Woodfiring
The art of transforming clay into stone, make it eternal, resistant to water, frost and small shocks has been known to man for thousands of years. The solution has been wood and fire.

T
here are now several other methods available to fire clay. Fuel, gas or electricity being some of them, they are all practical, efficient and give good results.
 

But woodfire gives more than just heat. The flame touching the surface of clay at high speed leaves its colourful marks, tells its story about the transformation process.

The minerals in woodash leave deposits on the piece, enhancing the shapes, varying in colour and depth with different types of wood and kilns, and the length of firing.

My work is made for the fire to leave its marks, to underline the idea, sublime the beauty.

The way the work is stacked in the kiln and the firing techniques are very important factors for the final result. But you never control totally the movement of the flame or the colour it will give you.

This makes it magic ! I use stoneware and porcelain for my work, and fire to 1280-1320 degrees Celsius.

To obtain such a high temperature with wood and a natural air supply is a difficult task, and it takes several days of feeding the kiln continuously with wood.

At the end of a firing, when you reach high temperature, the kiln comes alive, it breaths, moves, spits flame and inside the clay reaches its melting point surrounded by white heat.

   

© 2005 Linda LID - Design Claude Aussage