We are really excited to be participating in COAST Festival 2012 this year!!

Ceramics by the Seashore – Paper Kiln Firing

Scottish Sculpture Workshop (SSW) and Gray’s School of Art are coming together for COAST Festival 2012, in the first of a number of collaborative projects over the next year.

Artists in Residence and staff at SSW will be working with students and staff from Gray’s School of Art on the grounds of Banff Castle, building and firing a ceramic kiln constructed from paper. Items made by the artists, students and participants of workshops led by Nic Whitehouse the week before will be fired. These types of kilns are an interesting and exciting alternative to other smoke/woodfire ceramic techniques.

The paper kiln process begins when the dried ceramic objects are placed in a bed of sawdust and kindling. A tepee frame is then built up around them and covered in magazine pages dipped in a clay liquid. Once this is complete the fire will be lit and the kiln will be placed over it. At this point the kiln can become extremely smokey, although it should die down after an hour and a half to two hours. Salt and sugar, known to produce reduction glaze effects (through reactions with the clay), will be put into the kiln before it is sealed and left overnight. The kiln will be cut open the next morning and left to cool before extracting the finished pieces of work.

Many hands make light work, and all are welcome to join in with the kiln building on the day – although beware of getting your hands dirty!

Euan, Beth and Kevin building a practice kiln in the sunshine

Paper Kiln Schedule

Saturday 26 March

11am:    Preparation begins

Midday: Paper kiln building commences

2.00 pm: Fire is lit

3.00 pm: Paper kiln is placed on a grate over the fire*

4.00 pm: Grate is lowered to the fire plate

5.00 pm: Reduction materials added

6.00 pm: Kiln sealed

*Warning: at this point the kiln can be extremely smokey

Sunday 27 March

11am: The kiln is cut open and the work will be put on display

Accepting Spring/Summer registration for Technical Courses and Workshops – make sure you don’t miss out.

This year we have the Stained Glass workshop with Gordon Watt, back by popular demand, along with 3D Working, offering an opportunity to explore sculptural techniques.

For those budding metal artists, we have a Metal Casting in Bronze course that will take you through all the processes and techniques required to cast your own metal work. We are also very lucky to have visiting Bob Johnson, who has taught at both Northumbria University and Newcastle College for a number of years. He will be teaching a comprehensive Welding – Metal Art course at the beginning of July.

For those who prefer ceramics, we are very pleased to be able to offer the opportunity of experiencing an Anagama wood-firing. Led by Nancy Fuller, who has trained with a number of masters, participants will be able to fire work using this traditional Japanese method of wood firing. Anagama fired pieces have a beautiful glaze finish that comes from the clay itself, in the high temperatures reached during the 72-hour firing process.