BIG MAMA
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I have been firing my work exclusively with wood since 2013, using no electricity or applied external glazes. In place of traditional glazing, much of my work is decorated on the exterior with wild clays that I hand dig and process in small batches. These clay slips result in a variety of surfaces that speak to me of my home, and the landscapes of my travels - the collection of places these clays are from. Some tableware has a liner glaze applied to the interior for a smoother food surface, while the exteriors are left to be self glazed by the fly ash and fumes produced in the firing process. The nature of wood firing allows for each piece to be completely different due to its location in the kiln, what type of wood we are burning, or the weather that day. Like people, no two pieces are identical.

I typically fire 1-2 times a year, with a small crew. Each firing is four days and three nights of round the clock stoking to bring the kiln up to temperature. We work in shifts, taking turns on the long hours of stoking through the night. Noting the first bird song in the morning, or when the coyotes are at play, are some of the benchmarks that help us stay awake. Once the kiln is up to temperature, we continue adding small pieces of wood while the kiln cools, a process called “reduction cooling”. By continuing to add fuel and starving the kiln of oxygen while it cools, we are able to achieve results of deep blacks, bright reds and moody purples, all from the clay itself.

The majority of my work is made by hand using pinch and coiling methods, without the use of a pottery wheel. I work alone on my porch, with breaks to walk the trails I’ve made in the woods behind the barn. The work is inspired by my understanding of home, a garden, the landscape around me, and my relationship with it all. There are many stories of life to be told through clay, and I’m aiming to tell them. It is my desire to create objects that speak of place and time, and help the user to slow down and appreciate their surroundings (the cup holding their coffee included).