September 13-17th and 21st: Brandon Stolicny - Firing for "Shizen-Yu"
Brandon Stolicny is a potter based in the North East United States. He’s spent the last decade devoted to the art of wood fired ceramics to the point of obsession. He’s traveled throughout the United States and Japan in order to better understand the process, nuances and philosophies of this ancient practice.
In this workshop we will focus on firing for Shizen-yu, or natural ash glaze. We will load and fire in a manner that will help best facilitate the accumulation and subsequent melting of atmospheric fly ash in a manner similar to Japanese Iga ware. We will discuss and put into practice both loading and firing techniques in order to achieve what is called the “three landscapes” of Iga: biidoro, hi-iro and koge. Essentially- flowing green ash, “fire” color and scorching. Participants are strongly encouraged to make a variety of forms in order to best take advantage of this firing process and maximize the effectiveness of different zones within the kiln. Enclosed forms with “shoulders” such as tsubo, vases and bottles do extremely well in this style of firing. Low and wide plate like forms do not. Due to the workshop focusing primarily on atmospheric kiln effects and developing surface ash your clay choice is critical. Clay bodies that are especially formulated for wood firing will be very beneficial.
This 6 day firing workshop is a cone 10 - 12 wood firing of our anagama centered around loading and firing for a more rapid build up of natural ash in a dynamic faster firing. The Anagama is our largest kiln, and can yield some of the most exciting results.
Each participant should bring 3-3.5 cubic feet of cone 10 bisque fired works. We also encourage students to bring a few extra “stuffer” pieces that are approximately 3x2x2. These are not priority pieces, but are easy to use to fill gaps in the kiln, and can be added if there is extra space. After registration participants will receive an email with a list of cone 10 clays and any extra information on the workshop.
8 Participant maximum
Workshop Schedule:
Day-1 and 2: Participants arrived at Oki Doki Studio at 9:30 a.m. Brandon will give an artist talk and discuss the work’s, goals and the journey the group is about the embark upon. The group will spend theses days discussing glazing and loading strategies as they load the kiln together, and set a stoking schedule for the remaining four days of the firing as a group. Participants will have access to the full glazing repertoire at The Oki Doki Studio.
Day 3-5: Participants work together during their agreed upon shifts to fire the anagama. Learning about a variety of different stoking patterns, how to control the kiln, manage the coal bed, and learn from the process of wood firing. This is a 24 hour firing schedule for 4 days. Participants are expected to work as a cooperative community striving for a shared experience of learning.
The kiln cools for four days after the firing. Participants return to the studio for opening day.
Day-6: 10 a.m. Partisipants return to The Oki Doki Studio to open and unload the kiln, and have a group critique to digest the outcome of the firing. The group will clean up the kiln, and also talk about strategies for cleaning and finishing the fired work.
Brandon Stolicny is a potter based in the North East United States. He’s spent the last decade devoted to the art of wood fired ceramics to the point of obsession. He’s traveled throughout the United States and Japan in order to better understand the process, nuances and philosophies of this ancient practice.
In this workshop we will focus on firing for Shizen-yu, or natural ash glaze. We will load and fire in a manner that will help best facilitate the accumulation and subsequent melting of atmospheric fly ash in a manner similar to Japanese Iga ware. We will discuss and put into practice both loading and firing techniques in order to achieve what is called the “three landscapes” of Iga: biidoro, hi-iro and koge. Essentially- flowing green ash, “fire” color and scorching. Participants are strongly encouraged to make a variety of forms in order to best take advantage of this firing process and maximize the effectiveness of different zones within the kiln. Enclosed forms with “shoulders” such as tsubo, vases and bottles do extremely well in this style of firing. Low and wide plate like forms do not. Due to the workshop focusing primarily on atmospheric kiln effects and developing surface ash your clay choice is critical. Clay bodies that are especially formulated for wood firing will be very beneficial.
This 6 day firing workshop is a cone 10 - 12 wood firing of our anagama centered around loading and firing for a more rapid build up of natural ash in a dynamic faster firing. The Anagama is our largest kiln, and can yield some of the most exciting results.
Each participant should bring 3-3.5 cubic feet of cone 10 bisque fired works. We also encourage students to bring a few extra “stuffer” pieces that are approximately 3x2x2. These are not priority pieces, but are easy to use to fill gaps in the kiln, and can be added if there is extra space. After registration participants will receive an email with a list of cone 10 clays and any extra information on the workshop.
8 Participant maximum
Workshop Schedule:
Day-1 and 2: Participants arrived at Oki Doki Studio at 9:30 a.m. Brandon will give an artist talk and discuss the work’s, goals and the journey the group is about the embark upon. The group will spend theses days discussing glazing and loading strategies as they load the kiln together, and set a stoking schedule for the remaining four days of the firing as a group. Participants will have access to the full glazing repertoire at The Oki Doki Studio.
Day 3-5: Participants work together during their agreed upon shifts to fire the anagama. Learning about a variety of different stoking patterns, how to control the kiln, manage the coal bed, and learn from the process of wood firing. This is a 24 hour firing schedule for 4 days. Participants are expected to work as a cooperative community striving for a shared experience of learning.
The kiln cools for four days after the firing. Participants return to the studio for opening day.
Day-6: 10 a.m. Partisipants return to The Oki Doki Studio to open and unload the kiln, and have a group critique to digest the outcome of the firing. The group will clean up the kiln, and also talk about strategies for cleaning and finishing the fired work.
Brandon Stolicny is a potter based in the North East United States. He’s spent the last decade devoted to the art of wood fired ceramics to the point of obsession. He’s traveled throughout the United States and Japan in order to better understand the process, nuances and philosophies of this ancient practice.
In this workshop we will focus on firing for Shizen-yu, or natural ash glaze. We will load and fire in a manner that will help best facilitate the accumulation and subsequent melting of atmospheric fly ash in a manner similar to Japanese Iga ware. We will discuss and put into practice both loading and firing techniques in order to achieve what is called the “three landscapes” of Iga: biidoro, hi-iro and koge. Essentially- flowing green ash, “fire” color and scorching. Participants are strongly encouraged to make a variety of forms in order to best take advantage of this firing process and maximize the effectiveness of different zones within the kiln. Enclosed forms with “shoulders” such as tsubo, vases and bottles do extremely well in this style of firing. Low and wide plate like forms do not. Due to the workshop focusing primarily on atmospheric kiln effects and developing surface ash your clay choice is critical. Clay bodies that are especially formulated for wood firing will be very beneficial.
This 6 day firing workshop is a cone 10 - 12 wood firing of our anagama centered around loading and firing for a more rapid build up of natural ash in a dynamic faster firing. The Anagama is our largest kiln, and can yield some of the most exciting results.
Each participant should bring 3-3.5 cubic feet of cone 10 bisque fired works. We also encourage students to bring a few extra “stuffer” pieces that are approximately 3x2x2. These are not priority pieces, but are easy to use to fill gaps in the kiln, and can be added if there is extra space. After registration participants will receive an email with a list of cone 10 clays and any extra information on the workshop.
8 Participant maximum
Workshop Schedule:
Day-1 and 2: Participants arrived at Oki Doki Studio at 9:30 a.m. Brandon will give an artist talk and discuss the work’s, goals and the journey the group is about the embark upon. The group will spend theses days discussing glazing and loading strategies as they load the kiln together, and set a stoking schedule for the remaining four days of the firing as a group. Participants will have access to the full glazing repertoire at The Oki Doki Studio.
Day 3-5: Participants work together during their agreed upon shifts to fire the anagama. Learning about a variety of different stoking patterns, how to control the kiln, manage the coal bed, and learn from the process of wood firing. This is a 24 hour firing schedule for 4 days. Participants are expected to work as a cooperative community striving for a shared experience of learning.
The kiln cools for four days after the firing. Participants return to the studio for opening day.
Day-6: 10 a.m. Partisipants return to The Oki Doki Studio to open and unload the kiln, and have a group critique to digest the outcome of the firing. The group will clean up the kiln, and also talk about strategies for cleaning and finishing the fired work.
Before purchasing your workshop reservation please review our cancellation policy:
When making your plans, please consider your participation means the studio and instructors are purchasing supplies months before the workshop. You are making a commitment to the instructor, and reserving a spot that someone else could potentially take.
Cancellations (minus the $75 cancellation fee) can be made up to six weeks before the workshop.
While we understand that emergencies happen, any cancellation made after the six week cancellation period is nonrefundable. If the cancellation is due to an emergency contact us by phone first, (845) 332-6585, and follow up with a voice mail and email if you cannot reach us. You will be given a credit for a similarly priced workshop at a later that calendar year. Makeup workshop credits do not carry over to the next year.