My pottery is fired to over 2,300 degrees in a kiln fueled entirely by wood. Up to two months of preparation go into every kiln load, from throwing the pots on the wheel to splitting the wood with an axe.
The firing of the kiln begins before dawn, and if all goes well, will end before midnight, about 20 hours later. Up to an entire cord of wood - oak, maple and pine slab from local sawmills, is used to stoke the growing fire. By nightfall, the inside of the kiln is glowing red and flames are shooting from the chimney.
Once the desired temperature is reached, salt is introduced into the kiln, which will vaporize, fuse with the clay, and form a natural glaze. The kiln is then sealed up, and given two days to cool before it will be opened and unloaded.
The pottery which results is the product of a long and exciting process - a poetic mixture of earth and fire.

Ben Barnhart, a photographer from Conway, MA has put together a wonderful slideshow of photos from our last wood firing. You can see it at www.bbimages.com/molly/ .