October 2006 – N.A.U.-
Flagstaff, AZ
Noborigama: History and
Practice.
Focus on Climbing Kilns.
(download the msword
file)
Over 30 years ago I built my first wood kiln;
a large, tall catenary style with dual fireboxes
on either side, it never got hot. In fact it
barely got to cone 3. I was greedy, my
stacking chamber was too large and the fireboxes
were too small. I can’t quite remember
what compelled me towards wood firing, probably
something about free wood and free bricks. But
I do remember what drove me forward. It
was sheer curiosity coupled with a desire to
conquer failure. I don’t like losing. Very
early in my ceramic career, I discovered the
value of learning through calculated risk. Firing
with wood is still an intentional path of self
discovery. Wood has taught me perseverance,
tenacity, and the joy of mystery. I am
a life long learner, and wood firing teaches
me something with every kiln load.
I have 3 wood kilns at the Anderson Ranch Arts
Center, a small Neely style train kiln, a buorrybox
cross draft, and a 3 chamber Karatsu style noborigama. Our
buorrybox produces wonderful glaze wares, while
our new train kiln is teaching us more about
cooling reduction for color. My continued
interest is in the unknown possibilities that
my noborigama kiln can produce. My initial
enthusiasm was around how easy the kiln achieved
temperature. I could stoke with 6 to 10
large logs that required no splitting, chopping
or cutting. Think about that, no chainsaws,
no axes. It was satisfying to think I had
done my homework and designed the kiln parts
properly. The only adjustments I might
consider would be more open draft flow from chamber
to chamber. For now, I see no drawbacks with
the design.
Our noborigama kiln is about 140 cubic feet.
We fire 4 to 6 times a year, using one cord of
wood per day of firing. Our fuel is apple, fir,
pinon, and spruce. The hard brick kiln was built
on a 13 degree slope, ending with a 24 foot tall
chimney. Firing at 8,500 feet has taught
me that kilns need 10 percent more air and flue
flow, along with larger fireboxes. Our
kiln is fired for 3 to 5 days, with little reduction
to 1200 degrees centigrade, (that is in the plus
or minus cone 8 range), when a cooling reduction
process starts. All air sources are closed
and the firebox is over stoked to bring the temperature
down to 1050 degrees centigrade. When the
temperature bottoms out, the air is opened and
the kiln is allowed to climb back to around 1200
degrees centigrade. Rarely do we have to
stoke again on the way up. This cooling
reduction goes on for 24 to 30 hours, with each
up and down cycle taking about 20 to 30 minutes.
After 30 hours of cooling reduction we climb
to cone 9 or 10 for the final ash melt. Why
fire in centigrade? The rest of the world
uses it, and I had to learn or I wasn’t
going to learn anything from Takashi.
My experience with climbing kilns dates back
to graduate school at Alfred. My recent
education has been through the mentoring and
friendship of Takashi Nakazato. I suppose
like most fortunate moments in life, we are rarely
prepared or ready when they happen. For
the past 12 years Takashi has been working at
the Ranch. For 2 to 3 months every year,
he shares his knowledge of wood firing and pottery
making. Takashi’s insatiable curiosity
would define our relationship and studio research.
His wisdom as an innovator, took me to Karatsu
Japan, to study his kiln and studio practices. Takashi’s
pottery is well made, but not precise. A
bowl is bowl, never are two alike. I responded
to his assuring sense of grace and balance. As
an innovator in a centuries old tradition, Takashi
would routinely break the rules. I knew
that there would be lots to learn from hanging
around this guy.
After many firings with Takashi, I began to
see the range of possibilities from a single
kiln with multiple chambers. It became
apparent that we could control the ash deposits
and temperature ranges in different chambers. The
first major epiphany came after one of our early
firings. We were all standing around admiring
our pots, while Takashi Nakazato was systematically
breaking all his pots. His explanation
was short and to the point, “Too much runny
ash”. The discussion that followed
was an instant art lesson between what are clear
intentions and undesirable results. I was
literally taken to the wood shed and given a
licking! Although it is has taken me years
to clearly understand Takashi’s aesthetic,
that moment of clarity made me stop to rethink
the whole process; everything from choices of
clays, slips, and glazes to wood fuel sources. I
realized there was more to firing with wood than
just ash and flash. The next epiphany came
while watching a large stoke go through its second
burn. I saw clearly how precisely wood kilns
can be controlled.
To speak about wood firing in definitive terms,
is like talking about results before they happen. The
true nature of a wood fired pot starts with the
clay and extends into the forms, then is completed
by firing process. I think of my pots having
a certain gestural spirit with a sense of casual
elegance. My pots are affected by the memory
of landscapes and architecture where I have lived
and worked. The rims and profiles of my
pots move and undulate in compliment to the flowing
wood flame. The wood flame is the paint
brush that decorates my pottery. That is
where I begin.
Our noborigama kiln has 3 specific approaches
to its 3 chambers. The firebox or first
chamber is for unglazed, raw clay surfaces, the
second is for slips and stoneware type glazes
and the third responds best to porcelain with
celadon glazes. My shapes and forms don’t
change much from one chamber to the next, as
much as the clay bodies, slips, and glazes do. I
make pots to be used. I make pots that revel
in the pleasures of the everyday world.
Great wood fired pots have a strong sense of
history and memory. They honor the past, are
excited about the present, and contain enough
mystery for the future. For me wood firing
and the layering of ash is a true metaphor for
our lives. The process is long and hard,
and the surface is rich with complexities. I
certainly see myself in my work. I have
come to think of the surface of my work as intricate
and compelling, yet quiet and contemplative. I
call it “Still Ash”. Think
of it as a sense of anticipation, layers of ash
that are on the verge of flowing, but yet are
smooth and soft. That still energy is the
point between fluidity and stiffness. As
if watching ice melt or a glacier move, you know
it is going to happen, we can’t see it
move, but it is. That is the moment of anticipated,
quiet beauty.
A good wood kiln continues to teach, produce
results, and still leave room for innovation
and risk. A good wood kiln will allow for
discovery. I watched in amazement once,
while Takashi shoveled snow into the red hot
kiln in an attempt to achieve cooling reduction. The
thought that day was all about how risk equals
gained knowledge. The majority of the 140
cubic feet of pots from that firing were discarded.
Wood firing teaches us not to take our lives
or our artwork too seriously.
Like the natural beauty that surrounds us, good
wood fired pots compel us to look and look again. I
often think that any good wood fired pot has
four issues to resolve:
- Good wood fired pots must first make you
stop and look.
- Good wood fired pots must bring you close
to them.
- Good wood fired pots must demand you pick
them up.
- Good wood fired pots must get used again
and again.
The wood fired pot brings to me a narrative
story, complete with place, time, and the characters
involved with the firing. Wood firing
teaches me respect and tolerance. It is a lot
like having children, we are not sure what they
are going to look like, but we know we are going
to love them.
I want to leave you with two thoughts that I
consider relevant to my wood firing commitment. I
asked Takashi once what this is really all about,
he responded with “My education is not
over. I am still searching for that elusive
thing that I have not seen yet”.
And from the mind of another great thinker,
Albert Einstien, “ The greatest experience
we have is the mystery”.
Thank you.
Doug Casebeer
Anderson Ranch Arts Center
Snowmass Village, CO
USA |
