AtmosQueer Soda Firing
I am so excited to offer what I hope will be the 1st of many Annual Atmos-Queer Soda Firing for LGBTQIA2S+ participants. This firing will be lead by Jordan Jones (visiting artist from Whidbey Island), assisted by Ann Marie Cooper.
To reserve your space in the kiln, complete the form at the bottom of this page.
While I know language and labels matter, to simplify matters and keep this short (too late) I will refer to all objects made from clay as “pots” or “pottery” in the details about this event out lined below - although many sculptors would find that irksome. Sculpture does look incredible when soda fired, so we definitely would welcome sculptors' participation too!
Cost and What's Included
This firing is free for the participants. We will be doing some fundraising to cover the cost of the labor for the leaders of the firing as well as gas, materials, and other consumables used during the firing.
The program does not include clay or studio access to make work. If you need assistance covering those costs then speak with Heather and I will see if we have sufficient funding to assist. The program does include the utilization of the Burnish glazes. You are welcome to purchase clay at Burnish, but you are not required to do so. We will discuss clay selections during the 1st day of the program and how different clays react in different ways.
So what exactly is soda firing and why are we having an AtmosQueer firing program?
Soda firing falls under the category of atmospheric firing because the atmosphere of the kiln during the firing process has a significant and direct impact on the final surfaces of the piece. Atmospheric firings rely heavily on the relationship between the other pieces adjacent to each pot, placement in the kiln, and the careful management of the heat, oxygen level, and materials added into the fire. It is a great metaphor for how individuals are so reliant on the people and the atmosphere they surround themselves with and how it has an impact on their lives. With all the hate and terrible things continuing to happen in this world, it is more important than ever to create protected pockets of joy wherever we can - the goal is to make this soda firing one of those pockets for you.
What is the soda firing process?
- We will load the pots into the kiln carefully, with a focus on how to stack pots together so that they can work collectively to bring out the best surface possible in each piece.
- We will then bring the heat up in the kiln slowly to allow for the different changes at the chemical and molecular levels needed to transform the clay into a stone-like matrix.
- Once the kiln is close to the peak temperature, we will add the magic fairy dust into the fire in the form of baking soda & soda ash. The soda is mixed with calcium carbonate to form a plaster-like mud pile that dries into crumbly chunks that get rolled into newsprint like a burrito.
- The soda burritos are then tossed into the fire box of the kiln, right by the burners. As the burritos break down, the soda vaporizes and flows through the kiln with the draft of the flames towards the chimney. At that temperature, the pots are all hot and slightly melty enough to be sticky so the soda vapors will stick to the pots.
- Once the kiln starts to cool off, the soda will harden into a thin sheet of glass that forms a glaze on the surface of the pots.
What is the plan/schedule for the Atmos-Queer Firing?
All activities outlined below are optional. If you have a scheduling conflict for any part of it and/or you want to treat this the way we do a regular soda firing without attending any of the group activities, then you are welcome to do so. You would just need to have your glazed pots on the shelf in the kiln yard by end of day Sat 6/17.
Saturday May 20 11AM: Assist with unloading the next Cone 6 Community Soda firing so that you can see finished pieces as they come out of the kiln. This will help you understand the mechanics of the firing process and how the loading and wadding impacts pieces. We will discuss the pieces - what was successful and what was not. We will then move inside to dive deeper into a discussion on making pots for soda. Jordan will demonstrate how she plans for and decorates for soda. The focus will be on how to make work that can be most successful in a soda firing - covering details about shapes, sizes, finishing details like feet, planning for wadding, decorating, glazing, etc. This information will be applicable to both wheel throwers and hand builders.
You will then have 3 weeks to make pieces. Pieces must be DRY and ready to load into bisque kiln by the end of day Monday 6/12.
Thursday 6/15 6PM-8PM: Group glazing session lead by Heather to review best practices for glazing using the Burnish studio glazes as well as a cone 6 Flashing Slip that can be applied to bisque ware. You can continue glazing on your own on Friday or Saturday if you do not get all your pieces finished.
Sunday 6/18 10AM-5PM: Loading Soda Kiln. If you want to help with the loading you will sign up for one 2 hour shift - you will not need to be at the loading all day. Each shift will help complete one of the 3 stacks in the kiln. You will help roll wadding, glue wads to pots, and bring posts and shelves over to the kiln.
Monday 6/19: Firing all day. Most of the process is sitting around watching numbers crawl up the pyrometer (kiln thermometer) and nudging the gas lever up and down bit by bit. I recommend skipping that part, or just stop by from time to time. The exciting part will happen in the late afternoon/early evening when it is time to make the soda burritos and toss them in the kiln. Bring some food to share and spend the evening hanging out around the kiln yard, getting to know the rest of the group. I assume Ann Marie will bring her disco ball so a dance party is not out of the question.
Thursday 6/22 6PM: We will unload the kiln, scraping/cleaning kiln shelves and posts and reapplying kiln wash as we go. We will then discuss the results of the finished pieces.
Sign up is now closed - please do not fill out the below form.
To reserve your space in the kiln, complete the form at the bottom of this page.
While I know language and labels matter, to simplify matters and keep this short (too late) I will refer to all objects made from clay as “pots” or “pottery” in the details about this event out lined below - although many sculptors would find that irksome. Sculpture does look incredible when soda fired, so we definitely would welcome sculptors' participation too!
Cost and What's Included
This firing is free for the participants. We will be doing some fundraising to cover the cost of the labor for the leaders of the firing as well as gas, materials, and other consumables used during the firing.
- Each participant may bring one half cubic foot of bisque ware. For a frame of reference, one clay box with the flaps folded down is one half cubic foot.
- Since the shape and size of the pieces delivered will directly influence how many pieces fit into the firing we cannot guarantee all of your work will go in. We will do our best to ensure we get in as many pieces as we can.
The program does not include clay or studio access to make work. If you need assistance covering those costs then speak with Heather and I will see if we have sufficient funding to assist. The program does include the utilization of the Burnish glazes. You are welcome to purchase clay at Burnish, but you are not required to do so. We will discuss clay selections during the 1st day of the program and how different clays react in different ways.
So what exactly is soda firing and why are we having an AtmosQueer firing program?
Soda firing falls under the category of atmospheric firing because the atmosphere of the kiln during the firing process has a significant and direct impact on the final surfaces of the piece. Atmospheric firings rely heavily on the relationship between the other pieces adjacent to each pot, placement in the kiln, and the careful management of the heat, oxygen level, and materials added into the fire. It is a great metaphor for how individuals are so reliant on the people and the atmosphere they surround themselves with and how it has an impact on their lives. With all the hate and terrible things continuing to happen in this world, it is more important than ever to create protected pockets of joy wherever we can - the goal is to make this soda firing one of those pockets for you.
What is the soda firing process?
- We will load the pots into the kiln carefully, with a focus on how to stack pots together so that they can work collectively to bring out the best surface possible in each piece.
- We will then bring the heat up in the kiln slowly to allow for the different changes at the chemical and molecular levels needed to transform the clay into a stone-like matrix.
- Once the kiln is close to the peak temperature, we will add the magic fairy dust into the fire in the form of baking soda & soda ash. The soda is mixed with calcium carbonate to form a plaster-like mud pile that dries into crumbly chunks that get rolled into newsprint like a burrito.
- The soda burritos are then tossed into the fire box of the kiln, right by the burners. As the burritos break down, the soda vaporizes and flows through the kiln with the draft of the flames towards the chimney. At that temperature, the pots are all hot and slightly melty enough to be sticky so the soda vapors will stick to the pots.
- Once the kiln starts to cool off, the soda will harden into a thin sheet of glass that forms a glaze on the surface of the pots.
What is the plan/schedule for the Atmos-Queer Firing?
All activities outlined below are optional. If you have a scheduling conflict for any part of it and/or you want to treat this the way we do a regular soda firing without attending any of the group activities, then you are welcome to do so. You would just need to have your glazed pots on the shelf in the kiln yard by end of day Sat 6/17.
Saturday May 20 11AM: Assist with unloading the next Cone 6 Community Soda firing so that you can see finished pieces as they come out of the kiln. This will help you understand the mechanics of the firing process and how the loading and wadding impacts pieces. We will discuss the pieces - what was successful and what was not. We will then move inside to dive deeper into a discussion on making pots for soda. Jordan will demonstrate how she plans for and decorates for soda. The focus will be on how to make work that can be most successful in a soda firing - covering details about shapes, sizes, finishing details like feet, planning for wadding, decorating, glazing, etc. This information will be applicable to both wheel throwers and hand builders.
You will then have 3 weeks to make pieces. Pieces must be DRY and ready to load into bisque kiln by the end of day Monday 6/12.
Thursday 6/15 6PM-8PM: Group glazing session lead by Heather to review best practices for glazing using the Burnish studio glazes as well as a cone 6 Flashing Slip that can be applied to bisque ware. You can continue glazing on your own on Friday or Saturday if you do not get all your pieces finished.
Sunday 6/18 10AM-5PM: Loading Soda Kiln. If you want to help with the loading you will sign up for one 2 hour shift - you will not need to be at the loading all day. Each shift will help complete one of the 3 stacks in the kiln. You will help roll wadding, glue wads to pots, and bring posts and shelves over to the kiln.
Monday 6/19: Firing all day. Most of the process is sitting around watching numbers crawl up the pyrometer (kiln thermometer) and nudging the gas lever up and down bit by bit. I recommend skipping that part, or just stop by from time to time. The exciting part will happen in the late afternoon/early evening when it is time to make the soda burritos and toss them in the kiln. Bring some food to share and spend the evening hanging out around the kiln yard, getting to know the rest of the group. I assume Ann Marie will bring her disco ball so a dance party is not out of the question.
Thursday 6/22 6PM: We will unload the kiln, scraping/cleaning kiln shelves and posts and reapplying kiln wash as we go. We will then discuss the results of the finished pieces.
Sign up is now closed - please do not fill out the below form.