The Kiln Opening

Our friend Don Brimberry had a home show and kiln opening last Saturday. I've mentioned Don before and many of you know him and his wife Tera. He's a potter and unique in that he actually makes a living with his craft. On weekends he travels to Arts and Crafts shows across the state, showing his ware; during the week he holes up in his studio behind his house and makes the lovely objects that he sells. Three times a year he has an Open House and Kiln Opening and invites the public.

The Open House part is pretty simple - they bring in tables and benches and display his current inventory of pieces. The Kiln Opening is quite a different thing. Prior to the opening weekend he makes a variety of different pieces (to get an idea of the types of things he does, go here) fires them, applies the glazes (this is where his unique brand of artistry come in) and then fires the pieces again.

His kiln is large - about six feet tall, four feet deep and five feet wide. It is a metal box lined two-deep with fires bricks and a large opening on one side. After he fills the kiln (using multiple shelves of fire-resistant clay) he then bricks up the opening with more fire bricks - also two deep. There is a propane-fired burner system and he lights that - heating the kiln to 2400 degrees for about 12 hours. Of course, I forgot to take a camera, but here's a link to Don's website that describes the kiln and the firing process. Sort of makes you think about Daniel, or Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

Side story: I mentioned to my boss John that I had been in his neighborhood for the kiln opening and he said, "Would that be Brimberry on Tumblewood Trail?" Surprised, I said, "Yes, do you know Don?" John, who is a volunteer fireman in that area, said, "No, but the C-Bar Fire Department has him on a very special list. Anyone with that big a propane tank who makes fires that hot is well known to us."

After the kiln cools several days so that the pieces can be handled, the attendees gather as Don opens it, literally removing the "door" one brick at a time. When it is sufficiently open, be lifts each piece out, and describes what he had in mind and how he went about making the piece. There is a great deal of suspense for Don when he opens the kiln - even as a skilled potter he cannot exactly predict how the glazes will fire and what the combination's will look like. The firing affects different glazes differently, and even the placement within the kiln can make a difference. One piece was red on one side and white on the other. It should have been red on both sides but one side was sufficiently hotter than the other, causing the difference. According to Don, some openings have been disasters as untested glazes ran down and fused the pots to the shelf. Saturday was a really good opening - we all oohed and aahed at every piece; only a couple of cups were stuck to the shelf (that raises the price, because you have to add about $60 for the cost of the shelf - they can't be separated without breakage).

There were probably 100 to 125 pieces in this firing, and as Don brought them out, people spoke up for items they wanted - which is a little dangerous, because Don prices them after he describes them and tells what he was trying to achieve.

And our piece? A goblet that will serve as a flower vase.