and green of the woods nearby. The fire slackens in the kiln, entrenched
into the steep bank, with only its squat chimney protruding above. As

the door to the firebox is opened, a sudden blast of heat radiates out, then
wood is hurled in, the ashes raked - and the fire surges forth again.

This was the scene that summer in Nelson, A very direct experience with
fire and clay, an encounter with the surrounding environment, and a
particularly exhilarating approach towards the making of pots.

The kilns built at Nelson were primitive types, consisting of a firebox
producing heat, and a chimney in which the pots were fired. Materials
were scrounged from the area - old brick, scrap metal and wood. Each
firing consumed about a cord of wood over a period of 6-8 hours, with the
time taken to reach temperature (red heat) about 3 hours. The construc-
tion of the kiln is basically simple. Bricks are laid with no mortar, iron
grates fitted in between (as shown), metal plate roof laid on top of the
firebox walls, and the chimney completed by building up lapped layers of
bricks as shown in the photographs and drawings (page 12 and 13).

Clay and fire, the two basic components of ceramics, seem to frighten
people with visions of complicated clay technology and mysterious work-
ings of kins. There is no reason why this should be so. Unfortunately
there presently exists an over-emphasis on technical knowledge and skill
in our technological environment, which tends to discourage the use of
primitive intuition and just plain resourcefulness in the making and
firing of pots.

Michael Kemble.

A REPLY TO "CONTEMPORARY CRITERIA by Bob Bozak
IN POTTERY" from "Tactile", May 1968.

Iam an admirer of people who are not afraid to put into words the ideas
that seem important to them. Your article, "Contemporary Criteria in

Pottery", Kathleen Whatmough, has to be respected as a courageous effort.

But the content does not deserve the same praise, There are many
involved with the arts who will read your sentences absorbing with them
the narrowness of your thoughts. It is unnecessary to examine each of

4.