This weekend Roger Jamison and friends started loading his big anagama kiln. Thankfully, I was invited to put some pots in the kiln, naturally I also wanted to help load. It's part of the community that makes wood firing.
When I got there I found several rows of long tables loaded with pots waiting to be loaded. It looked like a lot of pots but he wanted to pack the kiln rather tightly to avoid air pockets in the kiln. These apparently trap heat and make for a very uneven firing. It's better to have the pieces close together so the flame, heat, and ash can wrap around the pots and kiss them with color.
When I got there the kiln was empty, you can really see how big it is. Roger built it with a door in the side which is brilliant.
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| Jamison Anagama Kiln |
The kiln started to fill up. This is stack a few rows back from the very back but not yet up to the door. See how tight the pots are loaded. He also wanted covered jars, closed forms, and pots with small openings at the top since they run a risk of having stuff fall on them from the ceiling. These bit that fall can look nice on the outside of a pot but you don't want them inside a mug or bowl.
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| Rear Stack |
This vase is really huge but it fits in perfectly with the two large serving bowls on the rim. I can't wait to see what these look like, and they are not even mine.
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| Large Vase and Platters |
Roger is very, very methodical about loading the kiln. This meant loading was slow but he also planed to do it over several days so their is no rush. I suspect the pots are going to come out looking beautiful. I'll go back down there later in the week to feed the fire. Stay tuned.
Check out the gallery page -
Future Relics Gallery
by Lori Buff
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