"I fire my work in a Japanese-style kiln called an Anagama. This one-chamber kiln and all of my kilns are built by myself with knowledge gained by traveling to potteries all over the world during my 30 years in the ceramics industry.
To begin, I hand harvest clay from our land and process the raw material into a usable custom clay body specifically designed to perform in my wood kilns. Our fuel is wood which is sustainably harvested locally. Much time and care is taken to collect, split and stack the wood. Each type of wood, depending on species and the location where it has grown, has its own unique mineral content. When the wood is burnt it releases those minerals into the river of heat as it flows through the kiln and around the pottery.
The firing process of the Anagama takes nine days. As the kiln heats up and reaches temperatures exceeding 2400 degrees, the wood ash that has settled on the ceramics begins to melt. After more than a week of firing, the ash has accumulated to a point where it begins to flow down and around the pottery. Pieces closest to the firebox show the most evidence of the effects of fire and time, as thousands of pieces of wood stoked on and around them hold a record of their time in the inferno.
After reaching top temperatures, all the while seeking the desired surface on the white hot work, the kiln is given a final wood stoke and sealed up to cool for up to two weeks. As the kiln slowly cools, crystals grow on the ash surface as the molten surface hardens into a glass-like surface.
The passion for the process is evident in the labor of months spent hand processing clay and wood, more months making enough work to fill the kiln, three days loading, nine days firing, and two weeks of cooling. Finally the door can be unbricked to reveal the treasures within. After the kiln is unloaded, each piece is meticulously polished and reflected upon.
I like to think of my work as a modern fossil record of everything that the trees were witness to during their life. My work connects me with my surroundings and the natural materials in my environment. I like to imagine my pieces being born of the mighty forests and powerful ocean by which they originated. In a wild and hectic world, I hope that my work can help quiet one's mind and create a dialogue with our surroundings wherever they may be." — Nick Schwartz
Nick Schwartz (b. 1975, Manhattan, NY) lives and works in Albion, CA. He grew up in a family embedded in the music industry and was surrounded by artists for much of his childhood. After discovering clay in high school, he went on to study at a small liberal arts school in Florida, where he was encouraged to travel abroad and set up independent studies in ancient cultures and their ceramic works. After graduating from university, he traveled to Japan for an apprenticeship. In a fortuitous turn of events, he found himself working with an avant-garde artist who had shared a studio with John Cage and Robert Rauschenberg. Upon returning to the United States, Nick moved to Northern California and received a grant to build a community wood kiln. He founded a circus, made ceramics, baked bread, and then developed and operated Flynn Creek Pottery for over a decade. Nick has been invited to teach and lecture all over the world. Nick and his wife, artist Jessica Rae Thompson, founded and currently operate the Cider Creek Collective, an artist center for residencies, education, and community in Mendocino.
