Smoke and Saggar Fired Ceramic Art
Smoke-firing is an ancient method of making pottery where the smoke of the fire penetrates the clay and produces various subtle colours and textures on the surface.
I use red earthenware clay to make my ceramic forms which are all hand-thrown, then carved, slipped and burnished before being fired to 1000°c. The pieces are then placed in a metal chamber filled with wood shavings, oxides and salt or soda, which is then ignited. The pots are given to the fire sometimes 2-3 times until the desired effect is achieved before being finally polished with beeswax.
The alchemic firing process is always fascinating and unpredictable, producing a richness of surface markings upon the clay.
Smoke-firing is an ancient method of making pottery where the smoke of the fire penetrates the clay and produces various subtle colours and textures on the surface.
I use red earthenware clay to make my ceramic forms which are all hand-thrown, then carved, slipped and burnished before being fired to 1000°c. The pieces are then placed in a metal chamber filled with wood shavings, oxides and salt or soda, which is then ignited. The pots are given to the fire sometimes 2-3 times until the desired effect is achieved before being finally polished with beeswax.
The alchemic firing process is always fascinating and unpredictable, producing a richness of surface markings upon the clay.
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Photography by John Howard