Elisa Bartels Black Fire Ceramics

Elisa Bartels Black Fire Ceramics centres around the transformational alchemy of firing with sawdust in a closed container. Prior to firing each piece is wrapped with leaves and placed in a tin with saw dust.

During the firing process the clay body opens and accepts the smoke of the burning sawdust. The leaves on the surface act as a resist. As the work cools, the smoke is trapped within the clay body resulting in a spectrum of finishes from black to grey with flashes of pinks, rust and the occasional silver.

Each piece captures beautiful, evocative moments of bloom and decay.