West Coast Wood Fire Revised Schedule:

Friday, March 9^th 1p.m.

Tea Ceremony Demonstration by the Horai Center for the Study of Pacific Culture held in the Creative Arts Gallery at College of the Redwoods

www.horaizons.blogspot.com

March 2- 31 “West Coast Wood Fire”

Fire Arts Center, 520 S. G. Street, Arcata. www.fireartsarcata.com

Opening Reception Friday March 9^th, 6-8pm (During Arts! Arcata)

Hours: Monday-Friday 9-5 and by appointment

Phone #: 707-826-1445

March 1 – April 30 “West Coast Wood Fire Local Artists”

Sewell Gallery, 423 F Street, Eureka. www.sewellgallery.com

Opening Reception Saturday, March 3rd, 6-9 p.m. (During Arts Alive)

Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

    Sunday, Noon – 5 p.m.

March 1 – 30 “West Coast Wood Fire Local Artists”

Ironside Gallery, 900, 9^th Street, Arcata. http://ironsidegallery.com/category/home-page/

Opening Reception Friday, March 9^th, 6-9 p.m. (During Arts! Arcata)

Hours: Tuesday- Thursday 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

    Friday & Saturday 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Artists include: Mike Beebe (CA,)John Benn (WA)
Doug Browe (CA), Rhue Bruggeman (CA), Conrad Calimpong (CA), Richard Carter (CA), Bonita Cohn (CA), Thomas Fossier (CA), Colleen Gallagher (WA), Bill Geisinger (CA), Kathy Guss (WA,)Colinda Gutierrez (CA),Rod Guyer (CA), Chuck Hindes (WA), Sam Hoffman (OR), Richard Hotchkiss (CA), Glenn Husted (CA), Terry Inokuma (OR), Lisa Jetonne (CA), Kathy Kearns (CA), Nils Lou (OR), , Marc Lancet (CA), Diane Levinson (CA), Ron Linn (OR),), Hank Murrow (OR), Fred Olsen (CA), Hiroshi Ogawa (OR),Reid Ozaki (WA), Scott Parady (CA), , Kenneth Pincus (OR), Stephen Robison (WA),Andy Ruble (CA), Monique Rutherford (CA), Steve Sauer (WA), Nick Schwartz (CA), Tim Steele (OR), Jules Stout (CA), Al Tennant (WA), Mark Terry (OR), Mila Visser ‘t Hooft (CA), Jon Weil (CA) , Jay Widmer (OR), David Zdrazil (CA)

Local Artists include: Conrad Calimpong, Darcy Casagrande, Honoree Cress, Jessica Eden, Rebecca Degagne, Stephen Faletta, Keith Fleury, Thomas Fossier, Ben Freund, David Jordan, Karl Klingenspor, Peggy Loudon, Matthew Meil, Noel Munn, Scott North, Bob Raymond, Elaine Shore, Shannon Sullivan, Margaret Whitcomb, David Zdrazil

Press Release:

“West Coast Wood Fire” is a series of exhibits and events relating to wood fired ceramic art and the culture that surrounds it. Two exhibits featuring contemporary wood fired ceramic pottery and sculpture by artists from California, Oregon and Washington will be held at the Fire Arts Center and Plaza Design in Arcata. Several world renowned clay artists are featured in the exhibits including three authors of ceramics books, several professors and professors emeriti. The works featured have unique surfaces and ash glazes which occur naturally from atmospheric conditions inside wood fired kilns, which are sometimes fired for up to 10 days at temperatures exceeding 2300° Fahrenheit.

Figure 1 Marc Lancet

Figure 2 Steve Sauer

Figure 3 Mila Visser t’Hooft

A traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony demonstration will be presented by the Horai Center for the Study of Pacific Culture, taking place in the College of the Redwoods Creative Arts Gallery on March 9 at 1:00 p.m. The tea ceremony will highlight the connection between Japanese culture and traditions to the aesthetics found in Japanese folk art and humble ceramic forms such as the chawan (tea bowl). Japanese folk art (mingei) and wabi-sabi aesthetic has been very influential amongst Western ceramicists who have traveled to Japan to learn their craft, especially in the context of wood fired stoneware and porcelain.

Figure 4 Hank Murrow

The College of the Redwoods ceramics department will host guest ceramic artist Terry Inokuma (Oregon) for a two day ceramics presentation and demonstration of her techniques on Feb. 23 and 24 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in room CA136. Ceramic artist Richard Hotchkiss will also be presenting a short film, “Noborigama” on Feb. 24 at 9:00 a.m. in room CA139, which features his kiln in Nevada City, California. The six chambered kiln is the largest and oldest wood fired climbing kiln in North America and has provided a wood firing experience to thousands of ceramic artists since 1971. Richard will also demonstrate the process making handmade fire bricks for use in kiln building.

The process of firing ceramics with wood dwindled with the advent of the industrial revolution and following technologies but has carried on through particular facets of tradition and aesthetic. This labor intensive process usually requires a cooperative effort amongst participants for a successful outcome. This idea of community is what has inspired “West Coast Wood Fire” and other events like it around the world.

Figure 5 Terry Inokuma

Schedule of Events:

Thursday and Friday February 23^rd and 24^th 10a.m. – 3p.m.

College of the Redwoods hosts guest ceramic artist Terry Inokuma (Oregon).

Creative Arts room 136

Friday, February 24^th 9 a.m.:

Richard Hotchkiss will give a guest lecture and present the documentary “Noborigama” which features his 6 chamber climbing kiln.

College of the Redwoods, Creative Arts room 139

Friday, March 9^th 1p.m.

Tea Ceremony Demonstration by the Horai Center for the Study of Pacific Culture held in the Creative Arts Gallery at College of the Redwoods

www.horaizons.blogspot.com

March 2- 31 “West Coast Wood Fire”

Fire Arts Center, 520 S. G. Street, Arcata. www.fireartsarcata.com

Opening Reception Friday March 9^th, 6-8pm (During Arts! Arcata)

Artists include: Mike Beebe (CA,)John Benn (WA)
Doug Browe (CA), Rhue Bruggeman (CA), Conrad Calimpong (CA), Richard Carter (CA), Bonita Cohn (CA), Thomas Fossier (CA), Colleen Gallagher (WA), Bill Geisinger (CA), Kathy Guss (WA,)Colinda Gutierrez (CA),Rod Guyer (CA), Chuck Hindes (WA), Sam Hoffman (OR), Richard Hotchkiss (CA), Glenn Husted (CA), Terry Inokuma (OR), Lisa Jetonne (CA), Kathy Kearns (CA), Nils Lou (OR), , Marc Lancet (CA), Diane Levinson (CA), Ron Linn (OR),), Hank Murrow (OR), Fred Olsen (CA), Hiroshi Ogawa (OR),Reid Ozaki (WA), Scott Parady (CA), , Kenneth Pincus (OR), Stephen Robison (WA),Andy Ruble (CA), Monique Rutherford (CA), Steve Sauer (WA), Nick Schwartz (CA), Tim Steele (OR), Jules Stout (CA), Al Tennant (WA), Mark Terry (OR), Mila Visser ‘t Hooft (CA), Jon Weil (CA) , Jay Widmer (OR), David Zdrazil (CA)

March 1 – April 30 “West Coast Wood Fire Local Artists”

Plaza Design, 808 G. Street, Arcata. http://www.plazad.com/

Opening Reception Friday March 9^th, 6-8pm (During Arts! Arcata)

Artists include: Conrad Calimpong, Darcy Casagrande, Honoree Cress, Jessica Eden, Rebecca Degagne, Stephen Faletta, Keith Fleury, Thomas Fossier, Ben Freund, David Jordan, Karl Klingenspor, Peggy Loudon, Matthew Meil, Noel Munn, Scott North, Bob Raymond, Elaine Shore, Shannon Sullivan, Margaret Whitcomb, David Zdrazil

You might be wondering about the name? Well, after many hours of contemplation on what exactly to name this new little kiln, I settled on “Bubble Boy”. The thing is, I never used to name any of the kilns I built, and then I moved to California, where it seems the clay people insist on naming their kilns. Maybe this has something to do with the maritime tradition of naming ships? In any case the Bubble Boy name seems a bit silly at first, but I think it fits. Aside from the obvious bubble shape of the kiln, the small size of it might suggest that it’s immature, not yet a full grown, but full of energy and ready to go at all times.

Not bad for 16 hours of stoking.

This particular kiln design is inspired by the a few different traditional wood kiln designs, mainly Anagama (buried, climbing), Ogama (wide, dome shape)and Ground Hog (also wide & buried). Another aspect of this kiln is the versatility of it to be a hybrid, and be partially fired with propane (more on this to come!).