archives
Groundhog Firing at the North Carolina Pottery Center
2016
In this image, the groundhog is in full swing as we continue stoking wood. Assisting potter Chad Brown was a rich experience, and here we had just loaded the fire box with a heavy stoke. A moment of reduction follows the stoke but at over 2400 degrees, the wood quickly ignites and sends a long flame through the kiln, over the pots, and out the chimney. Timing is everything when firing a wood kiln and we were taking extra time let the heat build through the whole kiln eventually dropping cone 11. After salting the kiln, Chad crash cools for a unique surface to his wares.