A Kindled SpiritAnn Marie coined the phrase "Kindled Spirit" for those like her, the many ceramicists with a passion for claying with fire.
About Wood-Firing"It takes a team of people all day (or two) to load the kiln, taking into careful consideration how each pot is stacked on or near another. Then the kiln is fired for 40-50 hours (depending on the kind of kiln) under constant supervision, all the while wood is chopped and the fire stoked. It's an intense, but worthwhile process! I am thankful for the many years firing the train kiln with my Smoke Farm cohort, and the folks that these experiences have brought into my life." -Ann Marie |
Ann Marie's heart belongs to wood-firing.
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Video credit to Heather Hitt
Ann Marie and her beloved Smoke Farm Firing Cohort, minus the camera-shy or sleeping.
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Introduced to wood-firing in 2013 at the Smoke Farm Train Kiln, Ann Marie quickly developed a deep affection for atmospheric firing. Her passion for wood-firing has brought great adventures and the dearest friendships into her life, some of which you can read about on her blog.
In 2021, Ann Marie began building a wood kiln with Heather Hitt, Jeremy Noet and Amy Popelka, which will allow much more frequent wood-firings! Stay tuned for pots coming out of their Coyote Kiln. |
Stoke On!
Ann Marie Cooper and Tara Wilson
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Click here to read Ann Marie's blog post about traveling (and shipping pots) to Illinos to wood-fire at Mill Creek Pottery with Simon Levin.
Simon Levin and Ann Marie Cooper
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About Soda-Firing
Burnish Clay Studio built a gas kiln for soda-firing in 2020, and there's a lot of enthusiasm for this form of atmospheric firing!
Soda-firing offers an alternative to wood-firing with similar results, to which Ann Marie has also taken quite a shine. She has become the fire lead for the Cone 6 soda-firings which happen several times a year.
If you'd like to participate in a soda-firing, check out Burnish Clay Studio's website.
Soda-firing offers an alternative to wood-firing with similar results, to which Ann Marie has also taken quite a shine. She has become the fire lead for the Cone 6 soda-firings which happen several times a year.
If you'd like to participate in a soda-firing, check out Burnish Clay Studio's website.
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"Atmospheric firings are time-consuming, but I love that--taking my time to carefully consider where each pot should be placed in the kiln for ideal flame path to create flashing and soda ash accumulation. Depending on kiln size, it can take a day or several days to load it with work. The soda-firing process takes a full day, monitoring the temperature, preparing the soda burritos, and when the temperature is right, tossing those burritos into the kiln every fifteen minutes for a couple of hours. (What's a soda burrito? It's a blend of baking soda and soda ash wrapped up in paper.) Then we let the kiln cool for several days and reverse the process (which goes much faster!), taking note of which placements and clays worked and which didn't. Sometimes things go wrong and work is lost, which is a part of the ceramics process we all begrudgingly accept. The joyful triumphs make up for the losses." - Ann Marie |
