Salt Fire Workshop

Learn in a group setting as we glaze, load, and fire in our catenary arch wood kiln. Please bring 50 to 70 bisque-fired CONE 10 stoneware or porcelain pieces of various sizes and shapes. It is critical for us to fill this large kiln for better results. Each participant is limited to no more than 10 bowls, which may be loaded in various positions. We will not fire any plates, large shallow bowls, or large flat items. Kiln loading will be managed by instructors of only approved pieces. 

The workshop includes a number of studio glazes, in-depth instruction, and group problem-solving. The workshop will conclude at the end of the firing on Friday. Brunch on Friday is included. 

Glazing: Sunday & Monday

Loading: Tuesday & Wednesday

Firing: Wednesday - Friday

Kiln Unloading & Cleanup: TBD for the following week

Please note: This is a physically demanding workshop. Part of the woodfire process includes splitting and preparing wood for the next firing to come. This workshop may require an overnight/early morning stoking shift. This is also no guarantee that all pieces will get fired due to space or size of pieces.

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 of capturing 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.

IG: @jarredpfeiffer