Raku, Barrel, Saggar and Pit Firing

In this firing workshop, participants will focus on 4 low fire techniques including Raku, Barrell, Saggar, and Pit firing. We will discuss the various histories of each of these techniques, along with examining historical and contemporary trends. We will glaze and fire multiple times, experimenting with each technique including paper bag saggars. This experimentation will include burnishing and terra sigillata application. Attendees should bring 10-20 bisque-fired pieces to use.  You will have the opportunity to create some pieces while at the workshop, however, there will not be time to use these pieces in the firing. Participants will have the knowledge to recreate any of these firing methods in their home studios, or group studio spaces.

Artist Statement: Jarred Pfeiffer

My work explores the beauty of the Driftless region’s geology, and how it influences my daily

life. Living in La Crosse, Wisconsin, I am encircled by nature’s elegance. Surrounded by 600-

foot bluffs and the mighty Mississippi, my senses are tuned to the textures, colors, and forms of

the changing seasons. Between the vein structure of a leaf to the geologic strata of the bluffs,

themes large and small are present in my work.

I make both functional and sculptural ceramic work with the aim to capture the colors, textures,

and forms that I observe. I utilize techniques ranging from the potter’s wheel to slip casting to

construct these “localized monuments”. I use multiple types of stoneware and porcelain which

allows me the ability to play with delicate smooth and white clay, to dark and gritty clay.

The majority of my work is fired in a wood or a soda kiln. Most work is fired without glaze,

allowing the kiln’s volatile atmosphere to decorate the surfaces. Within a firing wood kiln, the

wood ash flies through the kiln and is deposited on the surface of the work. This accumulation of

ash melts as the peak temperature of the kiln can reach 2,400 degrees F. In the soda kiln, a

solution of soda ash, baking soda, and borax is sprayed into the kiln at peak temperature. The

solution volatilizes and sodium molecules break their molecular bonds. These molecules fly

around the kiln and fuse with the silica in the clay forming a glazed surface. These unstable

firing methods mimic the unpredictability of the natural world which I try to emulate.

www.jarredpfeiffer.com

IG: @jarredpfeiffer