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Welcome

In the small hours of the morning after the kiln and most of the crew have been put to bed, the die-hards sit around looking for one more drink or another bite to eat while we review the firing. "Wow that was a great firing don't you think?" Though we have no idea how the pots are going to come out we know what we ate, how many times we dipped in the river, what we need to do to make the steam-shack better, that the kids are getting old enough to fire the kiln all by themselves, that we need more black paint and more bamboo and that although we finished one project (firing the kiln) we have started enough other projects to sustain us until the next time.

A firing at Dog Bar Pottery is a community event. Every couple months, some potters, non-potters, neighbors, artists, carpenters, kids and dogs converge on Sam Taylor’s place in the hilly farmland near Northampton, Mass., to help out.

A firing draws people together. Partly out of necessity, because you need a stoking crew to fire a wood kiln. But also out of choice, because it becomes a meeting of those who are experinced, or just curious, old friends or new ones. People arrive bearing food and drink. Some stay for dinner, some stay the night. The atmosphere becomes festive, with the added romance of watching flames from the kiln dance against the night sky.

The mood fosters artistic collaborations, which seem to flow naturally from the gathering of potters and artists. A good number of pots have more than one person’s hands in them before they go into the kiln.

There are plenty easier ways to fire pottery … no other method requires the same kind of commitment of time and energy. On top of that, the results are not as predictable as firing with gas or electricity. The wood ash, along with salt and soda that are thrown into the kiln once the kiln is close to top temperature, all combine to contribute colors and textures on the pots in intriguing ways.You never quite know how it’s going to come out. There are always surprises. The good surprises are spectacular, and even the bad ones are still pretty good.


	Welcome In the small hours of the morning after the kiln and most of the crew have been put to bed, the die-hards sit around looking for one more drink or another bite to eat while we review the firing. "Wow that was a great firing don't you think?" Though we have no idea how the pots are going to come out we know what we ate, how many times we dipped in the river, what we need to do to make the steam-shack better, that the kids are getting old enough to fire the kiln all by themselves, that we need more black paint and more bamboo and that although we finished one project (firing the kiln) we have started enough other projects to sustain us until the next time. A firing at Dog Bar Pottery is a community event. Every couple months, some potters, non-potters, neighbors, artists, carpenters, kids and dogs converge on Sam Taylor’s place in the hilly farmland near Northampton, Mass., to help out. A firing draws people together. Partly out of necessity, because you need a stoking crew to fire a wood kiln. But also out of choice, because it becomes a meeting of those who are experinced, or just curious, old friends or new ones. People arrive bearing food and drink. Some stay for dinner, some stay the night. The atmosphere becomes festive, with the added romance of watching flames from the kiln dance against the night sky. The mood fosters artistic collaborations, which seem to flow naturally from the gathering of potters and artists. A good number of pots have more than one person’s hands in them before they go into the kiln. There are plenty easier ways to fire pottery … no other method requires the same kind of commitment of time and energy. On top of that, the results are not as predictable as firing with gas or electricity. The wood ash, along with salt and soda that are thrown into the kiln once the kiln is close to top temperature, all combine to contribute colors and textures on the pots in intriguing ways.You never quite know how it’s going to come out. There are always surprises. The good surprises are spectacular, and even the bad ones are still pretty good.

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