Elisa Bartels black fired ceramics centre around the transformational alchemy of firing with sawdust in a closed container. Each piece is wrapped in leaves and then placed in a tin with saw dust and sealed.
During the firing process the pores of the clay open and the smoke of the burning sawdust enters the piece. The leaves on the surface act as a resist. As the work cools the pores close and smoke is trapped in the clay body resulting in a spectrum of finishes from black to grey with imprints of the leaves.
All the pieces are sealed making them food safe and dishwasher friendly. However, they prefer a gentle human touch.
