the am and only in the mid 40's by midday.
Barely noticeable with a raging kiln in front of you.

New crew at the beginning of the shift. Aw! Look how clean and bright-eyed!

Anagama: First morning firing

My shift at 6am this morning took the kiln from the initial campfire to jumping the fire in to the firebox. We started at approximately 217°F and went up at a rate of 100°F an hour. By the time we handed over the shift, we were at 800°F and climbing and just heading in to quartz inversion. Minimal raking was done as we were mostly just trying to climb. The shift after us promised much raking of an established coal bed and continued climbing of temperature at 100°F an hour. More pix tomorrow. The fire should be much more intense which will be welcome as the overnight low is expected to be in the 20's to low 30's. In addition to the stoking, an overflow coal bed should be established outside the kiln area and breakfast will be cooked!

Moonset

Soot on pots. About 500°F

Fire is chugging right along!

Shift change!

Large stoke before heavy first raking.

Anagama: loading Day 2

Mid-kiln

Mid-kiln

Putting in the pyrometer to keep track of the temperature changes

Towards the front of the kiln 

Front finished

Standing in the firebox

Flue slurry

The flue to the chimney has been somewhat drafty causing pots in the past two firings to accumulate ash during the cool-down after the door has been bricked up. The post end up crustier than we'd like necessitating an additional firing in a reduction gas kiln to melt the ash. Hopefully, this slip/newspaper mix will alleviate this problem. If not, more problem solving will be required!

The man who starts the fire.

Anagama: loading day 1

Eastern Kentucky University operates an anagama kiln on campus. 1-2 times a year, they try to fire it. The firings take about 3-4 days and often include a diverse crew made up of students from EKU and other nearby universities plus area ceramic artists and potters. Much food is eaten. Join the EKU Ceramics group on Facebook for updates on EKU Ceramic happenings.

The anagama kiln at EKU

Pots ready for wadding

Some Richard Burkett and EKU student pots

Additional shelves. Lots to choose from. Better to have too many, than too few.

Pots, people and the woodpiles

A real communal effort

What kiln loading usually looks like. Cramped spaces, dusty, dirty and ass-end first.

Placement of pots at the rear of the kiln

Careful wadding...

Potterypalooza!

If you find yourself in Richmond, Kentucky, stop by Irvinton House Museum. Several of us area potters and ceramic artists are setting up in the bottom floor of this 19th century house to hawk our wares. Not only are these things hand made, they're hand made in the USA.