Ashfest, NC 2019

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Dan Finch Pottery, Bailey, NC
Chris Gustin and Tom Coleman Wood Fire Workshop
April 27-May 11, 2019

Ashfest, the annual wood firing workshop held at Dan Finch’s studio in Bailey, NC, was held in April/May of 2019. This was the second time that Tom Coleman and I were invited by Dan and Amy Finch to lead the workshop that included artists from the local area and from around the country. Invited guest artists included Cynthia Bringle (from Penland, NC) and Meira Mathison from Victoria, BC.

We had about fifteen participants for the workshop, as well as some great assistance from Katie Fee and Jason Stokes, both coming up from Florida to help with the firing. This kiln is huge, measuring some 25 feet long, 6 and a half feet high in the center, and can handle up to 1500 pots. The kiln loading and firing spans an eight day cycle, with trips to surrounding areas during the cooling. This year’s off-site tours were to Starworks and the Seagrove area, and the Outer Banks of NC, including Ocracoke Island and Kitty Hawk.