New work from the Ramsey Anagama!

The work from the Kiln came out better than I could have imagined! To see the results from 7 years of working on this is a phenomenal feeling!

The work can be seen at a number of places:

Main Street Gallery: located in the back room space of Hays Landscape Architecture Studio at 145 E. Main Street in St. Clairsville Ohio. Call them at 740-695-6505 with questions and for hours.

Mulberry Corner Gift Shop: located at 19 Mulberry Street in Mt. Pleasant, OH. Call them at 740-769-7639 with questions and for hours.

Wheeling Artisan Center: located at 1400 Main Street, Wheeling WV. There hours are Tuesday-Saturday 11:00 till 5:00. Call them at 304-232-3087 with questions.

Dr. Dan B. Jones Office: located at 72562 State Route 250, Colerain OH. Call them at 740-738-0020 with questions and for hours.

3rd Annual Holiday Sale!

Tomorrow (Saturday Dec. 3rd) from 1:00 till 4:00 is our 3rd annual holiday sale at Black Sheep Vineyard in Adena, Ohio. New Pottery work by Melanie and Myself fired in our wood-fire Kiln here in the Ohio Valley! Also paintings by Melanie as well!

Check out Melanie's website at: http://walkingsanguinaria.blogspot.com/

For directions, or details, about Black Sheep Vineyard check out there Website: http://blacksheepvineyard.com/

Kiln Firing Success!

The second firing of the Ramsey Dragon Kiln was a great success! We reached temperature in the back of the Kiln in 48 hours and then threw wood in the side ports and maintained temp in the front for another 12 hours. Making for a 60 hour firing!
This has been 7 years in the making...
Now the 300 pieces have to cool for a week until we can unload the Kiln.

Ready for another Firing!

Well just about ready... With 9 days left until I begin loading the Kiln I finished throwing the last of the pots today! (600 pounds of clay total!)

I have roughly 5 cords of wood cut and stacked in with the Kiln and stored in my makeshift wood shack (utilizing the old house on the property). We still have a small pile of coal to use, but I am going to try and get some more before the firing.

We coated the Kiln in a second layer of insulation mortar! Hopefully it will get hot!!!
For the second firing we will go a little slower. I will take three days to load the Kiln, and then spend two days with a warm up fire in the very front of the Kiln, then I am planning on a 60-70 hour firing and hopefully we will be able to use the side stoke areas to throw some wood in!

Continuing Onward!!!!!

The Kiln has been fired. The exhibition has come down. Now it is time to keep looking down the road. Collecting and cutting wood, building a more permanent coal storage, Redo the front door, chimney, and firebox arches for the Kiln. And make another 300 pieces for the next firing!! No problem!
First I had to hunt for Morels and re-look at all of the work from the first firing!

Particulars: Works by Melanie and Benjamin Steffl Thompson

This Thursday, the 7th, is the opening to our exhibition at the Artisan Center in Wheeling WV. This will be our first exhibition here!
The opening will be alot of fun with food, wine, and great music by our friends Carl Besece and Erek Gildow (and I will get to sit in on a set with my drum as well!)
Melanie has 30 paintings reflecting on her time here, in Oregon, and in Maine.
Ben has 90 pieces of pottery that reflect time spent out in Oregon, Pit Firing, and from the new Ramsey Anagama Kiln that he has built here in the area from bricks from an old Pottery.
Come check it out!!!!
Here is a link with more details and directions to the Artisan Center:
http://www.artisancenter.com/coming_events.html

KILN FINISHED!!!

So, after a journey of 6 years... The Ramsey Anagama is finished!

To celebrate, let's fire it next week!

One more week till Firing!!!

Only one more week to go till my first firing of the Ramsey Anagama!
This last week I was able to put in a front firing door, Mortared down the base of the chimney, and pulled off a successful Pit Firing.
Really close now, I believe I can pull it off!!!!!

Two more weeks till firing!!!

Two more weeks to go! This week I need to finish the chimney, brick up the front with a stoaking door, and do a Pit Fire....

Pictures are from my work last week. I finished building and filling in the retaining walls and included a space for a side stoaker to stand and access the side ports.
Then the big test of burning out the wooden kiln support form! Success!!!
I am so close now!!

Three weeks till Firing!!!!

So I have three weeks to pull this off! I just finished trimming the last of my 200 pieces for the firing, so the work will be ready...
This week I am going to work on finishing the buttressing walls and filling them in with bricks and dirt. Hopefully I will also burn out the kiln wood support form at the end of the week!

Loading Door and Side Port Work!

I removed the wooden form that I built the loading door on..... and it didn't collapse!!!
Boost of confidence for removing the main Kiln form!
A picture of the inside of the loading door arch...
Also working on side port areas. Getting them ready for putting in a metal framed door...
More to come!

Kiln Arch Work!!

The brickwork for the arch is COMPLETE!!
The main arch is pictured using a high temperature Castable to fill any holes and empty gaps from the bricks. On top of that is a layer of foil (to reflect the heat back towards the kiln), then a layer of Kaowool (a high temperature insulating fabric), Then topped with a layer of Softbrick for insulative value!
I will also cover the whole Kiln in a 4" layer of clay for insulation! But first I have to put in metal frames and doors for my two side ports...
Right on track for a firing at the end of the month!

Work for the Kiln

Since this Winter was just plain COLD, I spent the past few months working in my studio (by the woodstove) making the pieces for the first Ramsey Anagama Firing, which will be at the end of March.

I am trying to finish up 200 pieces for the firing. I am not sure how much the Kiln will actually hold, so I hope I have enough.

Pictured our some of my predator/prey pieces in which I am using Horse, Coyote, Fox, and Shark teeth...

New Slide Work!!

To get ready for our show in April, we had some digital images taken of my work. I had the very fortunate opportunity to work with Andrew Croft for these. He did a wonderful job.

Check out his website: www.artsandcrofts.com

Thank you Andrew!

Winter

Sometimes this Kiln feels closer to being a magical dream, and sometimes it feels closer to being alive

Happy New Year!

Now that it is the year 2011 and winter is fully upon us, I am reminding myself of why I am truly here in Ohio... (I could be in Oregon working with the Astoria Dragon Kiln and community working on their empty bowls project and spending time with my great friend Richard Rowland)
But I have chosen to stay here this winter so that I will be able to finish building my Anagama kiln here in Ramsey.
I found a passage that reflects my journey and motivates me to continue...
"Anagama potters choose to build and construct their kilns in arduous circumstances; the story of their construction becomes part of the narrative of their ceramics. In a world where many people try to take the easiest route; their story often reads like the document of an explorer, struggling against the odds to achieve unknown results" -David Jones from 'Firing'

Cutting Wood!

Even though the Kiln is not quite finished I have to still prepare everything else for THE firing in March!

I am cutting through a big pile of Pine with a little oak for front wood, which a little bit of needs split. And I am trying to prepare side wood too... The two pictures are of an Apple tree that I cut down, bucked up, and then split for side wood.

I have to have my wood good and dry, or else it wouldn't matter if I finished the kiln in time for my APril show or not....