Reflections from Honeyrock Wood-Fire Class 2018

There is something magical in the way clay objects are literally transformed into ceramic objects, especially in the wood kiln. You can see that in these before (left) and after (right) pictures of the front stack of first firing we did this summer. 

---

It was another rewarding two weeks teaching Wood-Fired Ceramics at Honeyrock this year. It is always a time that is both very intense and yet somehow reenergizing. It is both mentally and physically demanding, and yet I return refreshed. There is something about being at Honeyrock, surrounded by al that natural beauty, and it's "a place apart" mission, that gives me room to breathe, even when I have to squeeze 96 hours of teaching (!) into two weeks.  

This year I had a rather large group of undergraduate students (7) and two alumni in the class. The class really bonded, and really got into the spirit of what I was trying to show them. I was particularly impressed with the way they shared ideas, encouraged and inspired each other, and their willingness to do the dirty work—the cleaning and grinding and heavy lifting—that has to be done but nobody really wants to do (especially in the rain, and it rained almost every day). I wish I had a photo of the group to share, but I was so busy working I forgot. I was reminded, as I was so often during the past school year, how much I really enjoy teaching. That may sound like an obvious thing for me to say, seeing as I have been in the profession almost all of my adult life, but it still surprises me. 

Like many ambitious grad students, I went to grad school with one eye on teaching and one eye on becoming established enough to stop teaching. In my case the dream was to make enough to settle into a property somewhere in the Carolina mountains, build a beautiful house, studio, and kiln, and ship my work to all the best galleries and museums. No more teaching, just endless time and space for making work. Ok, if I'm honest this is still largely my dream. Except now included in that dream are (at least a few) students. I'm not sure exactly when they became a part of my vision, but I recognize now how much satisfaction I get from passing on some of what I have learned, both to people just starting their artistic journey and to those who are committing themselves to the vocation.  A few years ago I realized that I owed it to my work to do all I can to get it out into the world. I think I am also becoming aware that I also have a responsibility to my discipline to do all I can to pass along what I have learned.

I also had time to reflect on how obscenely fortunate I am to do what I do and have what I have.. Along with my ambition comes a all-too-quick-to-surface jealousy,  which both sees what others have and accuses me of not achieving more. This, again, is something that I find has been shifting throughout the past year, but there were certainly moments at Honeyrock, even after a long day working in the rain, when I would find myself so grateful for my colleagues and the time we could spend together, or for time alone watching the sunset on the lake from a canoe, or for time just reading a mystery book in front of a fire, or mostly for time spent missing my family.and thinking about how awesome they are. I had many "It's a Wonderful Life" moments during my two weeks, and those moments help silence the "more, better, faster" voices that often dominate my thoughts. 

There was also an article that came out that says people generally become happier after 50, and since I had my 50th birthday while at Honeyrock maybe that had something to do with it. :)

At one point near the end of the second firing my colleague and friend Ryan Kemp remarked, "I never knew how much work went into this." So true. He had just witnessed the flurry of activity at the end of the firing, when all the ports have to be sealed, and the pressure inside the kiln (at that point at around 2400 degrees F) causes flames to escape out of every crack it can find, which all have to be "chinked" with slop clay. This after a day of loading and bricking up the door, and another 14 hour day  of nursing the fire, chopping and hauling wood, and stoking every four minutes. (This is a small kiln so the firing is quick, not the 3-5 day ordeal it is with larger kilns).  I recognize now how tired I am after it's all done, and how much more sore my back is, in spite of my relatively good health and strength. I don't want to overplay this card, but I am at least on the fringes of understanding that while I have some amazing friends, like Steve Driver, who have been able to sustain a career in wood firing well beyond into retirement,  I probably have a limited amount of time to continue to work in that fashion. It is important that I recognize my limitations, that they are changing, and adjust accordingly.  Also to appreciate what I can do while I can do it!

A few pots from the latest firing...