Woodfiring.
Lighting the woodkiln and seeing the flame, smelling the smoke, and hearing the crackle of the fire while day turns to night and pots slowly turn from dusty black to glowing red, and then almost white with heat, is my passion.
There are many hours of solitary labour before the fire is even lit. It is a little like preparing for a long and complex overseas holiday, where the effort made beforehand is vital to the success of the journey. The physical preparation such as sourcing cutting and stacking the wood, and preparing the kiln itself, gives me time to mentally prepare and plan the firing.
After the firing and the kiln cools, the covers are lifted and the work is revealed. As a maker this can be a humbling moment. If all has gone well, the work is sometimes so changed by the fire that it is not recognisable as my own. It is as if it has been touched by other hands. These moments are what woodfiring is all about.