A Cool Trick for Spectacular Wood Fired Pottery Effects Tricks for wood firing success! Simon Levin

There’s nothing quite like the unique beauty of wood fired pottery. And wood firing is not just any old firing technique. For many potters, it’s a way of life. And most potters dream of one day being able to participate in a wood firing. Wood firing also has a big learning curve.

If you have the opportunity to participate in wood kiln firing, knowing some good loading techniques is the best way to end up with gorgeous wood-fired pottery. In today’s post, an excerpt from his video Wood Kiln Loading Techniques for Optimal Surface Effects, Simon Levin shares one of the tricks he came up with to get some unique wood fired surface effects. –Jennifer Poellot Harnetty, editor

P.S. For tons more tips like the one in today's post, pick up a copy of Wood Kiln Loading Techniques for Optimal Surface Effects in the CAN Shop. Or subscribe to CLAYflicks and see it and all the videos in the Ceramic Arts Network Collection!

More on Wood Fired Pottery

The effects you can get out of the wood kiln are incomparable to any other firing process. As you can see in Simon Levin's work pictured here, wood fired pottery reveals the story of the firing, with pieces showing ash deposits and the path of the flame through the kiln. Ceramic Arts Network has lots of resources on wood kiln firing, whether you are looking to find a group to wood fire with, or you are looking for a good wadding recipe.If you are dying to try wood firing, but think it is too much of a commitment, check out this post on how to build a wood kiln that is small enough to manage. With a little browsing through our archives, you maybe able to make wood fired pottery sooner than you think!

**First published on 2019.