Smoke Soaked Pottery

I took my first ceramics class in high school to avoid a gym class. Now I can't stop! I developed a love for atmospheric firings and an appreciation for clays and their individuality in college, and worked for several years out of the community college campus. Forever a lover of the natural, I had been influenced by a project by a previous high school class where they dug clay from the nearby stream. I began experimenting with local digs a few years ago. I was and still am captivated by their colors, differences and similarities and downright stubbornness, as well as the process involved in their use. A clay hunt becomes a two hour walk and reflection in nature, looking for the right spot to gather. And the clays themselves are so beautiful. I've found a wide variety of colors ranging from black and white to blue/greys, goldenrod and gold, orange, and browns. When I chose to use a local clay it is generally influenced as much by how much I like its raw color as what the fired results are. It turns out that they generally do very well in atmospheric firings-kilns with an open flame as opposed to an electric. Firing with wood gives unique, beautiful results that somehow translate the beauty of the tree into a natural glaze during a 15 hour + firing. I also soda fire, a fun firing less intensive than stoking wood though just as long. At the peak temperature, bricks are pulled from the kiln from a few locations and wet or dry soda ash and/or baking soda are sprayed or blown in, with unique results on every pot. That's me, at the chimney on the soda kiln, moving the damper to help with a more even dispersal of soda in the kiln. I currently work out of a studio in Lisle, IL