Where did June go?

Where did June go? Its certainly a strange question to pose at the end of July. Better late than never. I spent most of June in Star, NC working at STARworks and helping Central Park NC work towards a forthcoming improved website. I also was able to fill and fire their noborigama wood kiln along with David Stuempfle, Anne Partna and Adam Landman. Anne and Adam have additional pics and recollections on their blog.

I was able to set up studio at STARworks Ceramics and follow through with the molds I made during spring concentration at Penland.

I helped construct the noborigama kiln in 2008 during a workshop led by Hajimu Kato from Shigaraki Japan and Andres Allik from Talin, Estonia. This was my first time firing it though. Like this blog entry, better late than never.

We did a three day firing in 95 degree heat. It was a little brutal but fun none-the-less. I used a very plastic casting slip that is high in ball clay. The new body responded well to the demands of my amorphous sculptural forms and did not warp in the kiln.

I plan to eventually run some tests to incorporate local clay bodies so that pieces with lighter ash have more interesting surfaces. I’m still having some issues with cracking and I am still considering adding fibers to my slip. For now, the new blend works well enough and I have come to appreciate the quietude of some pieces such as the large amorphous jar below.

Haystack pics soon. Thanks for reading!