Blog Post #10

I can say that this past week has been a success. Not only have I completely assembled my final project for ceramics, but I also got the chance to participate in the wood-firing process for the semester! Starting off with my final piece—it has turned out to be my favorite piece I have made all semester. All that is left is to pick out the glazes I want to work use. I have been shopping around and trying to come up with something that not only looks cool, but also displays the nostalgia and overall feeling of the piece. I want it to be playful, but still have a late night vibe to it (if that even makes sense). I found a few options that I think could translate what I am going for. I haven’t settled on any yet, but I have some ideas that would be pretty interesting. Updates on that coming soon!

Now, wood firing! I finally got to see what it was like to be part of the wood-firing process. I signed up to take a shift for watching and tending to the fire of the kiln. During this time, me and some of my classmates got to work together while also have a good time! Not only was it a fun night, I was able to learn so much about how everything works. Wood firing is special because there are so many factors that go into the outcome of each piece. The temperature, wood dryness, air flow, where and when the wood is added, and even time are just a few of the countless factors that play into how the final result of each piece. There is no wood firing that will be the same. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the process and plan on continuing to learn more! Below, I added a picture of the kiln during the firing.