Interview: Deborah Schwartzkopf

Artists Who Used to Soda Fire

PHOTO by Takashi Fukuda

​About Deb:
"Seattle based studio potter and instructor at Rat City Studios, where I offer classes, studio assistant positions, workshops, and host community events."

Color grouping from 2007 - Salt fired, Cone 10 Oxidation Gas Kiln

Place Setting Brown from 2015 - Cone 6 Electric Fired

What attracted you to soda and salt firing?
"Seeing other people’s results. I wanted the variation that the introduction of soda offered.  I was still learning to use glaze and this felt like the kiln was on my side!  I also enjoyed having more interaction with the firing process. I fired oxidation so I was constantly adjusting to keep the kilns from reducing and adding salt or soda at the end felt like a finale. "
 
What aspects do you miss and not miss about soda firing?
"I do not miss much... The kilns I had access to were challenging to keep in oxidation and keep even.  And the soda would often remove glazing decisions that I made and wanted…  The kilns I had access to were quite old and would spald off bits of debris…  I do not miss that.

I miss firing the kiln. (pushing the start button is nice, but much less interaction). I miss having a large kiln to fill.  I miss the interaction of sharing a large kiln.  And I miss wadding pots and group loadings.

I just got a bunch of brick from an old gas kiln.  So in a year or two I may be building a new soda kiln!"
 
What aspects of soda firing do you reference in your current work?
"I have chosen to fire cone 6 electric.  This shift to a lower temp happened when I got my own studio.  Installing an electric kiln was much easier in a smaller private city space than a gas kiln.  And much more affordable.  Now I love it!

I spray layers of glaze to create the variation I enjoy.  Initially I sprayed a soda ash solution.  Then moved on to a more fluxed out glaze…  Like a clear.  Now I use lots of different glazes. I spray a whole ware board of pots at a time…" Click here to read more about this process.

2018, Pitcher Cone 6 Electric

​Any recommendations on how to transition from soda firing to electric firing?
"Glaze test like crazy!  Use test tiles that are made in a similar fashion to your working process.  Make medium to large test tiles so you have space to capture variation from spraying."

For Deb shares a lot of resources on her website. Click on each topic to learn more: Glaze Recipes Resource and Surface Techniques Resource.

Learn more about deb on: Instagram: @debspottery and @ratcitystudios, Youtube and her website.

Rat City Studios

Rat City Kiln Yard

All Photo credit belongs to Deborah Schwartzkopf 

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