Golden Clay from the Pit Fire

The outdoor pit firing kiln was opened. Everything made it out intact - even the lid from one of the pots that fell outside the inside protected core and into the fire. This lid did get much more toasted than the rest of the pot but the dark black knob adds a nice counterbalance to the red pot. This lidded vessel, as well as the pinch bowl at the bottom right, were made from clay I found locally which appears to be a tributary creek from the Edisto River. The clay was naturally plastic and didn’t have much debris in it so it was easy to shape. I tried something new with a white terra sigillata inlay on the pinch bowl which yielded some interesting results in the reduction firing. Needless to say, I could not help but go back for a little more of this clay.


The white found clay didn’t do quite as well. One vessel chipped in the firing perhaps because of adulterants in the clay or too much sand. But another vessel made from the white clay came out of the kiln with lovely pink and grey smoke designs.