The photos in this first slideshow were taken the day we unloaded our pieces - May 16. Lots of beautiful pots and sculptures came out of the fire! After unloading, sorting & cleaning up, we had a wonderful potluck lunch right there in the studio, among our new treasures.

Here are more photos of our new crop of pit-fired ceramic pieces, taken after the day they were unloaded. Some of these pieces have been featured in the display window that was installed on May 20, the Monday following the firing. They will be there through June 9 - come down and see them if you can!

The scheduled day was changed due to rain in the forecast - we loaded & fired a day early, on May 14. See the preparation of the pit and the loading of our pieces (many of them wrapped in newspaper) into it  in the slideshow below.

Here's another slideshow of the Pit Fire Team (led by Patty and her assistants, John T. & Judy R.) as they are sprinkling it all with salt and copper carbonate, putting on cow patties and seaweed,  adding crumpled newspaper & kindling wood, then stacking firewood logs on top of everything.

With everything loaded & ready, here they are placing metal pipes over the pit - and then we had our ceremonial blessing of the pit (led by Darryla).

Now comes the lighting of the pit, the fire blazing up & then subsiding into smoldering embers, and finally the whole pit is covered with metal sheets. Everything is left that way for 2 days. (See our next post for results of the Pit Fire.)