Sugar Maples Center for Creative Arts

All levels welcome

For as long as ceramists have engaged in wood-firing, its age-old customs and practices have been examined and evolved. Together we will fire “Julia,” our new Train Kiln, to high temperature and then cool the kiln in reduction in search of iron red surfaces. Students will arrive with bisque wares made with stoneware or iron rich clay-bodies. We will use applied slips and raw clays to maximize deep surface effects. This dynamic workshop will feature demonstrations and discussions about kiln design and firing processes that maximize aesthetic options when using wood as both fuel and partner in the creative process. This is a unique opportunity to study with one of the principal innovators of “reduction cooling”.

Daniel Murphy is a studio artist and professor teaching ceramics at Utah State University. Murphy began using local clays and then built and successfully fired his first wood kiln while pursuing his undergraduate degree. He has built and fired kilns all over the world and continues to discover something new each time he does so. Murphy has a passion for sharing what he has learned from these experiences.

Fee: $760 (Course Fee: $600 + Lab Fee: $120 [includes one bag of stoneware clay] + Non-Refundable Registration Fee: $40)