This was what they call a reduction cool firing, a specialty of USU it seems, a different way of firing a wood kiln. The pots are fired to a lower temperature over about 30 hours and then the kiln is brought down in temp slowly with continued stoking to keep the kiln in reduction (starved of oxygen). The basic idea of a reduction cool is to manipulate the iron in the clay or glazes. The colour palette is subtle, and this particular firing there seemed to be lots of red and black.
Robin has been working with an idea recently to try and direct flame through holes in saggars that he has built specifically to hold some of his forms. The work related to this idea turned out as he intended and are really quite beautiful. He cleaned them up that afternoon to use in his critique the next day.
3 comments:
I feel like I have learned so much about pottery since I have started reading your blogs. I like Robin's new pieces.
Hi Both
Pottery is so foreign to me but I am really interested in reading your blogs
very cool shots... i'm intrigued by the surface of the large piece on the far right in the first pic
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