I have been a full-time, woodfiring studio potter since I designed and built my kiln in Swanville, ME in 1997. I studied ceramics through a two year apprenticeship with National Living Treasure, Jun Isezaki in Bizen, Japan in 1994-1995.

The kiln holds approximately 800 pieces and I fire twice a year. The kiln is stoked with wood 24 hours a day by a crew of potters for eight days. By the eighth day, we reach a temperature of 2350 degrees throughout the kiln and it is left to cool for another week before opening. I enjoy the rhythm of the spring and fall firings and the long stretches of making pots in between. The connection and camaraderie that I have with the community of potters that gather for firings is a great part of my family's life and something that we look forward to all year.

Most of the pots are loaded into the kiln unglazed. The unique surfaces of the pots are a result of the interaction of the clay, the path of the flame as it makes its way through the stacks of the strong cross draft kiln, and the accumulated and melted wood ash. Results are controllable only to a point. My expectations are sometimes fulfilled, but sometimes wildly surpassed. Each pot is unique, telling its own story of where and how it was fired.

Jody Johnstone Pottery
135 Webster Rd.
Swanville, ME 04915
Tel. 207-338-5314

:jody@jodyjohnstonepottery.com
www.jodyjohnstonepottery.com