Smoke firing is the most primitive technique for firing pottery.
When I do smoke firings I decorate my pieces with terrasigilatta, polish them and then bisque fire them in an electric kiln. Once my pieces have gone through this first firing I then bury them in a barrel full of sawdust and then ignite the top of the barrel. Once I get a good flame going I then place a loose lid on the barrel so that the smoke billows around in my bin of sawdust. I allow this smoke firing to go on for over 6 hours. The trick is to never lift the cover off; a bit like cooking rice.
Once the sawdust is completely burnt I then open the barrel to find my surprise. Pieces come out with a marble finish because of my polishing and the smoke gets absorbed into the clay to give it its unique decoration. The smoke does not wash out unless it is re-fired in a kiln.
