Terpstra Karen K on mon 19 mar 01
Hi Robert,
Yes, yes, yes. You DO qualify for upper midwest. If we do this I'm just
thinking of some feasibility factors-number wise. And, I have a feeling
there are many more woodfirers around here than we think. Maybe a regional
conference will bring those people out of the woodwork. Sometimes a
national or international conference can be a little intimidating or too
expensive. I don't want it to be that way. Anyone could come.
And yes the conference in Iowa City was excellent. I deeply believe in
information sharing. Wood firing is a complex activity and
contemporary potters/artists are redefining the historical basis with new
kiln technology, glazes, clay bodies, aesthetics, etc. I'm interested in
what others are doing in this part of the country. The posts on "bad
cedar" is just one example: why doesn't it burn for Mel and me when it does
for others? I'm just starting to learn about the trees in this area so
these posts are important to me. And ecology. We have to deal with this.
We will have 1500 blacksmiths here for a national conference in June of
2002. That will give me an indication of how well the galleries, school,
etc. can handle all of the bru-ha.
Regards,
Karen Terpstra
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Since you're from Iowa, just be aware of the Wisconsin drivers and driving rules
up here. I'm an Iowan living in WI and the rules still don't make any sense.
> Dear Karen,
>
> I guess that I and my partner don't really qualify for upper midwest, living
> in southwest Iowa, but we would be very interested in attending a woodfire
> conference in the midwest. The one in Iowa City last year was excellent. We
> have a small wood fired kiln of approximately 27 cubic feet of ware area
> volume which we fire approximately every 2 to 3 months. Occasionally get an
> outstanding piece. We would offer as much emotional support as we could
> possibly muster. We aren't great potters but love the challenge and
> excitement of this activity.
>
> Sincerely,
> Robert Jones
> Wall Hollow Pottery
> 20468 Allis Rd.
> Pacific Junction, IA 51561
> e-mail rjones7582@aol.com
Barney Adams on mon 19 mar 01
I'd like very much to attend this next conference. I'm afraid I dont qualify as a
"wood fire" potter. I've never fired any of my pots in a wood fired kiln. My present
situation prevents me from doing much more than read about it. Wood fired is what I
would like to do however. If you don't mind me just sitting off to the side out of
the way kind of a fly on the wall.
Barney
RJones7582@AOL.COM on wed 21 mar 01
Dear Karen,
Since you mention the cedar question I will express my opinion and experience
here. Eastern red cedar is a plague here in western Iowa where we are
striving to conserve the remnants of native prairie that still exist.
Probably the most persistent weed is the cedar trees that are no longer
burned by prairie fires since these hill are becoming more populated. We cut
thousands of small cedar trees to save the prairie. They burn well in our
kiln if they are dry, but are very difficult to split because of the
abundance of side branches. They hold a lot of water even when cut in the
winter and we have been using some cedar to introduce water into the kiln to
get better coloring of the ware. I am wondering if this may be a partial
explanation of why some find cedar hard to burn.
Sincerely,
Robert Jones
Gary Cox on wed 21 mar 01
Cedar here in the Northwest doesn't rot. It just sucks up the water, welcoming it
like a sponge. Good for decks. We never use it for firewood, but grind it up to
mulch our gardens.
Or make effigies ... when effigy-making was good.
RJones7582@AOL.COM wrote:
> Dear Karen,
>
> Since you mention the cedar question I will express my opinion and experience
> here. Eastern red cedar is a plague here in western Iowa where we are
> striving to conserve the remnants of native prairie that still exist.
> Probably the most persistent weed is the cedar trees that are no longer
> burned by prairie fires since these hill are becoming more populated. We cut
> thousands of small cedar trees to save the prairie. They burn well in our
> kiln if they are dry, but are very difficult to split because of the
> abundance of side branches. They hold a lot of water even when cut in the
> winter and we have been using some cedar to introduce water into the kiln to
> get better coloring of the ware. I am wondering if this may be a partial
> explanation of why some find cedar hard to burn.
>
> Sincerely,
> Robert Jones
>
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