A PERSONAL ACT

When I think about wood firing, I think of the communal nature of the  process. It takes more than an individual to fire the kiln and each individual is dependent on one another for the hopefully positive results that the firing will yield. Though the process is communal, the act is personal, dependant on the motivation, skill and experience of each individual. The act yields pots, lessons and a conversation with the process that is not selfish, but certainly is both self-motivated and personal on a number of different levels. When firing, sometimes it is like being all alone in a room full of people as you split wood, stoke the kiln and make any number of observations to keep the beast feed. I understand this may be a singular viewpoint as I am both skilled and used to working alone; but I wonder who else shares this thought?

Here is a nice video that I found on Youtube about the veteran American salt and wood firing pioneer; Jack Troy. It is worth a watch.