Firing A Wood Kiln… Alone! | Sadhana Peterson | Episode 1168

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Sadhana Peterson | Episode 1168

For the past 30 years Sadhana Peterson has mainly exhibited with her 3 siblings who are also creatives (blame it on their mother’s influence). Sadhana’s love of clay was ignited in 1970 when she was 10 years old. Sadhana was handed some clay by Barbara Quittenbaum, the pottery teacher at a school where her mother was teaching. Sadhana proceeded to make a pig inspired by an ancient Egyptian hippopotamus and she knew at once that she wanted to be a potter when she grew up. At 15 years old Sadhana started serious classes with Margaret Tuckson who was well known for her documentation of New Guinea ceramics and her love of wood firing.

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Sadhana Peterson | Episode 1168

For the past 30 years Sadhana Peterson has mainly exhibited with her 3 siblings who are also creatives (blame it on their mother’s influence). Sadhana’s love of clay was ignited in 1970 when she was 10 years old. Sadhana was handed some clay by Barbara Quittenbaum, the pottery teacher at a school where her mother was teaching. Sadhana proceeded to make a pig inspired by an ancient Egyptian hippopotamus and she knew at once that she wanted to be a potter when she grew up. At 15 years old Sadhana started serious classes with Margaret Tuckson who was well known for her documentation of New Guinea ceramics and her love of wood firing.

SPONSORS

Image result for Patreon logo  You can help support the show!

Skutt Logo

 

 

Number 1 brand in America for a reason. Skutt.com

 

 

Georgies Logo

 

For all your ceramic needs go to Georgies.com

 

How long does it take for you to prepare your shelves, your wood, and all of the things?

Plenty. (Laughter)I carefully block it out on a week. I go this shelves, this day so on. And my pack is usually a good three or four days.

Do you know your kiln super well where you know where the sweet spots are?

I do and if I have invited people to with me I make sure everybody gets a little bit of sweet spot.

How do you source the wood for your fire, your kiln?

So far up to this point in time, all the wood has come from around my place.

How long does it take the first day to reach a good solid preheat day?

I usually start at 6 am and general shut it down at sundown. So 12 hours, something like that.

How much of that time is spotty by the kiln with your eye on it?

The first warm up day is a very gentle day. I could be doing all sorts of other preparations. I use that day to gather things, I like to put certain woods in at a certain time.

How long are the other days?

I generally get up at 2 in the morning and I don’t shut it down until 9 at night. The first day is warm up day, the second day I am going up to bisque temperature, so I am stoking but it’s not fast stoking. The third day becomes a lot more on the go.

Have you ever had any tricky times where you thought it wasn’t going to work out?

I have had several firings where I was really battling with the sort of wood I had, which was not great and just not quite making it. So yes, there has been a few.

Book

Finding One’s Way With Clay by Paulus Berensohn

Contact

sadhanapeterson.com.au

Instagram: @sadhanapeterson

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