Chanoyu Workshop with John Baymore

 I had the good fortune to attend a pre-NCECA workshop led by New Hampshire potter John Baymore recently at The Potter’s Shop in Needham, MA – a great place to hold this workshop.

The focus of the workshop was “Making Handbuilt Aka Raku Chawan”, a subject that I knew very little about. Spending two days with John gave me a whole appreciation of the long history of the tea ceremony in Japan, and the esthetics that go into producing a tea bowl. And, I have a whole new appreciate of the art not only of making a good Chawan (tea bowl) but of how the tea bowl is used in the traditional Tea Ceremony which dates back to the ninth century.

The odd thing about Chawan, at least to a westerner, is that the tea bowl is not perfect in any way. It has irregularities from top to bottom. Nothing is symmetrical. And yet in Japan, each and every part of the chawan is done to perfection in the context of imperfection. Does that make sense? I didn’t think so. What I think it means to me is that the very fact that the tea bowl is imperfect can in fact be interpreted to be perfect…but, only if it meets the many criteria for perfection. For something that looks so organic, there are a tremendous number of considerations that must be taken into account. And, there are a fair number of contradictions that occupy the considerations.

For example, when one is forming the tea bowl, the maker decides which face of the bowl is the "good" face. This is the side of the bowl that faces the drinker when he or she is first presented with the tea cup filled with tea. However, there may be times when even though the maker has chosen which side of the bowl is the good side, during the firing the kiln may make a different and sometimes better decision.

Receiving the tea bowl with the good side towards the tea drinker

John Baymore paddles the bottom of the tea bowl

On day one of the workshop, after a slide show which introduced us to John and the topic of the Japanese Tea Ceremony (Chanoyu), we each spent the day making two tea bowls. We learned that the effect we were after in our fired pieces, carbon trapping in an iron slip, would be achieved by placing the bisques tea bowls in an intermediate charcoal firing, then raku fired in the traditional manner which involves no post firing reduction.

The Chawan is the tea bowl that is used in the Japanese Tea Ceremony (Chanoyu). Our class had the experience not only of making Chawan, but also we spent an entire day taking turns participating in the Tea Ceremony as both the server and the servee. The ceremony is a very tightly scripted, deliberate, graceful, delicate dance, of sorts. At first I wondered why we were not spending time in the studio actually making Chawan when I realized we would be spending the day practicing the tea ceremony. But as the day went on I realized that without experiencing the ceremony, it would be impossible to make Chawan. If you don’t know how the vessel is going to be used, you really can’t make the vessel. 

The bowls are formed using a technique I have never come across. We weighed out 1 kilo of clay (2.2 pounds), and after wedging, we made a ball of clay and then flattened it into a thick pancake, about 1/2-3/4" thick. The clay was then placed upon a banding wheel and the clay rolled up towards the maker, while the banding wheel was rotated around. It was somewhat like forming a pie crust. We were using the Golden Mean as our guide to the measurement of the tea bowl. In our case we wanted a bowl that was 13 cm wide and 9 cm tall before firing.

Once we had the height and width worked out, the bowl was then shaped into more or less the final shape. At this point, in one's own studio, the bowl would be left out to dry to the leather hard state. For the purposes of the workshop and the limited amount of time we had, however, we used propane torches to speed up the drying process.

Carving the outside of the tea bowl.Once leather hard, the outside was worked on first, using a trimming tool to both thin out the surface, but also to create the final outside shape of the piece. Then, the bowl was turned over and the foot is cut while upside down on the banding wheel. Finally, the inside was trimmed using a trimming tool. Our goal was to have the final bowl weigh exactly one pound. Given that we started with over two pounds of clay, you realize that the trimming was no small job.

Trimming the bottom of the tea bowl.

 Finally, the bottom of the bowl is paid special attention to. From John's handout: "When all the tea has been drunk out of the bowl, a small bit of the froth and liquid matcha (tea) will always remain in the bowl. The manner in which this left over tea pools in the bottom of the mikomi (interior of bowl) is considered aesthetic conundrum. A deliberate depression is often placed in the bottom that causes the tea to pool in an interesting way. This is called the chadamari or "tea pool".

While we were performing and learning the Tea Ceremony, the tea bowls we made the day before were bisquing away in the bisque kiln. 

Tea Ceremony kit

Aisling prepares to obtain water to make tea

The following day, which unfortunately I was not able to attend, the pots were first fired in charcoal for the carbon trapping, then fired in the raku kilns. 

I had a fantastic time with all the wonderful folks who took part. It was a real pleasure to get to know John Baymore a little. He is an absolutely wonderful guy, and his knowledge of all things clay and in particular Chanoyu is vast. If you get a chance to take one of his workshops, GO!

"Like traveling down a country road, a single piece may have many different landscape views revealed as you "travel" with the piece. The best Chawan encourage you to take this journey and show you new sights for years to come." –from class materials provided by John Baymore.

Thank you John for such a fantastic experience. I've only just scratched the surface of this most amazing form in pottery and hope to spend some time working on Chawan in my own studio.

Anybody seen my wire cutter?

Two sips, then a big slurp. Well done, Terry!

Wasatch Academy

The Studio Arts Center at Wasatch Academy

With much anticipation and excitement, I traveled to Mt. Pleasant, Utah on February 20 for a two day workshop at Wasatch Academy. I had been invited by my dear friend, Joe Loftin, who has been the headmaster at one of the most successful private college prep schools in the world for almost 30  years. 

While I admit to much excitement about putting on the workshop for the students at Wasatch Academy,  I was also very much looking forward to seeing Joe, for the last time we had seen each other was in 1982. My, how time flies!

Joe met me at the Salt Lake City airport and we immediately picked up where we left off all those years ago. Naturally, we had much to discuss. I was very curious to learn more about his educational philosophy and shared many stories about my seventeen years serving in the public schools system in Oregon. Joe told me stories about his early years in public education in Austin, Texas, and his subsequent years spent revitalizing Wasatch Academy. 

It is difficult to do justice in describing Wasatch Academy, mostly because it is so difficult to describe in words the energy that emanates from this school. (I found this article which does a  very good at describing the school and it's economic impact on the local community.) It is such a refreshing breath of fresh air to spend time on campus! There are currently 340 students from 40 countries who attend the school. Every decision that is made by teachers and the administration is based on what is best for the students - the student is front and center at Wasatch. The respect that the students hold for each other and for their teachers is evident immediately, and as I spent some time with Joe during my stay, I realized that he was on a first name basis with every single one of the students. Absolutely impressive.

Equally impressive is that a community as small as Mt. Pleasant, which is literally located in the middle of nowhere has such a global community of students and staff. The beauty of the surrounding area is breathtaking - a photographer's paradise to be sure.

Class sizes are wonderfully small. I think the largest class I worked with was ten students - a far cry from 30+ students back in my own high school teaching days in a technical program.

The ceramics program at Wasatch Academy is one of several art programs housed in a former car dealership building that dates back to the 1920’s. The building has been restored and renovated and invites creativity. 

Ceramic Arts Program instructor Laura Prenot

Laura Prenot is the ceramics instructor. She is absolutely an amazing teacher, and she has a top notch facility to teach in. She has been at Wasatch for nine years and is doing truly incredible work with the students. The studio works predominately in the cone 10 reduction range (yay!) and the work produced here is stunning. There are enough wheels for everyone in the class to have one to use. They have Giffen Grips for trimming. If you know public education, you know that very few clay teachers will spend money on a Giffen Grip as they often have the frustrating experience of students stealing parts off of them. This is a shame, for in my opinion the Giffen Grip is one of the best tool that I have in my studio. Nice to see that the kids at Wasatch have access to them - and their beautiful 18 cu ft Bailey downdraft is something to drool over. 

While I was in the class I showed a brief slide show and did demos on the wheel, as well as showing how I pull handles and put the handles on mugs. We had a session the following day where students got their aprons on and Laura and I helped them refine their technique. I very much appreciated Laura's hospitality and ability to put up with my Canadian sense of humor - thanks for everything, Laura! And to the students I met: YOU GUYS ROCK!!! Thanks for having me!

I'm probably telling a bad joke as I put a handle on a mug :)

Outside of the classroom I attended two basketball games and had numerous amazing meals at the Student Center. I was also lucky enough to attend the first event at the brand new Performing Arts Center - a stunning performance by the Utah Lyric Opera. This was an amazing treat, as three world class opera singers were accompanied by Maestro Nicolas Giusti on piano. The acoustics in this facility (a fabulously renovated church) are absolutely amazing. One of the singers, Miriam Costa-Jackson, is planning to record a CD here. All of the performers commented on the amazing acoustics in the Q & A session after the performance.

Q&A session by performers from the Utah Lyric Opera 

I also visited the studio of renowned local potter Joe Bennion. Unfortunately Joe was not there, but I was able to see his wood fired kiln and admire his wonderful work in his showroom.

Joe Bennion's 3 chamber wood firing kiln

It was a whirlwind weekend and I am most definitely sleep deprived. But, I’ve got a nice warm afterglow which I suspect will be with me for some time to come. Laura has asked me to make this workshop an annual event and I am so delighted! Thanks to Joe for making this possible, and a big thank you to all the wonderful staff I met and an especially big thank you to the amazing students I had the privilege to work with.

Joseph Loftin with his Wasatch Academy mug!

What I did this summer

Samos, Greece

So this summer has been a bit of a blur, really. I've got to stop doing these crazy summers and take some time out to relax. Next year!

Summer started out a tad early for me this year as we had a family gathering on the Greek island of Samos in late May and early June. Upon my return, I started on rebuilding the kiln.

I'd like to start out by giving some background on the kiln itself.

I built the first version of my kiln way back in 1995. Everything in it, except the steel braces (which I bought new), was used. Actually extremely used. I got a good deal  - "any of those bricks in that pile there are 10 cents each" was what Mike said when I asked if he had any used bricks behind the studio and gallery at the old Blue Spruce Gallery here in Bend. I think at the time a new brick cost upwards of two bucks apiece so that was good incentive. The problem was that there were very few bricks that were full bricks. Most of them were parts of bricks, and the kiln had quite the jigsaw puzzle appearance once I had used them in the kiln. I also snagged a door for a hundred bucks or so from Mike and actually have been using that door up until a few months ago. I've never been so happy to take something to the metal recyclers, that door was huge, unwieldy, and not a very good insulator by the time I got it. But, funky as that kiln was, it worked, though not without adventure.

When we moved to our current location in 1998, I rebuilt the kiln with all new bricks. And, just last summer I did a quick rebuild in order to replace the arch which was at the end of its useable life.

This past February Hank Murrow was here with Inayoshi Osamu. Hank, being the builder of some 120 kilns over the years, was asked by me for a critique of my kiln. I knew the design of my kiln was not the best in terms of insulation (resulting in long firing times and using a lot of fuel to reach the final temperature) but I did not know what I could do to rectify the situation. Hank had several suggestions, the two biggies being that the chimney was not mortared and therefore letting a lot of outside air in between the seams where the bricks met each other, and that I should add extra insulation on to the outside of the kiln and place a membrane over the insulation.
So, armed with a plan, I started on the kiln project.

Here's what the old kiln looked like:

That's the door I sort of didn't like so much. Ok, I hated it. I admit it.

Closer view of the gaps between the bricks in the chimney.

You will note that the burners are not in place in any of the photos except for the very last one way down there at the bottom. I have gotten in the habit of removing the burners and storing them in my studio between each firing to avoid them rusting. Plus, I did not want to be tripping over them while I did the rebuild.

Here's a shot of the kiln which has been torn down to the floor:

The iron frame is left in place, everything else is pulled, inspected for replacement or re-use.

As the new kiln takes shape, I am re-using many of the soft k23 bricks that have been in the kiln but are still in great shape. Any bad ones are replaced with new bricks. I would like this kiln to last for the next ten years or more, and as I was unable to really work at my usual pace, I really took the time to do everything to the very best of my abilities. It was really a boon that I did not have a production deadline until the end of August, so I was not feeling pressured for time. Eventually, of course I would feel very pressured for time, as the final stages to finish the kiln hit some snags and the project was fully completed three days before I had to fire it to meet my commitment to orders. Talk about an uptight potter. Yikes!

The arch is just underway in this shot. Note the arch form - and the saw - great tool for this job.

In the photo below, the brick work is pretty much done. I've dealt with the leaky chimney by installing a metal sleeve over the bricks, you can see it behind the kiln. At this point the kiln, the three previous times that I have built it, would have been considered to finished. The problem with the design, however, is that there are only 4-1/2 inches of brick for insulation. Most high fire kilns have a 9 inch thick wall. While a kiln with thin brick walls still works, but it takes longer to fire and costs more money to reach the temperatures required for cone 10 wares.

Ze bricks and all the dust are in the rear view mirror now!

Now the new, fun phase begins...insulating the outside of the kiln! For the side walls and arch, I've elected to use 1" thick ceramic fiber, and to add two layers so I have 2" of insulation. Even though it is thinner than brick, the fiber will provide at least as much insulation as a 4-1/2" brick.

Ceramic fiber is draped over the side walls and arch, 2" thick.

Once the fiber is in place, I covered it with sheet metal panels. This is important as the dust that comes off of the ceramic fiber is very unhealthy to breathe.

The side and top panels are in place, and the interior door is bricked in prior to installation of the outer door.

At last, it is installation day for the front panels! Rick Vecqueray from ThreeSixNine Metal Fabricators shows up with the panels and his welder. Inside these panels is 2" thick ceramic board which is also installed on the back wall of the kiln. Sparks will fly this day! Rick designed an upper door that is mounted on hinges to the kiln frame and swings upwards to open, with a latch that holds it in place while I load and unload the kiln. The lower frame is manually lifted into place and everything is held by brackets and a great latch system.

Rick welds one of the hinges on the outer door panel.

Some hours later the man behind the welding mask emerges (Rick) and the job is done!

Rick is the man, I'm so lucky to have had him do this for me.

I felt like I was in a dream during the first firing as it went so well. The firing was completed in 12 hours, compared to the normal 16-20 hours it routinely took to fire the old, under-insulated kiln. And, I used approximately one third less gas during the firing. I'm quite sure my gas bill has been cut in half. And as an added bonus, I was able to get to bed at a super reasonable hour after the firing, instead of having to kiln sit through the night and in so doing, compromise the quality and quantity of sleep when I did get it.

In the photo below, the burners are lit and the kiln is just starting to glow at the burner ports.

First firing is under way!

So. There it is. What I did this summer. I thought this project would take two weeks, and it took six. But I told myself as I was working on it, seemingly endlessly, that I would thank myself for doing all the work that I did. And after the first firing, I can say it was well worth the effort, and that I'm extremely proud of how it came out.

With thanks to Hank Murrow for his generosity in advising me with answers to many questions I tossed his way. And I'd like to suggest Fred Olson's Kiln Book (I have the first edition and there is an updated version now available) and also Mel Jacobson's fantastic book, 21st Century Kilns. (Mel's book is super!!)

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UPDATE January 2015--There is a major flaw in my kiln project. The flaw is that I put insulation over the top of the steel frame. My understanding of what happens with extra insulation is that heat travels outwards through the insulating fire bricks and into the fiber and fiber boards. If there is steel in between the two layers, it will get exposed to excessive heat that can ultimately cause the steel to fail. Many, many thanks to Vince Pitelka for bringing this to my attention - and also scaring the shit out of me at the same time...god knows what could have happened if the frame failed during a firing. The minimum would be damaged furniture and wares in the kiln, the maximum would be a fire that could have burned down my house. I can be somewhat of a catastrophic thinker, but I don't think my imagination has gotten too far out of whack in thinking of what could happen with a frame collapse at cone 10 temperatures in the 2300F degree range. Holy shit!

What I have to do now is take off the sheet metal panels and remove any insulation that is over top of the steel frame. I have fired the kiln four times since the summer, and I have my fingers crossed that there is minimal damage to the frame.

By the way, the way I found out that I had a potential disaster on my hands was from a recent thread on Clayart. Someone posted a message wondering if they could add an extra layer of insulation on the outside of their electric kiln, and responses came in saying that the metal jacket that holds the bricks in place would disintegrate in time if it was sandwiched between layers of brick and insulation. So I started e-mailing respected kiln builders to find out if this would be an issue with my kiln, and started getting really frightened by the responses. Thankfully it is an easy fix, and very likely no harm has been done to the frame. I am so glad that part of my daily reading is the Clayart group, and I encourage you to get the e-mail digest sent to your inbox each day.

I blame myself entirely for this oversight. I didn't know enough to ask about it specifically, and Hank probably presumed that I was not a moron and would have known about this kiln building no-no. Anyways, as a result I have learned a very valuable lesson about thermal dynamics. I don't know about you but I seem to have a knack for learning things the hard way :)

Pottery is unforgiving. In order to get a successful pot out of the glaze kiln, you have to perform a multitude of tasks, each one performed with utmost attention and skill. One mis-step along the way, and your pot is compromised. So it is too, with kiln building. One tiny little oversight can be catastrophic. So, I continue to learn and to thank all those who have taken the time to help me. And, in turn, I take time to help those who ask me questions.  I think most potters are generous this way, and more knowledge is to the benefit of all!