Firing the wood-fired kiln
The inaugural burning of our wood-fired kiln was five years in the making. It all started in 2018 when Greg heard of a potter who was selling her wood-fired kiln. After buying it, Greg dismantled the kiln brick by brick and 2,000 fire bricks were moved to Villa Rustica! Greg sought the help of local wood-fired kiln designer, Raven, to construct a Bourry box kiln that could be fired with a small team.
However, due to Greg’s flourishing tableware business, the kiln sat idle for a few years. There was no time to finish off the final touches, let alone make a kiln load of pieces with the special wood-fired clay, And, of course, there was a lot to learn about wood firing before lighting the kiln.
Finally, in early August, Greg was ready to fire it up. He began the drying process the night before and the next day received help from two experienced wood firers, Jacqui and Sue. They all took turns stoking the firebox and checking the temperature every 15 minutes over the 15 hour firing process.
“I was surprised how it’s such a primal process and so different from flicking the switch on an electric kiln,” Greg says. “Wood-firing is the true alchemy of fire and clay and the results are unpredictable as the clay is marked by the path of the flame.”
Exhausted but exhilarated at the end of the weekend, everyone felt eager to do it again next winter!
Thanks to the beautiful documentation by photographer, Julie Pallant, this experience will be remembered for years to come.
