When creating a beautiful piece, the more variables involved, the weaker the human control becomes. However, luck always stands by every craftsman who truly invests their life and wisdom in it. As long as you have sufficient accumulation and patience, fine works will naturally emerge. Shoe firing ceramics are both man-made and reliant on nature, a collaboration between heaven and humanity, with its wonders lying within.
Shoe firing refers to the production of Ceramic wares using wood as fuel. This is an ancient technique with a high degree of difficulty, where the success or failure of the work depends on the relationship between clay, fire, wood, and kiln.
Returning to nature, the fusion of fire, earth, and ash gives rise to a natural, thick, and primitive beauty.
Shoe firing seeks the natural combination of wood ashes and earth, not bound by formal aesthetics, but rather without any artificial embellishment. The beauty of simplicity is attached to everything, and only in the formless yet shaped shoe-fired ware can one touch the soul. Shoe firing is mainly divided into two categories: glazed (base glaze) and unglazed (natural glaze). For example, Song Dynasty Tenmoku bowls and Celadon glazes are glazed, while Bizen-yaki from Japan is unglazed (to achieve the effect of natural ash fall).
Clay: Most clays used for shoe firing are specially formulated by potters, taking into account factors such as the clay's heat resistance temperature, the characteristics of the shoe kiln, and the type of wood used. They aim to create a warm, solid, and restrained beauty unique to shoe-fired ceramics.
Wood: Generally, wood needs to be stored for about three to six months (avoiding excessive moisture) to facilitate burning. Its types include camphor, longan, lychee, Loquat, and scrap wood, among others.
Kiln: Heat is provided solely by burning wood, and firing typically takes three to five days, during which workers must take shifts to continuously add wood around the clock. Factors such as the speed and method of adding wood, the type of wood, weather conditions, and the flow of air all subtly influence the color changes of the pieces inside the kiln.
Ash: In a shoe kiln, fully burned ash is very light and floats with the hot air currents. When the temperature reaches above 1200°C, the wood ash begins to melt, and iron in the ash reacts with the iron in the clay body to form a glaze, presenting various color changes.
This kind of glaze formed is called “natural ash glaze.” At first glance, it may seem unremarkable, but the more you look at it, the more appealing it becomes – this is what makes shoe-fired works so captivating.
The difference between shoe-fired ceramic works and those made in conventional kilns lies in how ashes and flames directly enter the kiln, producing natural ash glazes that melt at high temperatures. These have warm colors, rich layers, and a rugged texture, differing from the generally glossy and bright glazes. The results are unpredictable and cannot be replicated.
If it's a horizontal-flame kiln, the fired pieces exhibit yin and yang changes and flame marks on the fire-facing and back sides. It exudes a primitive, thick, and ancient charm, which is why shoe-firing ceramists are captivated and devote themselves to pursuing it.
Shoe firing inherently has a high degree of spontaneity, as long as the major principles are adhered to, other effects are considered random. The character of shoe-fired ceramics is not precise, and unexpected yet brilliant effects often occur outside of expected outcomes.
This is also part of the allure of shoe firing. Before the kiln is opened, no one has certainty, and there are always unexpected gains.
Shoe firing is not just about burning wood, but also a dialogue between humans and the kiln, a dance between fire and earth, using the most natural way to combine and create beautiful works.
On the surface of the work, you can feel the traces left by the flames as they flow over the clay body and the ash glaze produced by the burned wood. Overall, it presents a rugged and natural texture, a simple and solid color, and a deep and restrained elegance, bringing more surprises and artistic enjoyment to the creator. This is something that electric or gas kilns cannot achieve.
In shoe-fired works, the creator's dedication surpasses the refinement of techniques, because these techniques have already been dissolved in the symphony of the earth resonating between humans and earth, kilns and wood, fire and nature, reborn as vibrant Tea vessels.