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| Porcelain Boat with Dogwood additions. Smoke fired in sawdust |
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| Boat with dogwood additions. Smoked fired in sawdust |
In 1980 I began experimenting with smoke firing while looking for a subtle surface treatment for the handbuilt boat forms I was working on. Before pieces are 'smoked' they are first bisqued (fired at a low temperature to remove water and make the clay more resilient and easier to handle) and then the pots are buried in sawdust and allowed to smolder. The smoke permeates the porous clay body and leaves its unique random markings. I was fortunate to be able to recycle exotic wood shavings from Ted's woodshop to use as my smoking fuel (medium). Each wood species has its own particular chemical formula and so the surface results vary widely with the material used. The small handbuilt bowls and the standing figures depicted below also make use of this firing method.
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| Small Porcelain Boat with twig additions (wrapped with coloured thread) on a welded metal stand Smoke fired in sawdust |
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| Long Porcelain Boat with twig additions (wrapped with thread and copper wire) Smoked fired in sawdust |
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| Porcelain Bowl with wire additions. Smoke fired in sawdust |
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| Small Porcelain Bowl with wire and copper additions Smoke fired in sawdust |
The pieces in the three images below have white untreated clay exteriors. The interiors are glazed with coloured glazes or ceramic enamels. I wanted the outside of the pots to be soft to the touch and quiet to the eye. Unlike the smoked pieces above, they are all fired to a high temperature.
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| Porcelain vase |
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| Series of White Forms |
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| Trio of White vases with Lustred Interiors |
The pieces shown below were made as part of a series for an exhibition. I called them Tadasana Forms after the sanskrit word tadasana, which is a term used in yoga that suggests groundedness and strength - like a mountain.
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| Tadasana Forms |
