People ask me about my fascination with wood ash glazes. They wonder why I bother. There is much labor involved in using them, and they often produce flaws in the firing process. We decided to post an article on our website to share information about wood ash glazes and our relationship to them.
![inferment-Forest sake and tray Sake Set carafe and cups and a Tray glazed with Forerst glaze](https://www.inferment.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/inferment-Forest-sake-and-tray.jpg)
And today, I want to encourage you to check out the new article and focus on the charm of wood ash glazes. In the article, we discuss the origins of the material and its chemical composition and clarify the differences between low, mid, and high-fire glazes. You can read about it in depth in inferment.com/wood-ash-glaze
![inferment_Forest glaze two gallon fermenting vessel Unloading-kiln-day, Hadar is holding a two-gallon vessel Forest Glaze](https://www.inferment.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/inferment_Forest-glaze-two-gallon-fermenting-vessel.jpg)
So then, why are wood ash glazes fascinating and beautiful? The surface of a wood ash glaze is complex and rich with layers of colors and textures as if there were not one but a pattern of several glazes. The impression it gives me is like that of a musical instrument that produces several sounds at the same stroke. In ceramics jargon we call these phenomena “phase separation” and “crystallization.
![inferment condiment dishes wood ash glazes Condiment Dish, on the left Waxwing glaze and on the right, Moss glaze](https://www.inferment.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/inferment-condiment-dishes-wood-ash-glazes.jpg)
Condiment Dish, on the left Waxwing glaze and on the right, Moss glaze
Rather than going further into descriptions of the aesthetic qualities of wood ash glazes, I want to direct your attention to the beauty of the ash glazes actually in the studio. Look at the “Moss” glaze, the black and brown spots floating on the green surface, and the occasional golden yellow spots appearing at a certain temperature.
![inferment-Glacier wood ash glaze cup Cup with Handle glazed with Glacier wood ash glaze](https://www.inferment.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/inferment-Glacier-wood-ash-glaze-cup.jpg)
Cup with Handle glazed with Glacier wood ash glaze
![inferment-half gallon 1 gallon Desert glaze water seal fermenting vessel and its companion half a gallon](https://www.inferment.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/inferment-half-gallon.jpg)
You can also read more about our collection of wood ash from various trees and how each one of them is treated as a unique substance.
![varied wood spieces of wood ash in inferment studio Mixing glazes in the studio on the left, wood ash buckets from various tree species](https://www.inferment.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/varied-wood-spieces-of-wood-ash-in-inferment-studio.jpg)
![inferment_Waxing mixing bowl02 Mixing Bowl wood ash glaze called Waxwing, as it resembles the bird's eggshell surface](https://www.inferment.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/inferment_Waxing-mixing-bowl02-1.jpg)
![inferment-Waxwing and Wetland glaze Tray glazed with Wetland glaze, bottle and cups glazed with Waxwing glaze](https://www.inferment.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/inferment-Waxwing-and-Wetland-glaze.jpg)
And last, I want to touch on the poetic dimension of my experience with wood ash glazes. Though we work to develop a repeatable product, there is always some unpredictability in the glaze outcome. This unpredictability is intriguing and inspiring to me as an artist who works with natural substances – minerals, rocks, wood, fire, and water. The elements have their own expression.
![inferment-unloading 2 Unloading the kiln, Daphne is holding Moss glaze cup](https://www.inferment.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/inferment-unloading-2.jpg)
![inferment-vessels in Firenze 2-gallon Desert glaze and 1-gallon Forest glaze fermenting vessels, placed in Firenze, Italy.](https://www.inferment.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/inferment-vessels-in-Firenze.jpg)
This dynamic – in which elements flow into the studio from my local environment are transformed and shipped out to other localities and other countries as sculptural forms and functional vessels –gives me so much pleasure.
It’s as if the studio is itself a plant with far-reaching roots, taking in our love for art, food, and nature and then producing vessels for everyone to use and enjoy in unfamiliar places.
Thank you for being a part of it all.
Hadar and the inFerment team
![inferment_Glacier glaze cup made by student for her loved partner Glacier glaze cup made by a student in our studio for her loved partner- best morning coffee for the climbers couple!](https://www.inferment.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/inferment_Glacier-glaze-cup-made-by-student-for-her-loved-partner.jpg)