Thursday, February 25, 2010

Bowl


Description: This is a porcelain bowl, fired over a 4 day period in an Anagama kiln; an ancient type of pottery kiln brought to Japan from China via Korea in the 5th century. The color comes mainly from the environment it has been fired in, sometimes additional glazes are used.

The Anagama is fueled with firewood, in contrast to the electric or gas-fueled kilns commonly used by most contemporary potters. A continuous supply of fuel is needed for firing, as wood thrown into the hot kiln is consumed very rapidly. Stoking occurs round the clock until a variety of variables are achieved including the way the molten pots look inside the kiln, the temperatures reached and sustained, the amount of ash applied, the wetness of the walls and the pots, etc.