More Students' Work

It was interesting to have similar pots in the two anagamas; the Tel Hai firing was hotter but shorter [2+ days],so the lumps of Shigaraki feldspar in the clay melted the way they're meant to,leaving small white blobs,but running ash effects were more restrained,as in a regular wood firing: Meir's firing - cooler but longer [5 1/2 days] - gave more dramatic pots with drier textures.Both were good firings,both left [to my mind] room for improvement. I think that Meir's firing suffered from green unsplit wood,which took too much heat from the kiln,and clogged the ash pits - the wood at Tel Hai was excellent,just the right length,expertly split by Netzer &co,and dry,but I'd like to see the firing there carry on a day longer. I'm only a guest at these two kilns,and have no intention of building one in the near future,so these are merely musings after the short but intensive Israeli anagama season; I'm very happy with all my pots from both firings,and the fresh shipment of stoneware arrived today,so I'm raring to get down to some production throwing so I can crank out a few kilns in honour of the forthcoming Passover holidays.