Atmospheric

Firings
Triton Museum
1505 Warburton Avenue
Santa Clara, CA 95050
(408) 247-3754
www.tritonmuseum.org

Atmospheric Firings

Atmospheric
July 30 - September 11, 2011
Reception: Friday, July 29,
from 7:00-9:00 p.m.

Featuring:
Sam Hoffman, Terry Inokuma,
Jennifer Klein, Marc Lancet,
Diane Levinson, Hiroshi Ogawa,
Firings
Masuo Ojima, Andy Ruble,
and Tim Steele

Museum Hours:
Tuesday - Sunday, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.;
Thursday until 7:00 p.m.
Closed Mondays and holidays
The Triton Museum of Art is funded in
part by grants from the City of Santa
Clara and Arts Council Silicon Valley
Contents

Samuel HOFFMAN 6 Wood-fire ceramic art, borne of processes centuries old, also contains
aesthetics of modern art in the surface quality of the natural wood ash
glaze. Even though the process of wood-fire glazing may seem like magic
to the layman, it remains pure on account of the process and ingredients
Terry Inokuma 8
—clay pots and burning wood. We find beauty in the unending variety of
the surface quality on wood-fire ceramics. The potter, master of control,
must release the work to the fire, to chance. This sacrifice takes a great
Jennifer Klein 10
toll on the artistic ego; no one knows exactly what will happen inside the
river of fire.

Marc Lancet 12 It is with great satisfaction that the Triton Museum of Art is able to host this
exhibition of atmospherically fired ceramic art by these nine gifted artists.
Each, in their way, reaches back to the earliest forms of artistic creation,
thus tightening the continuum of the human need to create. Their devo-
Diane Levinson 14
tion to the most primal of elements—earth from which they shape, and fire
through which they transform—result in more than aesthetically pleasing
artifacts. They put us in touch with the very ground of our being, which is,
Hiroshi Ogawa 16
at its most profound level, the greatest power of art.

Preston Metcalf
Mas Ojima 18 Chief Curator
Triton Museum of Art

Andy Ruble 20

Tim Steele 22
The atmosphere in a wood-firing kiln is a process of reduction and
oxidation. We stoke wood, it combusts to create an oxygen starved
Contact Information 24 atmosphere, and then over a period of minutes, starts to burn cleaner
and creates an oxidized atmosphere.
Acknowledgements 26
It is in this path of flames that each piece takes on its own beauty with
Credits 26 wood ash, flame impingement, and surface qualities on the clay.

It is with this essence that these wood-fired pieces take on a process

of the soul, rather than a project of the intellect. It is this essence and
beauty that hopefully the viewer draws out of each of these pieces.

Hiroshi Ogawa
Courting Entropy—Firing With Atmosphere Choosing Wood-fire: Aesthetic Capacity
ENTROPY: a measure of the unavailable energy in a closed thermodynamic system that is also By Our Choices We Are Known
usually considered to be a measure of the system’s disorder, and that varies directly with any We choose wood-fire. Any conversation about wood-fired aesthetics must begin with our quixotic
reversible change in the heat in the system and inversely with the temperature of the system; choice. Superficially, our choice may appear at worst insane (showing a complete lack of reason or
broadly: the degree of disorder or uncertainty in a system. [Merriam-Webster, 2011] foresight) and at the very least counterintuitive, running counter to millennia of human innovation.
What does it mean that we are able to choose wood-fire? Why choose labor intensive rather than
“Atmospheric firing” describes a ceramic process in which clay is glazed and decorated, as well
labor saving?
as heated, in the chamber of a kiln. Some techniques, such as wood-firing, use the fuel source
itself to affect the environment within a kiln. When wood is burned it releases minerals and What does it mean that artists today can choose wood-fire? Choice is the inherent difference
gasses, as well as wood ash, which have the potential to change the ceramic object. In other that separates us from our ceramic predecessors -- we can choose. For our ancient ceramicist
atmospheric processes, such as salt or soda firing, a chemical is added to the kiln’s heat source, ancestor’s wood-fire was the only option. Given a wide range of possibilities, unavailable to the
filling the chamber with vapors that can bond with the clay, creating uniquely glazed and flashed ancients, we choose wood-fire; firmly establishing our art as a 21st century endeavor. While our
surfaces. The final appearance of the work is dependant on the minerals in the clay and how kiln sites may seem imbued with a primordial vitality, we are not returning to ancient ways and
they react to the fire. Many potters explore the interaction of flame with slips and glazes applied practices. We come to wood-fire guided by our vision as contemporary artists; our goals, our
to work before firing, while many prefer to leave the clay raw. efforts, our strivings are very different from the originators of the practice of wood-fire. Simply
stated, we choose wood-fire because it suits our artistic vision; just as Claude Monet chose oil
There is a significant element of chance and serendipity with atmospheric firing. It is impossible to
paint, Jackson Pollock chose house paint, Joseph Beuys chose society and Andy Goldsworthy
choreograph exactly how vapors will bond with pieces or how wood ash will flow through a kiln and
chooses natural materials and environments.
settle to melt on the ceramic surface. Artists using these atmospheric processes are not looking for
a predictable approach to making pottery; they seek asymmetries, variations, and irregularities. What does it signify that we eschew many easier and perhaps more popular choices? Both gas
and electric kilns are readily available in computer-enhanced models that will fire from start to
Though the “happy accidents” that can occur in atmospheric firing are often exciting, there is
finish without human intervention. We can now literally load a kiln, light it, and leave. In choosing
much risk involved with these processes. Potters are keenly aware of the second law of thermody-
to wood-fire we choose to work hard. This is not efficient, not labor saving -- it flies in the face
namics which states without additional energy, heat will never flow from a colder body to a warmer
of every standard of success of an information-driven industrial society; every standard with the
one, and that within a closed system, there is always an increasing tendency towards disorder. As
possible exception of the uncompromising standards of fine art. As artists, wood-fire satisfies our
potters add energy to their kilns and heat the clay, pieces become pyroplastic and fluid. If a firing
artistic vision in a way that no other method comes close to achieving.
is not stopped at exactly the right moment, the clay will slump and eventually melt. In atmospheric
kilns, sodium vapors can etch into and erode clay surfaces. Imprecise stoking of wood into a fire- Ancient ceramicists turned to wood-firing as necessity, as the only method of hardening the clay
box can damage wares and molten glaze can fuse pieces to the kiln. There are many potential pit- into functional vessels. They were following the dictates of necessity rather than artistic vision.
falls in these firings, including “playing it safe” and not changing the atmosphere of a kiln enough 21st-century artists find in wood-firing a combination of colors and textures that integrate with
to affect the clay. Artists who choose atmospheric firing must balance the risks of the process with form to create profound expressions of a contemporary aesthetic. These were not the concerns
the desired results. It is common for potters to discard many unsuccessful pieces in pursuit of a of the ancients. Choice is the vital component of our wood-fire practice. It exposes our distinctly
specific aesthetic. 21st-century motives that fix us firmly as contemporary artists of our time. In Japanese Wood-fired
Ceramics I write:
While there is much potential for failure, the pieces that survive these torturous firings are
unique. Different kilns and firing styles produce a wide variety of results; ceramic artists have Why in the face of modern convenience are ceramic artists internationally choosing to wood-fire?
a vast spectrum of colors and textures to explore. Some potters seek quiet pieces that radiate Only beauty offers an acceptable explanation. And not just beautiful, not just an “oh that’s lovely,”
warm orange, yellow, and red hues with a sprinkling of fine glaze. Others look for crusty, flame- casually noted beauty. It must be an extraordinary beauty, a heart achingly arresting beauty; a
blasted surfaces with dramatic glass runs and carbon trapping. Hard edges can be softened and beauty of epic proportions, a beauty worth working for, a beauty only achievable by way of wood-
brushwork blurred or distorted. Artists are using atmospheric firing to explore the entire breadth firing. It can be no less. For what other goal would artists dedicate so much time and effort?
of ceramics, from fiercely utilitarian tableware to highly conceptual sculpture.
Choice and Potential
Our fast paced culture is dominated by homogeneity and a need for “sameness” and a “quick It is in the nature of art that our endeavors consistently expand beyond our current understand-
fix.” Works fired in atmospheric kilns fill a void created in peoples’ lives by the pressures of 21st ing. More will be expressed in wood-fire than today’s practitioners can predict. I have exposed
century society. These pieces have an aesthetic of contrast and asymmetry that is a perfect com- some of the meanings inherent in our choice to wood-fire. Wood-fired works can act on the
pliment to the meditative process of making pottery. open, appreciative heart. The best wood-fired art challenges us and offers rewards to our great-
est aesthetic capacities. We must meet the work with the insight and respect it demands. As
Samuel Hoffman citizens of contemporary art, we are heirs to all that has gone before us. As artists we strive to
realize wood-fire’s infinite aesthetic potential.

Marc Lancet
Excerpted from the article presented at the First European Wood-fire Conference in Brollin,
Germany; September 2010
Samuel HOFFMAN
Corvallis, Oregon

I am interested more in artistic exploration than expression; my work is

primarily motivated by curiosity about the nature of clay and fire. My
passion for ceramics is influenced by a background in mathematics,
chemistry, and astronomy. I enjoy using the scientific method of inquiry
when experimenting with materials and firings. But I also employ risk
and chance as allies in my creative process, an artistic balance that lies
somewhere between alchemy and science.

When firing in wood and vapor kilns, subtle changes in the shape of a
piece can influence how flames move over the clay and, consequently,
how it is colored and textured. I am particularly excited by the possibili-
ties of combining intentional marks with the serendipitous glaze effects
from the fire. In my recent work, I have been exploring the ceramic
vessel as a kind of lens, much like that of a telescope or microscope. By
manipulating the two-dimensional surfaces of a three-dimensional form,
I hope to create an illusion of depth, be it celestial or cellular, that goes
beyond the piece itself.

1. Cloud Hidden, Whereabouts

Unknown, vase, 25˝x 12˝x 10˝
wheel thrown high silica porcelain
(formulated by artist)
wood-fired to cone 14 in Hikarigama,
reduction cooled

2. Orbital, wall plate, 11˝x 11˝x 1˝

wheel thrown high silica porcelain
(formulated by artist)
applied flashing slips and oxides 2.
fired inverted on a pedestal to
enhance glaze effects
soda vapor fired with gas to cone 10,
reduction cooled

3. Microcosmos, wall platter,

15˝x 15˝x 2˝
wheel thrown high alumina stoneware
(formulated by artist)
applied equisetum (horsetail plant)
and flashing slips
fired inverted on a pedestal to
enhance glaze effects
wood-fired to cone 14 in Hikarigama,
reduction cooled

Photography: Bill Bachhuber 3. 1.

6
Terry Inokuma
Philomath, Oregon

This series of useable trays in the form of a common Japanese playing

card is a response to the recent tsunami that hit Sendai and the Fukushima
Nuclear Power Plant. Each card design has been altered to remind us of
our use of nuclear power for energy production, and the process following
the disaster of the cooling tower meltdown.

Curiosity brought me to take one step beyond the initial release of the
work to the anagama fire. By ‘defiling’ such a colorful and reminiscent
memory from my childhood was ultimately cathartic; both in the altering
of the imagery and in painting the wood-fired trays, the surfaces often
coveted by wood-fire purists as untouched by anything but wood ash
and flame.

“You are lost the instant you know what the result will be.”
—Juan Gris

One often finds that experience requires adjustment due to uncontrol-

lable elements, ultimately giving us the choice to reach a littler further.

1. February – Ume (Plum) and cloud,

20˝x 12˝x 2.5˝
Multiple firings with electric kiln,
soda and/or wood-fired. Stoneware,
natural ash and/or soda glaze and
underglazes with a clear glaze.

2. May – Ayame (Iris) and cloud,

20˝x12˝x 2.5˝
Multiple firings with electric kiln,
soda and/or wood-fired. Stoneware,
natural ash and/or soda glaze and 2.
underglazes with a clear glaze.

3. November – Yanagi (Willow) with

Dr Emoto, 20˝x12˝x 2.5˝
Multiple firings with electric kiln,
soda and/or wood-fired. Stoneware,
natural ash and/or soda glaze and
underglazes with a clear glaze.

Photography: Bill Bachhuber 3. 1.

8
 Jennifer Klein
Carmel Valley, California

Jennifer Long Klein has made her living as a studio potter for more than
30 years in Carmel Valley, CA. She participated in her first wood-fire at
Hiroshi Ogawa’s in Elkton, Oregon in 2002. Enticed by the camaraderie
of working with other potters, combined with the mystery and new chal-
lenges posed by the unpredictable often subtle effects of atmospheric
firing; she has returned to Elkton annually ever since.

“My eyes were opened to a new aesthetic allowing my work to grow in

unforeseen ways. Participating in firings and creating new work specifically
for the four day Anagama firing has become the high point of my year.˝

2.

1. Teapot, 9˝x 9˝ x 7˝
Wood-fired stoneware 1.

2. Plate, 12˝ diameter

Wood-fired stoneware

3. Coiled Vase, 17˝x 11˝

Wood and Soda fired stoneware

Photography:James Dewrance 3.
10
 Marc Lancet
Davis, California

Why in the face of modern convenience are ceramic artists internationally

choosing to wood-fire? Only beauty offers an acceptable explanation. And
not just beautiful, not just an “oh that’s lovely,˝ casually noted beauty. It
must be an extraordinary beauty, a heart achingly arresting beauty; a beauty
of epic proportions, a beauty worth working for, a beauty only achievable
by way of wood-firing. It can be no less. For what other goal would artists
dedicate so much time and effort?

(Excerpted from Japanese Wood-fired Ceramics)

2.

1. She Walks in Beauty As the Night,

Luminous Series, Wood-fired
Ceramics, 2005, 47˝x 14˝x 12˝

2. Vanished into something better…,

Luminous Series, Wood-fired
Ceramics, 2011, 58˝x 20˝x 14˝

3. Never loved anywhere as much as

here..., Firepaint Series Q, Wood-fired
glaze, slips, stains, engobes, ceramic,
2011, 16˝x 12.5˝x 2.5˝

Photography: 1. Hedi Desuyo

2. Kathryn Kearns 3. Marc Lancet 3. 1.
12
 Diane Levinson
San Jose, California

Why Clay? PROCESS, FORM, SURFACE, COLOR, PLASTICITY, COMMU-

NITY, HUMILITY, TENACITY, JOY, FRUSTRATION, ANGST, BEAUTY, AWE
INSPIRING, PHYSICAL, FANTASTIC; working with clay encompasses all.
My current work/series began during the George W. Bush years when
Weapons of Mass Destruction became shortened to WMDs— a descrip-
tion we heard repeatedly each day in the months leading up to the Iraq
War. The pieces have morphed into Tools for future generations.

“I don’t know what kind of weapons will be used in the third world war,
assuming there will be a third world war. But I can tell you what the
fourth world war will be fought with—stone clubs.˝
—Albert Einstein

I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to explore the effects of

wood-firing clay thanks to Hiroshi Ogawa of Elkton, Oregon and Phil Park
and Izzy Lewis of Spring Valley, California. After 30 plus years of exploring
the material to have the opportunity to truly paint with the fire has been a
gift to which I am most grateful.

1.
2.
1. Weapons of Mass Construction #14
(Fissure), 11˝x 22˝x 15˝
2011, Woodfired, Ceramic with
Found Objects
2. Weapons of Mass Construction #13
(Chain), 11˝x 14˝x 12˝
2011, Woodfired, Ceramic with
Found Objects

3. Weapons of Mass Construction #15

12˝x 22˝x 12˝
2011, Woodfired, Ceramic with
Found Objects

Photography:James Dewrance 3.
14
 Hiroshi Ogawa
Elkton, Oregon

‘Shibul’—a profound, quiet feeling suggesting depth, simplicity and

purity. There is no exact English counterpart for the word; ‘austere,’
’subdued’ and ‘restrained’ come closest. To the Japanese, ‘shibui’
describes the beauty of inner illumination.
It is this inner essence that I seek in my pottery, a process of the soul rather
than a project for the intellect. It is the beauty that the viewer himself draws
out of the piece more than an aesthetic imposed by its creator.

I hope the earth, water and fire that have united to create these pots will
stir your imagination to see the spirit within.

2.

1. Untitled, 14˝x 12˝

Anagama fired

2. Untitled, 14˝diameter
Anagama fired

3. Untitled, 14˝x 8˝
Anagama fired

Photography: Bill Bachhuber 3. 1.

16
 Mas Ojima
Los Angeles, California

Finding a voice has always been the goal in my creative work. After
three decades of experiences in different clays, temperatures and
techniques I have become aware of the one nature of clay that most
represent my personality.
Traditional Japanese wood-firing, seemingly simple yet so unpredictable,
has taught me to appreciate the power of nature: fire, flame, wind, ash
and to let one’s Ego disappear as one opens the kiln to cherish those
moments of success.

2.

1. Vase, 29˝x 17˝

Anagama fired stoneware

2. Sculpture Vase, 18˝x 22˝x 18˝

Anagama fired stoneware

3. Sculpture #1, 5˝x 23˝x 17˝

Anagama fired stoneware

Photography:Harry Chamberlain 3. 1.
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Andy Ruble
Santa Cruz, California

I create sculpture that explores the hybridization of organic and archi-

tectural structure. By observing and referencing details of our universe
which, range from the microscopic (dividing cells, mushroom spores,
pollen, and bone structure) to the mammoth (large-scale bridges, refin-
eries, and ships), I gather ideas for surface and form.

I have always been interested in how objects in nature form and how
manmade objects reflect these same intractable laws. Quite simply, the
hybridization of structural references has expanded the possibilities for na-
ture’s pure and perfect geometries. By reducing the sculpture to its pure
essence of structure, the work simultaneously conveys the grace of natural
arches and cathedral naves. Every structural link becomes an integral part
of the piece’s survival as a whole. Much like Buckminster Fuller’s idea of
tensegrity, the minimal amount of material for maximum strength drives
me to push the ceramic material to the threshold of its tensile strength.

I become overwhelmed when standing at the base of a suspension

bridge, and marvel at the hollowed-out remains of a Cholla cactus. How
is a simple lattice pattern so strong? How is an eagle wing so rigid yet
flexible? These are the questions that fuel my sculptural inspiration.

2.
1. Relic with Growth, 23˝x 24˝x 10˝
Anagama fired, natural ash glaze
Thrown, hand-built and carved 1.
stoneware

2. Transegrity, 14˝x 23˝x 16˝

Anagama fired, natural ash glaze
Thrown, hand-built and carved
stoneware

3. Ritual Vessel, 15˝x 23˝x 16˝ - 24k

Anagama fired, natural ash glaze
Thrown, hand-built and carved
stoneware; Gold leaf inclusion

Photography: Andy Ruble 3.

20
Tim Steele
Corvallis, Oregon

Tim Steele began making pots in 1985, after admiring the work of
others for many years. He is self-taught through books, experimenta-
tion, observation and practice but credits four potters with guiding and
influencing him; Priscilla Hoback, Bill Daley, Doug Casebeer and Hiroshi
Ogawa. Tim’s work is handbuilt and explores functional forms without
compromising traditional sculptural concerns. His interest in the effect of
altering shapes and dimensions is enhanced by the nuances created by
the atmospheric firing environment.

Tim maintains a home studio outside of Corvallis, Oregon where he lives

with his wife, two Shetland Sheepdogs and a cat.

2.

1. Twisted 3 corner vase, 13˝x 5˝

Wood and soda fired, hand built
stoneware

2. Angled Vase, 15˝x 9˝x 5˝

Wood-fired, hand built stoneware

3. Zipper Vase, 12˝x 5˝x 3˝

Wood-fired, hand built stoneware

Photography: Bill Bachhuber 3. 1.

22
Contact Information Acknowledgements
This catalogue has been underwritten by Ko
Nishimura to whom the Museum and the artists wish
to express their heartfelt gratitude and appreciation.

Sam Hoffman
Corvallis, Oregon
Email: [email protected] We would like to thank Hiroshi Ogawa for his gener-
www.samhoffman.com ous spirit in teaching and sharing his kiln, Hikarigama.

Terry Inokuma —Terry Inokuma, Sam Hoffman, Tim Steele,

Philomath, Oregon Diane Levinson, Jennifer Klein, Mas Ojima
Email: [email protected] and all the potters whose lives and work has
www.wix.com/tinokuma/site1
changed because of Hikarigama
Jennifer Klein
Email: [email protected]
Carmel Valley, California
www.jenniferkleinpottery.com I would like to thank Scott Parady, and Nick Schwartz
for letting me be a part of their woodfire community
Marc Lancet over the years.
Davis, California
Email: [email protected] —Andy Ruble
www.marclancet.com

Diane Levinson
San Jose, California I would like to thank Fred Olsen and Carol Spahr,
Email: [email protected] with whom I first built a wood-fire kiln. Fred Olsen,
www.dianelevinson.com
during a firing at his studio in Palm Desert, was
Hiroshi Ogawa instrumental in providing the vocabulary of wood-
Elkton, Oregon fire in English. Finally, I would like to thank my
Email: [email protected] collaborator and coauthor Masakazu Kusakabe. In
our twenty year collaboration, we have taught and
Masuo Ojima
Los Angeles, California learned from each other and the many artists with
Email: [email protected] whom we have worked.

Andy Ruble —Marc Lancet

Santa Cruz, California
Email: [email protected]
www.andyruble.com

Tim Steele Credits

Corvallis, Oregon
Email: [email protected] Design: Dave Caplan
www.steelepots.com Feedback Graphics, Bend OR
www.feedbackgraphics.com
(541-383-4634)

Editors: Terry Inokuma, Diane Levinson

Printed by: Core Communications,

Corvallis/Eugene, OR
www.corecomm.us
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