Pit Fired Pottery by Joann Cassady

Shown here are examples of the spontaneous beauty of Pit Fired Pottery. These pieces were hand built using coils of clay. They were then burnished twice during the drying process with a polished stone. After drying completely, each piece is burnished one last time with oil and then bisque fired in a kiln.

The pit firing process takes place in the earth in a sawdust lined pit. The pieces are placed on the sawdust and covered with kelp, wood and other organic materials. Some pottery is wound in copper or steel wool to add color during the firing process. The pit is set on fire and left to burn overnight. The colors on each piece were created spontaneously by the swirling action of the fire and the combustible elements that were added to the pit. No glazes were used in this process. The sheen comes entirely from many hours of hand burnishing.

Since the patterns and colors are created by the random action of the fire and the influence of the surrounding materials, each pit fired piece is uniquely original.

NOTE: Lower firing temperatures are used to fire these pieces. They will not hold water and are not intended to be utilitarian pieces. To care for your pieces, polish lightly with furniture polish.