In 2018, Frances Palmer built a wood kiln nearby her studio. She uses clay bodies specifically designed for wood firing and selects glazes that will play well with the ash and flame in the kiln environment to sheath her vessels. It takes roughly ten to twelve hours for the kiln to reach the internal temperature of 2350 degrees, loading wood every three to five minutes during this time. As the wood burns, the ash flies up over the pots and at the high temperature, melts on top of the glazes to create an additional, unpredictable glaze. No two pots are alike and never to be repeated. Then, it will take another five days for the kiln to cool down before opening. Frances loves the magical chemistry that can happen only in this type of firing and the glazes that result can be seen as paintings on the forms.

Frances Palmer’s wood fired work is represented by Object-Thing.

Please email krisolo@francespalmerpottery.com with any questions.