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.