It’s a long process but the results are beautiful.
The Moose Jaw Pottery Club is holding an exhibition called Wood-Fire #35 at the Moose Jaw Cultural Centre to exhibit the latest work.
The pieces were fired at the Parsons and Dietrich studio in a kiln, which uses wood for fuel.
The 30 cubic foot kiln takes about 12 to 16 hours to fire and was named Puna after the Cree word for ‘make fire’.
Christy Schweiger, of the Moose Jaw Pottery Club, told the Times-Herald the title Wood-Fire #35 represents the number of firings done so far in the wood kiln.
She said the day the pottery was put in the kiln to be glazed was a very social event as everybody was on hand to help out and keep the kiln stocked with wood.
The exhibition not only shows pieces made by members but also demonstrates the process with documentary photos taken by Grant McLean.
Schweiger said the wood kiln improves each time it is used and at the beginning, the pieces it produced were not very colourful but now the glaze is very vibrant.
“The kiln has now been fired 35 times in the process of its life,” Schweiger said. “It was built about three years ago.
“The studio has a gas kiln but the wood fire is special. It gives the pieces a totally different finish.
“There has to be someone there all the time so we needed a large group to share the work.”
Read more in a future Times-Herald edition.
