Artists Create Beautiful Wood-Fired Pottery

Artists Create Beautiful Wood-Fired Pottery AG WORLD Creating wood-fired pottery is a lot of work but it’s also very satisfying says potter Cary Hulin who owns Holmes County Pottery with his wife Stephanie Their “harvests” come three times a year when they go into their massive kiln to see the results of four months of shaping Cary painting Stephanie glazing and firing pottery They never know exactly what they’ll find because the flames carry ash that lands on the pottery and melts into each piece adding serendipitous artistic effects “The kiln holds about 2 tons of pottery ” Hulin says and is shaped like an upside-down boat hull 21 ft long 6 ft tall and 7 ft wide “Filling it is like assembling a giant puzzle over 10 days to make sure there are enough gaps between the pots so the flame can find its way through ” The flame is impressive moving like a river through the kiln from the firebox and shooting up to a 15-ft flame out the chimney Each wood firing takes 3 days up to four cords of hardwood slab bundles and as many as eight helpers fueling the fire during the last 24 hrs In addition to feeding the firebox there are five side ports on each side to bring the heat up to 2 400 F after a low fire for the first 48 hrs The Hulins let the kiln cool down for a week before entering and removing their pottery “We do it at a slow pace to see how the fire has treated them It’s the most satisfying time when we see the results even emotional ” Hulin says That helps balance all the work required including building the kiln “When you’re a potter you’re a part-time mechanic carpenter and brick mason and you know about thermal expansion You need to be proficient and self-reliance is part of being a professional ” Hulin says Holmes County in Ohio is ideal for the rural business he adds About half the clay for the business comes from southern Ohio The area also has many sawmills with hardwood scraps and Amish communities with workers interested in helping fuel the kiln Located about halfway between Cleveland and Columbus it has a booming tourist industry of visitors especially those looking for the area’s biggest product Amish furniture In addition to local sales the Hulins plan to create a website for online sales They currently post photos and sell through social media sites “The reward is the work itself Most of my potter friends never retire because we love making pots ” Hulin says Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Holmes County Pottery 8500 Co Rd 373 Big Prairie Ohio 44611 ph 330-496-2406; cary hulin@gmail com; Facebook: Holmes County Pottery

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