My interest in woodfiring increased gradually by summer workshops and seminars.
I begun to long for the warmth and liveliness of surfaces that woodfiring could offer.
In year 2000 we built two firebox fastfire kilns in our garden. By the first firing I fell in to an adventure that doesnt seem to have an end. I was totally in love with the possibilities of enliving the ceramic surfaces, and begun to investigate ancient oriental glazes and their suitability for the fastfire woodkiln.
From the very first firing I was convinced of the results of the woodfiring to be suitable for my needs.
Little by little Astra- and Oribe sets developed and I have tried to supplement these sets with few new products yearly. After some firings I was encouraged to fire bigger sculptural pieces and reliefes in the woodfire kiln.
Because of the heat and flame in temperature that rises up to 1300°C, woodfiring is a big fysical stress for big ceramic pieces and they has to be made with special care and attension. During the firing which takes from 8-10 hours, the temperature and flame has to be observed the whole time, and new wood has to be fed in to the greedy mouth.
Temperature, humidity, the wood used, loading of a kiln and numerous other things efect the firing and the final result. Because of this- every opening of the kiln is as exciting and surprising. One can never demand, but one can try to effect the final result.
Unexpected and natural colours and warm tones in claybodies and glazes make the ceramic woodfiring so unigue- two identical objects can never be achieved from ceramic woodfirekiln.