Each art pot and bowl from the
Alsea Anagama kiln emerges from the earth and fire as its own unique
and original self, receiving the fully focused attention of an artist
whose experience includes 25 continuous years as a potter and instructor.
As Jay Widmer evaluates the results of the twice-yearly firings,
he turns a filtering eye to the exceptionally rare piece, the "crème
de la crème", the scarce piece that gives you cause
to catches your breath. Out of the hundreds of possibilities, there
may be only five to ten pieces in a firing that is worthy of receiving
this designation.
Attributes of Jays personal artistic aesthetic are found in each
selection: Organic and free-flowing form, irregularity, something
slightly askew, unexpected fossil-like shell imprints, texture and
body shape enhanced by the fire and licking flames, master craftsmanship
seen in tea bowls and cups thrown so thin as to become translucent.
The diverse nature and rarity of the anagama art pots can be more
easily understood through understanding what is involved in the
glazing and firing process.
Before the Flame
Prior to firing, a new collection of work is prepared.
Delicate bowls, pots, platters, and art objects are constructed
and then embellished with the abundant natural materials available
in the surrounding coast range and coastal region.
With the application of organic glazing materials, such as seaweed
gathered from debris-laden beaches after Pacific storms, and Horsetail,
a plant collected from marshy areas nearby, the artist can enhance
the ash deposits and tracings left by the fire. Rice hulls provide
extra silica (a glaze component) and leave their own signature imprint.
Feldspatic crystals found in rocks gathered at a stream in Northern
California create the white textural effects on the surface of the
pieces.
Along the Alsea Bay, Jay collects clamshells to impress markings
on pieces and to use in his "clamshell stacks" (a group
of pots, usually platters, stacked for firing in the kiln).
In the Fire
The preparation, maintenance, and firing of the anagama
kiln are physically exhausting and expensive. Wood from Jay's tree
farm on Digger Mountain is cut to size for stoking the kiln during
the 48 hour process. Fir, alder and maple are selected by type and
moisture content so as to determine the glaze color and the amount
of ash which is deposited on each piece as it is given over to the
flame.
Careful placement of the pots is integral to the success
of the anagama glazing by taking the best advantage of the flame
path. Jay often creates objects specifically for certain areas inside
the kiln, the front and back of the kiln producing a specific surface
character that he may wish to enhance with a particular shape of
pot or object. However, pots must not be crowded in the kiln or
the flame passage is constricted, causing flashing and discoloration.
As the kiln is carefully unloaded, one can see that the placement
of the pots, the signature of the flame, the wood selection, moisture,
object shapes ... all is testimony to the interplay of experience,
artisanship, and just plain hard work. The reward is an object of
art that your hand and eye lingers to embrace, covered in draping
layers of iridescence, surface nettings of crystal and the signature
of the flame unmatched by the product of any another kiln.
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