Out of Ashes Pottery Exhibit

Description

The League of NH Craftsmen Fine Craft Gallery in Meredith is excited to announce Out Of The Ashes, a collection of wood fired pottery by Wendy Jackson. Wendy?s intense process is one of love and patience. First creating her cups, pots and vases with multiple layers of slip (liquid mix of clay and water along with other materials), she then spends hours carving thru those layers. This method, called sgraffitto (Italian ?to scratch?), reveals different colors or designs hidden in the layers of slip. When she completes the carving, the pieces are ready to be fired in a wood-burning oven, or kiln. Wood-firing is an ancient process, most revered in the Japanese culture. Each piece of pottery is carefully loaded into the specialized kiln. A small fire is started inside, and over the coarse of several hours, is slowly built in size and intensity. With the continuous stoking of the growing fire, the flames and ash leave unique deposits and marks on each piece of pottery. It takes many hours, or sometimes days, of continuous fire building for the heat to reach optimal temperatures, in order to melt glazes and ash deposits. Once the heat cycle is complete, the kiln slowly cools over almost a weeks? time and then is unloaded to reveal the treasures of the firing. The raised surfaces on Jackson?s wood fired cups and vases and the raw edges on her vases bring her natural designs to life. The sea turtles and other designs rise up to greet your hands and eyes. The unique combination of wood ash, the extreme heat, and the salts and minerals in the clay, work to also be congruent with nature in their resultant colors of purple, brown, and shades of orange. Out of the Ashes will be on display for the entire month of September at the Meredith Fine Craft Gallery. The League of NH Craftsmen is a nonprofit arts organization that encourages, nurtures, and promotes the creation, use, and preservation of fine craft through inspiration and education of artists, and the broader community. For more information about the Meredith Fine Craft Gallery, visit www.meredith.nhcrafts.org or call (603) 279-7920.