5 - 28 September 2024: Out of the Woods by Andrea Roman, Edmund Davies, Grace McCarthy, Lily Pearmain, Rachel Kurdynowska & Skye Corewijn

A group exhibition featuring wood fired work by London and Norwich based artists who fired together this summer in Wytham Woods at the Oxford University Kilns.

 

We asked them to ask each other a few questions, to give you insight into the process, the artists, and the their work.

 

Private view Wednesday 4th September 6 - 8pm

 

Skye asks; What is this exhibition about and what does it explore?

Lily says

This exhibition is about the community of wood firing. The pots on display here are the result of a group firing in Wytham Woods, at the Oxford University Kilns. For 6 days we worked as a group of 6 to chop wood, glaze work, load the kiln, and then fire it.

 

There are many logistical, technical, artistic and relational choices to be made in that time. The act of making those choices as a group of friends and accomplished potters was also an act of friendship and the pots here are the manifestation of that. The kiln site is situated in Wytham Woods, an ancient and protected woodland. In a metaphorical sense, we found our way through the firing, like finding our way through the woods.

 

There are opportunities for many decisions to be made, forks in the road, and we weathered those together, to come out of the woods with this body of work was like coming out into the light. 

 

Skye asks; If someone was not at all familiar with wood fired pottery, how would you describe the process and the results in a nutshell?

Lily says

In a nutshell, wood firing uses wood as the primary fuel for heating the kiln, as opposed to electric, gas, or oil firing. Wood firing requires fuel and oxygen to gain heat, but a byproduct of that process is a lot of ash flies over the pots, lands on them and then when you reach high enough temperatures, that ash melts onto the pots. Another byproduct of the method is ‘reduction’, whereby there is more fuel in the kiln than the flow of oxygen can burn efficiently. This essentially chokes the kiln, but if you can control that process, it pulls oxygen from the pots, and produces beautiful rich colours. 

 

Grace asks; What makes wood firing so special to you?

Lily says

So many things! Obviously the effect on the pots is really beautiful, and I relish the opportunity to make work for fun and experimentation, with little expectation for how they will come out of the kiln. The main reason it’s special to me though is not the pots. It's the community and connection we build every time we fire. Connection with each other, and with the ancient skill of wood firing, and connection to the land and wood. Having so much uninterrupted time is also so special, particularly when it’s with the people who are so close to my heart.

 

It’s hard to take, but I also think the potential failure of the whole endeavour makes it quite special as well. It provides endless learning, both technical and artistic.

 

 

Rachel asks; Does the community aspect of wood firing alter your approach to making when you return to your studio at home?

Skye says

I think particularly with this firing, with such a small crew, you are able to almost plan the stack in a far more considered way than my experiences before. Personal understanding of what could be placed front, back, middle. What shapes and sizes were missing. Because of the friendship and camaraderie of this firing, I do feel encouraged and inspired to plan and think a little differently and more creatively in how I’d approach my next wood firing.

 

Andrea asks; One memory/moment from this communal firing in Oxford?

Skye says

When we'd finished firing, lying exhausted and hot at the back of the kiln, tumbled in a heap, gazing mesmerised through the small opening into the chimney, watching the long licks of flame dance through the pots like liquid, making their way through the kiln and chimney up to the sky.

 

Skye asks; The part of the wood firing process you enjoy the most?

Rachel says

The point where the pots are safely packed in the kiln and the dance around the kiln has commenced; the lighting, the cooking, the conversation, clamming-up, wood chopping, recording temperature and note taking, laughing, and sleeping, all creating a buzz, that for a moment eclipses the ceramic work its all taking place for.

 

Andrea asks; Can you think of a specific lesson wood firing has given you?

Rachel says

I think wood firing probably teaches you something different each time you fire. Emotional strength and resilience is followed by the right questions asked, is followed by careful observation, is followed by confidence to trust your instincts, is followed by a sense of recklessness, is followed by new ideas for future firings, is followed by…

 

Skye asks; One to three absolutely essential items you could not have lived without during the week in Oxford?

Rachel says

This is really hard, I don’t feel I’m someone who really relies on material things. So maybe I’ll speak about some “essential" things that I enjoy not having instead:

1. My phone. I use my phone to take pictures, document kiln door arrangements and to play music but other than that I’m not in contact with anyone and I’m not checking in on any form of social media. It's a real break from the screen which I really cherish.
2. Being indoors. These firings are a period of time spent entirely outside, we camp, cook on a fire, see the sun come up and go down, and deal with whatever weather is thrown at us. When it comes to packing down and leaving the open forest, I’m filled with a reluctance to return to my life with walls.

For me the main part (and I guess you could say an essential aspect) of the firing is the community around you, friends supporting each other and new bonds being made. You spend all your time working alongside one another, people talking, things happening in the distance, you're surrounded by interesting and engaged conversation, skill, knowledge and ceramic kinship - this is something I really miss on the return home from a firing.

 

Lily asks; Do you change the way in which you make for a wood firing, in comparison to how you make in your day to day work in your studio? Can you explain why you might make differently (or not)?

Grace says

Yes, I definitely make my work differently. I think when I am making in my day to day I’m in production mode. A lot of the shapes colours and processes are already worked out because normally I’m making for an order or something very specific, so what I'm doing is predetermined and limited in many ways, normally making in large quantities. I love this way of making because it gives me structure in my work.

 

When making for wood firings and especially when I made for this one, I really wanted to be much freer and not have a plan at all, just make. I didn’t weigh the clay, I just threw very freely, made lots of little things and everything was different. I was much more playful and looser in my throwing and in my trimming, I also explored the technique of slab work this time.

 

Just tried to be more playful and a bit freer. I set aside a couple of days out of my schedule to do play and it was such a nice period of making, the only limit I had is that I chose to work with two different clay bodies.

 

Edmund asks; How have the woodfired pots you’ve made changed as you’ve got more acquainted with the technique?

Grace says

I was first introduced to wood firing when I was at Clay College Stoke over six years ago. My work has definitely changed very dramatically since that time, this is due to the type of maker that I am, my work is constantly changing and (I hope) evolving due to the experiences that I have and the skills that I gain. I think that it’s because of learning those alternative firing techniques, like wood, salt, soda and gas firing. 

 

For me when I unload the final pieces and see how the pieces react in this type of firing, it really informs my making. Because you’re responding to what the kiln has done. It’s like a lifetime of conversations between the maker and the fire. I try bring the freedom I find making for wood firings into to my everyday work whenever I can.

 

Lily asks; If you could change one thing about this firing, what would it be?

Grace says

I honestly don’t think that there's much I would change about this firing. The beauty of firing with this group of people is that there is already a real friendship and connection there. I felt like there was a lot of love and respect, which doesn’t always happen when you’re something firing with people you don’t know. You're learning about he people and the firing, and this adds a layer of complexity.

 

If I could change one thing, it might be that we would have done a down-firing. I really love the effects of down-firing in this type of kiln, especially this on in Oxford, as I've seen the effects it has on my work already. Or in a way, maybe I like the fact that we didn’t do the down-firing. I've seen almost 'new' results in this kind of kiln, which only informs my making and helps me to progress and learn.

 

Grace asks; What are you looking for in wood fired pots that you don’t find in your day to day work?

Edmund says

There’s a lusciousness and an extra sparkle which woodfiring can bring to pots, with the surfaces left variegated by the flame and ash, but a part of it is the community aspect of firing in a team with friends too.

 

Edmund asks; What will you do differently for your next wood firing or are there any avenues you would like to explore in the future?

Skye says

I think there are a few pieces I’d make differently, a tweak here and there. It’s always so nice to try new things and then the tricky thing is to remember and make notes for what you want to try next time. There are some different clays I’d like to try as well.

 

And build my own wood kiln… A girl can dream.

 

Skye asks; The most recent pot you’ve bought, who made it and where did you buy it?

Edmund says

A mug from klei! A woodfired one from Simon Kidd’s exhibition in August.

 

Rachel asks; Could you describe your favourite piece that came out this particular firing?

Andrea says

I have a soft spot for the most battered, weathered pieces—the ones that look like they’ve just been unearthed after centuries lost to the elements. For me, woodfiring is more about those crazy and quite non functional effects, crazy ash drips, carbon trapping, things getting stuck to each other.

 

My favourite pieces are all the ones that do that. I like the purple and the green hues. There are a few I like from this batch but possibly the one I like the most is a simple round disc with wire waves.

 

The way the ash deposited on it, the way you can see the flame coming from a side and burning the surface, the 3 wadding dots in the middle, even one of them got stuck to it in a way that I really like. No glaze was applied to this piece, so its allows you to appreciate how fire and ash do their thing.

 

Skye asks; What was the most challenging and then the most rewarding part of your week spent firing and camping at the kilns?

Andrea says

Oh! So many things come to mind. It was a challenge to keep up day and night stoking the kiln, in a way it was a small group, only 6 of us, so the shifts were long and there was little rest between them.

 

Sometimes it's hard to understand the fire, so there were many frustrating moments dealing with that trying to figure out what to change to make it work our way. Whenever you had a few hours off you needed to be taking care of the people stoking the kiln, making sure they kept hydrated and well fed. Some of us got crazy hay fever, the first time I've ever got it, we were in the field, so really no place to hide, you just had to go with it.

But All of that is what made the whole experience so special, creating a real sense of community and care Those quiet moments in the morning, when we saw the sunrise and the evenings with the magical moonrises were something I'll remember forever.

 

On one of my shifts nearing the end, Grace and I felt like the fire was responding to us exactly how we wanted, that we had actually established a real dialogue with them, it was a powerful connection.

 

Skye asks; An exhibition or painting or building or anything you’ve seen recently that’s inspired you?

Andrea says

Lately, I've been paying a bit more attention to the architectural rhythms of the Dorset, Lakeview, and Cranbrook Estates—those iconic Lubetkin buildings near where I live.

 

There’s something about the interplay of geometry and the use of colour in these structures that keeps drawing me in. I find myself sketching the patterns over and over, trying to decode their visual language and figure out how to translate that into a ceramic form. The way the shadows play off the buildings at different times of day has also got me thinking about how I can capture that shifting light in a ceramic piece.