(iF News

POTTERS
GUILD

January 200]

etter

Volume 37 Number 1]

of BRITISH
COLUMBIA
Saree

[tis cool and dark as [ start my tnps again to the Tovan, Early momung tripe
and hard labour are just the beginning of my tnal with the kiln. ] have been
planning this firing in my head for months working on shapes, slips and
taking orders [rom chents who have been patently Waiting lor this beast to
rise again and spew forth fame. To them firing once or sometimes twice a
year is ridiculous, Why does it not fire more? Why can't you do one by
yourself? Maybe af hwo of you got together? Well if only | could just whip
a firing up, it would be so much easter. However we, the few, the prowd and
the burnt, Know that the months of planning and countless howrs. of velunieer
work just fo gel ready are all worth

ltreguires weekends of splitting wood, repanng whal has melted or shifted
in previous firings, scraping shelves and seeing to the endless minutiae of
details. | would like to say that ] do. as much as the next, butl have a thnving
pattery business and many demands on my lime. | endeavour to get as many
pieces done and fire as many shifts as [ can, but! still feel it is not enough.
There are so many peaple whe work bard, too hard sometinnes, just to get a
few pots through; it hasn't been an casy time for the kiln. Years of

TRIALS OF FIRING TOZAN
Kevin Wright

Above Tarzan tire oneht, Gctober [5

Below: fora breathing, left view

disappointment and frustration have
plagued the kiln, it has overfired,
underfired, melted chimneys and wet wood
has certainly done a job on the kiln's
success. Many people have thrown up
their hands in dismay at the Saln's seem

ingly endless jabs at their sanity with all
the ways it fincks to fail and | can certainly
say that [ am mot surpnsed. | can under

stand their reluctance to retum. Mow after
many firings, | really feel that we are
finally getting a handle on itand firings are
much mare consistent

] fiest attended the kiln after its [inst two
firings were completed, |, as many others,
wanted to wait unul problems were re-
solved. | thought it would take only a few
firings since | had been involved with
wood before and ] considered it was no

see TRIALS face 4 and 7?