Summer has just begun, so now it’s time to use the last bits of winter …. in my ash glazes.

Last year I had a conversation with a befriended couple, about wood turning (friend ) and ceramics (me). A wood turner often uses the same design language as a potter and I think both have a great passion for the art of the profession, so for us, there are always plenty of things to talk about. Such as “who turns wood, will perish in wood shavings“. 

But the raku ceramic artist is happy to help a wood turner with this problem, as smothering the raku pots happens after all often in a sawdust bucket. You understand, I could get a lot of  sawdust from my friend ….. but apart from that I do not have enough room for storing so much sawdust, I fire raku too little to have use for it. 

However I would like to have the ash (also needs a lot less space, only 10 to 20 grams remains from about 1 kilo of wood). And as you will guess, my friend could also provide me with this, not because he is a wood turner, but because they keep their cosy houseboat warm in winter with a wood stove.

So, after the winter months, I could pick up a few kilo of ashes, but what to do now?