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TigerstripeWood-Fired Pottery
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About the Artist: 
Bob McIlhattan has a gift with dirt. Clay more specifically, and no two ways about it, he is a true artist when it comes to mixing, sculpting, forming, and firing this material that the rest of us usually take for granted, and think of only as 'dirt'. A pioneer in the art of woodfired pottery, Bob was a key part of building the first Bourry box train kiln in the Pacific Northwest. The results of his work yield unique pieces deep of character, with a rich texture and comforting weight. With this kind of woodfiring, no two pieces are ever exactly alike. The searing hot wood ash circulates in patterns within the kiln when it is fired, depositing layers of glazed ash in certain areas, and even sculpting and etching away in other places. Firing the kiln is a cooperative effort, feeding the fire at repeated intervals, monitoring and graphing the temperature as it curves upward with just the right arc at just the right time. All day and all night someone keeps watch over the kiln as the temperature rises. Interestingly, when the kiln is firing there is very little apparent smoke that comes out of the chimney, as it's mostly hot gasses. The Bourry box kiln was developed originally to be an incredibly efficient method of firing. And so as the wood burns, the hot gasses are recirculated within the kiln, again and again reburning the hot wood ash until there is very little smoke. The pieces of pottery we have showing here are simply fantastic. We chose each individually for their uniqueness and beauty. Pottery is one of those gems of artistic mediums that combines both aesthetics and useability. A mug, a cup, a bowl, a bottle that is a unique piece of art in and of itself is not only an uncommon experience in this day and age, it is uplifting. |
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