I learned three very important things in my mini-apprenticeship to master potter Bill Troxell of Strong Stone Pottery and Gallery 3-2-1. No, make that four.
First and foremost, I learned that pottery is just as much a science as it is an art. Secondly, atmospheric conditions are highly influential in the ceramic process. Third, to be a successful potter, you need to like playing with fire as well as clay. And lastly, newspapers (especially those of competitors) are fairly toxic when burned.
When Bill and his wife Diane invited me to spend a Sunday afternoon with them at their studio and gallery outside of Oxford, I was thrilled. Here, I thought, was a chance to redeem myself for the hideous clay creations I produced in all those grade school art classes.
Unfortunately, the weather didn’t really cooperate. So instead of glazing and firing my own piece, I assisted Bill. Which, I’ll be honest, was probably a good thing.
Since we would be firing outdoors, Bill had erected a canopy to protect both his portable raku kiln and us from the rain. He built the compact, propane-fueled kiln last year for demonstration purposes and hopes to use it with schools in the future.
The kiln’s design allows Bill to fire pieces in about an hour, which makes it perfect for explaining the physical and chemical changes that occur during the ceramic making process. This quick-fire technique produces decorative pieces of art as opposed to the production pieces that are the mainstay of the Strong Stone studio.
There is nothing low-tech about this piece of equipment. Its construction actually involved rocket science. Instead of the fire brick normally used to insulate kilns, Bill used a space-age fabric that looks deceptively like cotton batting. It happens to be the same material used on the space shuttle to protect against the intense heat encountered re-entering the earth’s atmosphere.
Despite the kiln’s humble appearance, it packs a big punch. When I arrived, it had been at “low candle” for approximately 15 minutes and was at around 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit, well on its way to the target of 1,800 degrees.
During the hour or so that it takes to fire the pieces, Bill keeps a close eye on the temperature and watches the behavior of the glaze. He can tell when they are “done” by the texture of that glaze. Under his tutelage, I could too.
Bill told me that part of the beauty of this extreme firing process is that manipulating certain variables can often yield unpredictable results.
The process of reduction, or removing oxygen from the kiln environment, is one of the techniques he uses to accomplish this. When air is cut off, the fuel is starved of the oxygen it needs to burn. In its desperation, it begins to extract oxygen from the glaze itself, causing permanent chemical changes to the color and texture of that glaze.
But Bill wasn’t satisfied with just cutting off the air. No, this is when we started playing with fire. He removed the pieces one at a time and placed them in a barrel filled with a “combustible” – where they actually combust, as in burst into flame, on contact. This took the reduction process, and my awe of this guy, to a new level.
Bill favors pine needles, he said, but has used basically anything that will burn. That includes oil, saw dust and wood chips. Since the pine needles were a little wet that day, due to the torrential rain, we used newspapers. My job was to operate the lid of the old garbage cans filled with the crumpled papers and add more as needed.
After inhaling vast quantities of toxic smoke fumes and getting drenched in the pouring rain, it was time to see the results of this extreme pottery make-over.
Each piece was removed from the blackened, smoldering newsprint and “quenched” in a bucket of water . Then Bill used a sponge to remove the excess carbon.
From my vantage point, I was able to witness the full effects of this extreme, transformative process. And I was awestruck.
Colors that were pleasant, but unremarkable when first removed from the kiln were now brilliant and metallic. Some areas were blackened, others crackled. Even the newspaper itself had left its mark in the way of intricate, yet completely accidental, carbon patterns.
Watching Bill handle each piece and then pass them to Diane for her inspection gave me a glimpse at the dynamic between the two. It was obvious that they share a passion for what they create.
Afterwards, Bill and Diane invited me inside to dry off a little and tour the gallery. I sampled some of the gourmet foods on offer, had a cup of truly excellent coffee and viewed countless examples of handcrafted wares from all over the United States. Gallery 3-2-1 sells work by around 300 artists, of which roughly 20 are potters. Every item in the two-level gallery is handpicked by Bill and Diane, nothing is in the shop on consignment.
I believe I can sum up my time at Strong Stone Pottery and Gallery 321 in one of those now-dated Mastercard ads: Replacement of one pair of unattractive, yet serviceable, loafers, $59. Dry cleaning for one purple velvet blazer, $19. Emergency salon visit to trim singed ends, $22. The opportunity to spend two hours watching and assisting a true artist at work? Priceless.
Sure, I left teary-eyed from the acrid smoke and soaked to the skin. But I wouldn’t have traded the experience for anything. And I have every intention of taking Bill and Diane up on their offer to visit the studio again, so be forewarned!
Strong Stone Pottery and Gallery 3-2-1 occupies a restored 150-year old barn at 41 W. State Street in Oxford. From now until Thanksgiving they are open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. They will be open seven days a week between Thanksgiving and Christmas. For more information call 843-9538 or visit them on the web at www.strongstone.com.