This Is A Woodfiring Marathon!

August has flown by here in Denmark - a whirl of timber, fire, lots of coffee, good company and wisdom! Last week Allison (from Charlotte, US) and I made dinner for the household - and we counted 17 different nationalities around the dining table!

Sharing the Guldagergaard House and studio with such a dynamic group of people has meant every day we have been sharing ideas, observing different processes of fellow artists and forming friendships that are difficult to say goodbye to when artists inevitably depart. Above is a snapshot of our gang on the 11th August out the front of the studio before my friends Ayano, Akio, Christie and Pedro had left for their respective homes - US, UK and Portugal!

In the first soda firing I had some work in, the kiln was primarily filled with Sten Lykke Madsen's work. Sten is exhibiting in Copenhagen in September so it was important he get the best results for his work. His humorous sculptures are traditionally painted with illustrations in his secret Royal Copenhagen blue and coloured slips.

The 'after shot' - first soda firing

As Sten is now over 70, and the kiln fires from the base involving lots of work on one's knees, there was a team of us firing the kiln for him. One nice effect came from the spotted shino inside the vessel I had fired (below).

Detail of my 'currency' vessel with spotted shino, soda fired

I also took the opportunity to test some 'Aussie Cookies' with different salt slips I had made, along with my flambe glaze (usually used in gas back in Brisbane) and it came out a very deep morone with highlights I believe would be perfect for future landscape pieces.

Sten had hoped for stronger results from the soda vapours so he was certain there needed to be double as much soda introduced to the kiln in the second firing. I included some small tests in this firing but found very little difference in results between the two firings.