Wood firing is central to my ceramic practice. I approach the kiln not simply as a tool for finishing work, but as an active collaborator in the formation of each piece.

My work is shaped through this relationship between intention and uncertainty. Before a firing, I make decisions about form, clay body, surface preparation, kiln placement, and expected flame movement. Once the kiln is lit, the work enters a changing environment where heat, ash, ember, and atmosphere begin to alter the clay in ways that cannot be fully predetermined.

The surfaces that emerge from wood firing record this process. Flame marks, ash deposits, flashing, carbon trapping, and natural glaze effects become evidence of time, labour, and the conditions inside the kiln. Each piece carries a physical record of the firing.

My understanding of wood firing has developed through travel, mentorship, and practical experience with large-scale kilns in Australia, India, and Bali. I have sought opportunities to learn from experienced ceramic artists, kiln builders, and firing communities internationally, deepening my knowledge of kiln construction, firing strategy, fuel management, and collaborative firing.

In 2024, I undertook intensive training at Golden Bridge Pottery in India, where I expanded my understanding of production pottery, kiln culture, and the discipline required to sustain a ceramic practice. This experience became an important foundation for my current direction, connecting daily making with larger questions of firing, material research, and long-term studio development.

Working with large wood kilns has taught me that firing is both technical and communal. It requires preparation, endurance, trust, close observation, and shared labour. Kiln building and extended firing are forms of learning that happen through the body as much as through theory: stacking bricks, cutting and preparing wood, loading work, stoking through the night, reading flame and temperature, and responding to the kiln as it changes.

These experiences continue to inform the kilns I am building on my property in the Atherton Tablelands. This site will support ongoing research into wood firing, gas firing, kiln design, local materials, and the development of a place-responsive ceramic practice in Far North Queensland.

The images on this page document the physical processes behind my work: kiln building, loading, firing, stoking, unloading, studio preparation, and training with other ceramic communities. Together, they show the labour, collaboration, and material research that sit behind the finished objects.