I completed an apprenticeship as a thrower in East Germany in 1998 with Hans Joachim Grünert in Waldenburg(Sachsen). I underwent a three year long thorough training in producing domestic ware exclusively on the potter’s wheel. I was then for the first time introduced to wood firing.

Hans took over an existing pottery where for many generations traditional salt glazed stoneware was produced. He also inherited an old tunnel kiln (Kassler Ofen) that he fired for 24 hours with coal and wood. At 1300 degrees he threw packages of salt in the fire box to achieve the typical surface of salt glaze pots.

Since then, the excitement of staying up all night feeding an ever hungry kiln with wood, the direct impact of when and how much wood to put in the firebox, has never left me.

In 2000 I decided to travel to England to gain more experience in ceramics. I met my partner Nic Collins(nic-collins.co.uk) here and in 2001 I moved to Moretonhamstead in Devon.

My partner Nic Collins and I use a clay body that we mix ourselves, consisting of clays sourced locally.

My pots are mainly thrown, sometimes altered, cut and put together again. I make small series of mugs, jugs, lidded jars, bowls and much more. As decoration, I use stamps, made from carved porcelain. The shapes on the stamps are based on nature, seeds leaf pattern, flowers, which are then pressed into the clay repeatedly.

When the clay is completely dry, the imprint is filled with different coloured glazes and then sometimes glazed over again.

I use simple glazes on the inside of pots and on the outside various coloured slips or no slips at all to fully utilise the effects of wood firing and soda glazing.

I like my pots to be inviting to touch and handle on a daily basis in the kitchen and around the house.

Firing

In 2003 I build a kiln, based on a design by Fred Olsen. It is very reliable and efficient in its use on wood. It takes approximately 30 hours to reach top temperature of 1320°C.

Before this temperature is reached many hours are spent spraying bicarbonate of soda directly onto the pots in the now bright yellow glowing chamber.

It is very exciting for me to watch the pots change, as the soda and ash react with the surface, starting to melt and drip.

During the firing I maintain a reduced atmosphere, which results in darker colours and less shinier glazes.

After 3 days of cooling the kiln is unpacked and reveals unique pots, each with its own character, impossible to be repeated in the same way again.