Soda Fired Pots
Soda firing refers to the process of introducing soda ash (sodium carbonate) into the kiln during a gas or wood firing, creating a vapor that weaves through the pots, binding with the silica in the clay to leave behind a dynamic sodium-silicate glaze.
This effect is emphasized further by flashing slips, applied before the firing, made from alumina-heavy clay that forms colorful “flashing” patterns that capture traces of the surrounding atmosphere on the surface of the pots.
I got to learn about soda firing this summer and try it out on a handful of pots, fired alongside Damian Grava’s work in his soda kiln at Westwood Art Studio. The slips, techniques, and processes are Damian’s, and while it’s all still quite new to me, I’m excited to see where it goes.
These first soda pots of mine, fired July 2025, are also the first iterations of the organic layered pots that now make up the majority of my current work. Initially, I had wanted to create a variable surface that would shelter some areas from the soda vapor while exposing others. The resulting pots have inspired the development of a style of art that I feel deeply connected to.
