Interview: Kristen Kieffer

Artists Who Used to Soda Fire

Left: Soda Fired Jar 2005 Right: Electric Fired Jar 2007

Soda Fired Flower Brick 2005

Top: Soda Fired Mugs 2005 Bottom: Electric Fired Mugs 2007

​About Kristen: Full-time studio potter since 2003.
 

What attracted you to soda firing?
"I began soda-firing when I worked with studio potter John Glick at his studio in MI in 1996-97. As a ‘precise potter,’ I liked the variation in surface it provided, and the beautiful depth."
 

What led you to leaving soda firing?
"Buying a house in 2005, and not being able to afford to build a kiln, nor having one in proximity. If I hadn’t have HAD to abandon soda, I probably would have plugged on, but it was the best thing that could happen to me and my work. I love color, and cone 10 soda reduction is automatically going to result in duller, bleached-out color. Switching to cone 7 oxidation gave me COLOR!"
 

What aspects do you miss and not miss about soda firing?
"I miss some of the colors available from soda (flashing oranges, for example), but that’s about it.
I don’t miss wadding;  filling and loading a larger kiln;  the duty (time & attention) required in firing a gas kiln;  wearing eye protection and respirator to spray soda;  problems with the sprayer;  bricking up the door;  problems with the kiln;  anxiety of firing with gas;  drummeling glaze drips and wadding;  crap falling into work during the firing and being glazed in place;  scraping and washing shelves;  bad results; limitation on forms;  and lastly, customers not understanding the variation.  So apparently I don’t miss it much."
 
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What aspects of soda firing do you reference in your current work?
"I’m not sure." Read post on use of layers by clicking here.

Images above are examples of Kristen's current work, check out her more of her work on her website.

Read more articles to learn more about soda firing by clicking button on right.

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