100. Kari Wojtanik, black-and-white pit-fired pot

100. Kari Wojtanik, black-and-white pit-fired pot

For Wojtanik, see item 91.

White clay, colors from pit-firing. Weight: 270 g (9.5 oz). Rim diameter: 1.8 cm (3/4 in); maximum diameter: 7.3 cm (2-7/8 in); base diameter: 3.7 cm (1-1/2 in). Height: 11.7 cm (4-5/8 in).

The pot sits directly on the base. “Kari” was incised into the base. The walls rise in a convex arc to the neck. The maximum diameter lies 5.7 cm (2-1/4 in) above the base.  The diameter of the neck is 1.5 cm (9/16 in); it is 10.3 cm (4-1/8 in) above the base. From the neck, the walls angle out in a straight line to the rim. The surface of the pot is smooth on the black side (the fourth photo), but rough on the opposite side (the second photo).

Colors—blacks, grays, dark reds, orange—come from the pit-firing. The patches of white are areas unaffected by the fumes and smoke and show the white of the clay. The neck is too narrow to see the interior.

Wojtanik’s works exemplify what I love about pit-firing with their marriage of perfect form and random decoration. The two ought to work against each other, but the unpredictable results of pit-firing make for fascinating juxtapositions of color and shape. I find that when I try to find a pot’s “best” side for display, I keep turning it around and around. Each aspect presents a surprise, something that catches the eye. This is pottery at its best.

For her pit-firings, Wojtanik uses as wide variety of organic materials such as sawdust, wood shavings, manure, and food items such as coffee grounds, banana peels, and salt. She also uses items such as metal wire, steel wool, copper scouring pads, and strips of paper soaked in chemical salts. She does her pit-firing in Maine. See items 95 and 99 for pictures of pots prepared for firing. She provided this picture of the aftermath of a firing.

Purchased at the annual spring sale at Feet of Clay Pottery, Brookline, Massachusetts, May 2020.