Earth and fire

Earth and fire The process of wood-fired ceramics at UW-La Crosse.

Smoke billows high into the night. It's a crisp November evening at UW-La Crosse as a group of students encircle an inferno. The heat from the flames evokes smiles on their faces — they know a transformation is taking place.

Earth

UWL Archaeology student Natasha Radtke gets inspiration for her designs from the Oneota, a prehistoric culture that lived in Upper Midwest from 1150-1700 CE. They created globular, shell-tempered pottery with wavy and zigzag lines on the top half. For more information on Oneota pottery visit: https://mvac.uwlax.edu/oneota-pottery/

A close-up of Radtke's vessel.

UWL Biology student Isabel Bittner applies a glaze to the inside of a bowl.

Shelves of student-created pottery before loading the kiln.

On a chilly, rainy day, UWL Assistant Professor Jarred Pfeiffer instructs students how to load the wood-fired kiln. It takes 20 hours to load the two chambers. The kiln is modeled after Japanese Noborigama kilns, which have up to 15 chambers.

A loaded kiln ready for firing.

Fire

Once the kiln is packed, a fire is lit in the firebox. For the next 36 hours, a crew of two to three students works in shifts to bring the kiln up to 2,350 degrees Fahrenheit. As the temperature rises, the kiln has a voracious appetite for wood — two cords of oak and hickory hardwoods are required.

Wood is carefully and quickly thrown into the firebox of the kiln.

A student chops wood into smaller pieces for the kiln.

Temperature is closely monitored during the firing process. The kiln needs to get up to 2,350 degrees Fahrenheit.

A student stokes the firebox of the kiln to keep fresh air flowing into it.

Smoke billows from the kiln throughout the night. The process is winding down.

Like Christmas morning; there’s anticipation and excitement.

Warm air still rushes against your face while opening the kiln after a three-day cooldown.

Students take their time inspecting and carefully unloading pieces from the kiln. Many take time to check out the unique marks left by the process of wood-firing.

There is an overall excitement to look at each piece. Words like "shimmer," "iridescence," "crusty," "crystals," "ash" and "drip" are used by Assistant Professor Jarred Pfeiffer, right, to describe certain details of how the wood fire made its mark on pieces.

Student will share, gift or sell some of their pieces.

Appreciate