W. ELLEN WILLIAMS
Woodfired & Saltglazed Pottery... Grounded in Process and Place

ARTISAN & DECOR

storage & SERVING WARE

TABLEWARE
elemental...
"It starts with the clay... the way the clay responds to forming... revealing it's nature.
The forms evolve, with each new work influencing the next...
Refinement is not applied at the end, but developed progressively through making...
The clay is prepared with layers of slip... and what begins in the studio is then carried into the kiln, where the surface is transformed through a 20hr firing...
I am always inspired to continue... "
Woodfiring and salt-glazing are processes grounded in the history of ceramics, where the surface of each piece is shaped by the conditions within the kiln.
Flame, ash, and salt vapours move throughout the chamber's atmosphere during firing, marking each form in ways that cannot be fully controlled.
In salt-glazing, the vapour is introduced at high temperature, interacting with the clay body to produce a distinctive, 'orange peel' textured surface.
These are processes that require time, and an acceptance of variability and loss...
Each firing becomes a record — and no two works emerge the same.
“Surface begins within the material, and is resolved through flame, ash, and atmosphere in the kiln.”
— W. Ellen Williams
Keep tabs on whats happening at Ashbourne Studio and the next Kiln Opening. Learn More about the Masterclass Program.




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