While I’m a writer, I’m also an art teacher (or at least I used to be). One thing I loved teaching and doing was ceramics. I loved to spend hours on the potter’s wheel.  These pieces are different. They’re not traditionally glazed, but rather they’re wood fired. 

This means that the kiln (usually built into a hillside), is fed wood for several days. The internal temperature becomes such that the ash falling on the pottery itself melts and becomes a glaze. The melting ash is painted on by the flames themselves.  It’s a time consuming but interesting process. It got me thinking how much we’re like these vessels. Life dumps ash unto us, but it’s the flames of God’s Spirit that takes it and paints the unique patterns unto them. Truth is, not all of the stoneware makes it out of the kiln intact, but those that endure have unique beauty.

I made these pieces one summer while taking a course in wood firing ceramics at UW-Waukesha.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed making them.