Hey guys! I forgot to send this along in Monday's email...whoops! But, better late than too late...right? So without further ado...
We invite each of you to join us in uncovering a paragon of pottery - fresh out of the kiln!
On Saturday, John will be unloading his hand built, wood fired anagama kiln. The product of this kiln is totally different to most of the pottery you have seen recently in the gallery or on our market table - creating earthier tones and textural pieces with a rustic patina.
when: Saturday, June 29
time: 6:00 - 7:00 pm
where: 1941 Colham Ferry Road (NOT the gallery)
Watkinsville
* look for the red scarf tied to the mail box. Park in front of the house and follow the path past the sheds behind the house and you will see us!
more on what the heck all this is about...
Anagama traditionally means "cave kiln" - and is an ancient type of pottery kiln used in Japan, and later China.
Depending on size, these kilns can fire for any number of days. This particular kiln typically fires for about 3 days and 3 nights using wood as it's only source of fuel - devouring 2-3 cords of wood and reaching temperatures in excess of 2400 F.
The kiln needs around the clock attention and maintenance....stocking wood every couple of minutes. All the wood has been harvested from fallen tress on the farm and hand chopped. Yup - hand-chopped (thanks to the help of Willy P., Mr. Brown and John Bradford himself).
Inside the kiln, a relationship is formed between the intense heat, the wood ash flying around, various minerals extracted from the process, and the clay body itself - which all lends to a natural wood ash glaze and pots that look as though they were born out of the earth.
After a few days of cooling - the kiln is ready to be unloaded. The result is never the same and is not unlike Christmas day. Surrounded by family and friends - with the buzz of anticipation in the air... "what's inside that box?" (or huge furnace-y igloo thing in this case).
And just like Christmas - you could get a really great surprise or a bunch of underwear and socks...you just don't know. And that's the beauty of it all...the unknown.
So, Christmas comes early at The Pastures of Rose Creek and we'd love y'all to be there - caught up in the excitement of it all... Passing pots from hands to hands - still warm to the touch. Come be apart of the communal effort to "unwrap" this kiln!...(please don't be underwear, please don't be underwear!)
For the love of community and all things pottery,
John Bradford (of Bradford Pottery), Dana B. and Willy P. (from the farm)
